2 • June 5-6, 2020 LOCAL Grand Opening for WonderWorks Branson Staff Reports An upside-down adventure perched in a seemingly perilous and ridiculous angle above the 76 strip opens today for Branson tourists and residents. It’s called WonderWorks Branson. The 48,000-square-feet of indoor amusement park for the mind offers family fun with three floors of non-stop “edu-tainment” and more than 100 handson and interactive exhibits. *We have something for everyone from two to 102 years of age,” beamed a cheerful Brenda Dent, General Manager of WonderWorks as she welcomed guests in a preview of the new indoor amusement park located at 2835 West 76 Country Boulevard. “You can spend all day in here,” Dent said, adding that staff is grateful the doors are now open. For months, Branson residents have wondered about the ongoing construction of a purposely tilted building that can be seen for miles around. Dent said the Covid-19 pandemic delayed the initial planned grand opening in April. “We were two days from launch when the lockdown was announced,” Dent said. “We had to stop, furlough employees and implement new safety measures for the safety and health of customers and employees. It was a little-bit heartbreaking, but now were open to the public.” New protocols put in place include reduced capacity, enhanced cleaning efforts, social distancing measures, hand sanitizer stations, employee health screenings and employee personal protective equipment (PPE). The pandemic hasn’t spoiled the fun for visitors to WonderWorks. Guests taking preview tours marveled at the diversity The curious line up to visit Branson’s newest attraction, WonderWorks. (Branson Globe photo) SEE WONDERWORKS, PAGE10 bransonglobe.com Andrea Romeiser launched “Doing Bold Love” during the pandemic. (Submitted to Branson Globe) Nurse launches pillowcase project: ‘It’s a way to show our patients bold love’ Special to Branson Globe Cox Branson’s nurse manager Andrea Romeiser loves love. She aims to show it and speak it in everything she does, saying it’s her purpose in life to love all people. That passion led her to a special project at the hospital – making souvenir pillowcases for patients on the two units she leads. “Research shows that people associate a feeling when they see a word or color,” she explains. “I wanted to find an extra way for our patients to see and feel love. That helps them feel safe in their environment.” Romeiser, who manages the medical unit and post-surgical floor, calls her mission “Doing Bold Love,” a name she says fits the natural culture of loving care at CoxHealth. “Now more than ever, we need this act of love,” she says as she folds a stack of pillowcases. “We can’t just sit still and know we are good people who do good things. We need to be bold in showing how much we care. We need to speak love so that while our paSEE LOVE, PAGE 7
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