To know Beverly Almond as an adult, you first have to picture little girl Bev, always twirling around in her mama's high heels and makeup, delighting in dress-up and anything that sparkled. That early passion for all that glitters was a sign of the remarkable talent that would stitch up her future.
She was a whirlwind of fun and glamour who learned to sew by the time she was 13 in Home Economics class at her school in South Dakota. Her skills quickly became so impressive that she started crafting custom garments for the very teachers who’d taught her.
“I’d make their costumes for fashion shows. I always joked that I was being punished, but I loved it so much,” she laughs. “It was a great creative outlet during my formative years in high school.”
There was no turning back once Bev put that sewing pedal to the metal. When she became a mother, her machine’s bobbin was always bobbin’—the thread flying through the years.
“Oh, those were fun times,” she beams. “I made the kids’ Halloween costumes, prom dresses, wedding gowns, and even banners for our church. I was always creating.”
She chuckles as she recalls the real way her kids saw her creations.
“My son was only two when I made him a Superman costume. He’d sit by me, watching intently as I sewed, so excited for the finished product. He put it on one day and asked us to set up a ladder. He said he’d only be gone a few minutes. It was such a priceless memory for me. The little costume was giving him the confidence to fly!”
Bev has all sorts of sewing “heart tugs” like that. Her beloved hobby would soon turn into a career in creating. In the early 1990s, Six Flags in St. Louis gave her the opportunity to establish a costume department for the park. Her skills continued to dazzle department leaders and she later landed a role with Disney.
“But we always felt called back to Missouri, where our family was from. We prayed and asked God to reveal our next chapter. My husband and I both had an epiphany to move to Branson. Let me tell you, when God opens a door and opens your heart, you better listen!”
Bev is so glad she listened. At Silver Dollar City’s Costume Annex, Bev found a supportive community that feels like family. For the past 23 years, she and her team have been crafting costumes that bring joy and magic to guests, proving that sometimes the heart's desires align perfectly with a professional path.
Bev and her team focus on every tiny detail to bring a character to life.
“It’s wigs, hats, jewelry, the shoes! Every decision is intentional to make each show seem like real life. We want guests to feel like they’re being transported in time like they’re looking through a window into a different era.”
Strolling through the Annex is like a little girl’s dress-up dreams come true. There’s a room for ruffles, a space for lace, a cabinet of buttons, a jewelry room, a wall of hundreds of boxes of shoes—everything a costume designer needs to create a character.
“It’s like our very own fun fashion factory,” she laughs. “It’s like a grown-up version of those trunks girls have filled with sparkly things to try on.”
Bev’s affection for each garment she creates as if it were a child is a beautiful metaphor for her dedication and care, watching it grow from “chicken scratch” on a tablet to a whirly-twirly completed piece on stage. While each costume has its unique “personality,” she admits one dress is her favorite.
“There is a blue dress I made for Heading West that made my heart swell to see it on stage and hear the audience's reactions. I knew right then I did what I was supposed to do. It will always have a special place in my heart.”
It’s not only the costumes that become Bev's pride and joy; it’s the people who wear them.
“Working with these entertainers for the past two decades has been a dream. Not only to watch them transform into a costume but to see them grow up, fall in love, and move up in their careers. It’s special. It’s very emotional for me when a performer comes in for a final fitting. I get goosebumps every time when we reach that final look together.”
Seeing a production on stage as a costume designer in the crowd is a gift Bev doesn’t take for granted.
Bev quickly credits her team for making her work not seem like work at all, along with her husband’s support on days deadlines were hanging by a thread.
“At my age, most folks are retiring. My dear sweetie reminds me that my eyes dance when I talk about costumes. He asks how he can possibly do anything but support me and be by my side as I do this. I still can’t believe I get to do this!”
As Public Relations Manager for the Silver Dollar City Company, she is eager to tap into her journalism background to hunt down “heart tugs” to write about—those stories that celebrate…
