Remember Celebration City in Branson? Take a look at the memorabilia going to auction
You have a chance to buy some of the memorabilia that made up Celebration City, a 20th century theme park that operated in Branson.
The upcoming auction, held by Essick Auction and Realty along with Three Creeks Auction, will be June 2, 3 and 4 starting at 9 a.m. at the old Celebration City location, 1383 MO-376 in Branson. The public auction will include warehouse storage from Silver Dollar City.
There are thousands of items up for auction, including antique vehicles; large neon signage; Route 66 memorabilia; antiques; furniture; as well as theme park, theatre and show pieces and more.
There will be a $10 gate admission for the weekend charged to those 18 years and older. Concessions and restrooms will be available on the grounds.
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The first park on the site near the intersection of Highway 76 and Shepherd of the Hills Expressway had a short life; Branson USA opened in 1999 and closed in 2001, per News-Leader archives. The next year, however, Herschend Family Entertainment — which owns nearby amusement park Silver Dollar City, as well as a host of other entertainment properties — purchased the property and redid the park completely for a 2003 opening. The theme of Celebration City was America in the 20th century; portions of the park were inspired by the 1950s, an old-time boardwalk and Hollywood filmmaking.
Celebration City ended its 2008 season without reopening the following year. The theme park has been closed ever since. Woodland Hills, a nondenominational evangelical church, began holding services in part of the park starting around 2004. Setting up to worship and breaking down afterward came with a deadline: Services had to wrap up before Celebration City came alive in the evening and the space was needed for shows.
A church member recorded the demolition of the Ozark Wildcat, a wooden roller coaster, in 2015. According to its website, the church appears to still be located at the former theme park site.
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For more information about the auction, call 417-693-3178 or 417-839-9979 or email Jacque@essickauctionservice.com or threecreeksauction@gmail.com.
To view the full gallery, visit either of the auction house websites:
Sara Karnes is an Outdoors Reporter with the Springfield News-Leader. Follow along with her adventures on Twitter and Instagram @Sara_Karnes. Got a story to tell? Email her at skarnes@springfi.gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: See the Celebration City memorabilia being auctioned in Branson
