07.26.17 Keeter Center, Downtown Branson, Missouri and they found some rocks!!!

Last week we visited College of the Ozarks where you can find the Keeter Center. Its a massive facility that looks like a log cabin inside and out.

This is where we bought some homemade ice cream.  Here’s what they say about the College Creamery.  The process of making our special ice cream begins before the sun rises, when College of the Ozarks® students milk 60 Holstein, Jersey, and Guernsey cows at the W. Alton Jones Campus Dairy. Once the milk is collected, students pasteurize, bottle, and deliver it to The Keeter Center, where another group of hard-working students turn the farm-fresh cream into Nettie Marie’s Homemade Ice Cream, named to honor W. Alton Jones’ wife, Nettie Marie. Farming and the use of farm-raised products has always been a part of the College’s 110-year heritage that allows students to work, instead of paying for their education. Enjoy the fresh dairy ice cream made daily by our Hard Work U. students.

I had a blackberry cobbler cone of ice cream and Roy had Raspberry something.

The bakery sells delicious student made pastries!

 They have a gift shop featuring an array of handcrafted student-made products such as: stained glass, fruitcake and jellies, pottery, handwoven baskets, textiles, sausages, and milled grains.

There is a restaurant, Dobyns Dining Room, where students grow the food, cook the food and serve it in the restaurant. Here’s their description of Dining. Whether it’s a casual lunch, intimate dinner for two, or an elegant private dinner party for sixty, our culinary staff of students offer something for every taste! Your Branson dining experience will be enhanced by student entertainment Thursday through Saturday evenings, and Sunday during our award-winning Brunch, featuring a wide range of musical talent from our campus. For the sweet tooth anytime of the day, our bakery will satisfy any desire with pastries, cookies, and a variety of coffee and specialty drinks.

On Monday we strolled through what I think of as Downtown Branson.  We went to the post office to pick up some mail and put in the mail our granddaughters birthday present.  It was too hot to do much exploring but we did get to go through Dick’s 5 and 10 which is a unique place with gifts you won’t find anywhere else, one-of-a-kind collections spanning generations, toys from yesteryear, items for the home, games, hobby supplies, sewing, an aisle of the quirky and fun and so much more.   Here’s a link to their website in case you’re looking for something unusual or from the past, pretty sure they have it!

We also went through a cool store, Peter Engler Designs.  Hand carved items all around the store.

There was a lady there, Mary Bowman who carves these Santa ornaments and several other things right there in the store!

Roy found him a new buddy!  He costs $22,000 and took 5 years to carve!

I discovered Life Time Candles at this shop and fell in love.  Too expensive for me, but if I was rich I’d get one for everyone I know, they are that cool!

As we hopped from shop to shop trying to get out of the heat I hid about a bunch of rocks on benches and street light posts.

Before we got back home two of the rocks had been found and they posted the find on Facebook! Barbara said:  “Found in Branson Mo at Ripleys…rehiding tomorrow!!! 💖💖💖”