The inaugural “Happy Days” Event in Branson is being postponed until spring after the area began making national news headlines for being a COVID-19 hotspot. 

The “Happy Days” Event, which was scheduled to be held the weekend of July 23 to 25, would have included celebrity appearances from “Happy Days” cast members Anson Williams and Donny Most, who played Potsie and Ralph in the show respectively. The Village People member Randy Jones was also set to make several appearances throughout the weekend, along with some other surprise guests.

Event Organizer Janice Dickerson said the celebrities and their agents felt it best to postpone the event until a later time.

“They were not comfortable coming in right now because of what they’re hearing about the Delta virus from COVID. They simply said they were scared to come, so they have postponed. We are still working together and have a good relationship with all of them. It may be spring before they get here,” Dickerson said. “It’s just a postponement until they are comfortable coming here. They’re excited. They’re disappointed they couldn’t come, and we’re disappointed.”

The three-day event was set to include a sock hop with the Happy Days cast at the Clarion Hotel on Friday, and a car show and a disco night on Saturday at the Copeland Event Center at the Shoppes at Branson Meadows. The weekend of events would have concluded with the Mark Aldred’s Jukebox Live show at the Branson Star Theatre on Sunday night. The show would have also included performances from Williams, Most and Jones.

Dickerson said the postponed show will still feature all of the activities and shows this month’s event would have included.

(by: Tim Church, Branson Tri-Lakes News)