Released: Branson, Mo. 08/07 

Silver Dollar City’s popular Southern Gospel Picnic returns with more glorious gospel music and great harmonies from some of the top names in Southern Gospel music, along with a picnic feast of Chicken & Fixin’s. Performers include Dove Award winners, Hall of Famers and top recording artists, with 60 Southern Gospel acts during the festival, running August 30-September 9.

Featured artists include 2006 IBMA* Gospel Recording of the Year winners Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; Dove Award winners The Isaacs, Brian Free and Assurance, Jeff and Sheri Easter, Gold City and The Kingsmen; and Southern Gospel News Male Group of the Year for 2006 and 2007 The Booth Brothers. Performances throughout the day are followed by Southern Gospel Nights concerts each evening in the park’s 4,000-seat amphitheatre.

"We have featured Southern Gospel at Silver Dollar City for decades, and when we started adding Southern Gospel evening performances in 1998, we found that our guests wanted more. We kept expanding the entertainment lineup until we launched Southern Gospel Picnic as a featured festival last year," said SDC entertainment coordinator, D.A. Callaway. "Now, with 60 of the country’s top acts on seven stages and more than 300 performances over 11 straight days, it is one of the nation’s largest Southern Gospel events."

Along with Southern Gospel music’s rich harmonies, the festival features another American tradition -- the home-cooked spread of an old-fashioned gathering. New this year, the House of Chicken and Fixin’s moves to the Square, featuring apple-glazed chicken, fried chicken and barbecue chicken with picnic-style fixings from au gratin potatoes and coleslaw to apple pie. An array of desserts completes the picnic, with pies and cakes that are long-time favorites at church socials and family reunions.

And for tips on creating all-American style meals, the park hosts the Taste of Home Cooking School from Taste of Home Magazine on Sept. 7 & 8. A $5 fee covers the class and a gift bag with recipes for each participant.

Silver Dollar City, an 1880s-style theme park located near Branson, Missouri, presents six world-class festivals from April through December. The park also features over two dozen rides and attractions including the new $6 million ride The Giant Swing, a dozen restaurants and over 100 demonstrating craftsmen.

Throughout the Southern Gospel Picnic festival, the park is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (9:00 a.m. – 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 1-2, and 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8). For festival and ticket information, call 1-800-831-4FUN. Information/schedules can be found at www.silverdollarcity.com.