| Following the Cowboy Dream Whenever possible, we enjoy traveling to museums & festivals that honor the great actors and help keep the Cowboy memories alive. We encourage you to visit these places & meet these great people in person. Let's show our support & appreciation to these fine actors & actresses who have given us so many great memories & fine entertainment over the years.
2012 Festivals and Events: | Feb 23-26, 2012 | 12th Annual Saddle Up - Pigeon Forge, TN Guests unknown at this time. To learn more, visit their website:
http://www.mypigeonforge.com/events_winterfest_saddleup.aspx
| | March 7-10, 2012 | Williamsburg Film Festival - Williamsburg, VA Guests this year include: John Saxon, Mickey Kuhn, Richard Erdman, Gary Hudson, Marlyn Mason, Terry Moore, Peggy Stewart, Tommy Nolan, Bob Boze Bell, and R. W. Hampton. For more information, visit
their website at www.williamsburgfilmfestival.org | | April 19-22, 2012 | Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival -Santa Clarita, CA
Visit their website at http://www.cowboyfestival.org/ | | April 20-21, 2012 | Audie Murphy Days - Greenville, Texas For information, visit their website: http://cottonmuseum.com/audie.htm
| | May 4-5, 2012 | Hopalong Cassidy Reunion & Western Toy Show - Cambridge, OH Scheduled guest this year includes child star Billy King who was in four Hopalong Cassidy films. More information will be posted when available.
Visit their website at http://www.hopalongcassidyfestival.com
| | May 25-26, 2012 | John Wayne Annual Birthday Celebration - Winterset, Iowa The theme this year is "The Quiet Man" as this will be the 60th anniversary of this movie. Visit their website at http://www.johnwaynebirthplace.org
| Date unknown
| Johnny Mack Brown Western Festival - Dothan, AL No information is available. To learn more, contact their website at http://www.johnnymackbrownfestival.com/ | 2012 Dates: May 19th July 21st Aug 18th
Sept 15th
Oct 20-21st
| Overland Limited Wild West Train - Connersville, IN Great western fun aboard the Wild West Train with The Circle D Rangers. Every 3rd Saturday in May, July, August, September & October this White Water Valley Train Excersion takes a Western twist as The Circle D Rangers protect the Metamora bound train. We only recently learned of this fun adventure in central Indiana. You board the train in Connersville, IN at 12:01 and ride about 90 minutes to Metamora, an authentic historic canal town with specialty shops, an old grist mill, carriage rides, and a horse-drawn canal boat. The two hour stop passes by rather quickly and soon it's time to board the train for the return trip back to the Connorsville railroad station. Bandits rob the train and there's plenty of good old western fun. You're likely to see Hopalong Cassidy, Marshals, Cowboys, Bandits, and more during this great monthly event. For more information, visit the White Water Valley Railroad website at http://www.whitewatervalleyrr.org/excursions/. | May 31-June 2nd,
2012 | Memphis Film Festival - Olive Branch, MS 35th Year A Gathering of Guns 4 - A TV Western Reunion promises to be one of the most entertaining Memphis Film Festivals ever. This year we will celebrate "The Virginian" 50th Anniversary. Scheduled guests at this time include cast member from
The Virginian: James Drury, Roberta Shore, Gary Clarke, Randy Boone,
Don Quine, Diane Roter, Sara Lane and L.Q. Jones. Others scheduled to appear
are Clint Walker (Cheyenne), James Stacy (Lancer), Robert Loggia
(Nine Lives of Elfego Baca), From Daniel Boone, Darby Hinton (Isreal Boone),
Veronica Cartwright (Jemima), Ed Faulkner (TV & Movie Character Actor),
Bobby Clark (Casey Jones), Bobby Crawford (Laramie), Charles Briles
(Big Valley), Lisa Lu (Paladin), Mark Goddard (Johnny Ringo), Hugh O'Brian
(Wyatt Earp), Will Hutchins (Sugarfoot), and entertainment by Rex Allen Jr.,
Johnny Western, and John Buttram. This event always promises lots of fun
with celebrity panels each day, live radio show recreations, B-western viewing rooms,
and much more. For information, visit http://www.memphisfilmfestival.com/index.html
| July 23-24, 2012
| Gene Autry Days - Kenton, Ohio Information to follow on their guests. To learn more, visit their website at: http://www.hardinohio.org/new/Geneautrydays.aspx
| Date Unknown
| Museum of the Mountain West Tribute to Western Movies -Montrose, CO
No information yet for this the 2012 event.
| Date Unknown
| Crossroads Festival of Western Legends -Morristown, TN
No information yet for the 2012 event. Information may become available at
http://www.crossroadspartnership.com/#!western-legends
| July 11-14, 2012
| Western Film Fair - Winston-Salem, NC Guests scheduled to attend this year include: Julie Adams, Nancy Stafford, Dawn Wells, Deanna Lund, Connie Stevens, Tammy Locke, Sherry Jackson, Ed Nelson, Dan Haggerty, Darby Hinton, Felix Silla. Entertainment provided by: Gene Watson and Johnny Meeks. For more information, visit their website
at westernfilmfair.tripod.com/index.html | Aug 1-4, 2012
| Roy Rogers Centennial Celebration Festival - Portsmouth, OH Guests scheduled to attend the event this year include: Dodie Rogers Patterson, Jon Patterson, Dan Haggerty and Bill Sanders. More guests will be added as they are added. This festival also has great look-alikes, including Dick "Smiley Burnett" Vance, Jan "Annie Oakley" Bauer, Bill "Pat Buttrum" Powell, Ron "Palladin" Harley, and Roy "Roy Rogers" Dillow.
For more information, visit their website at http://www.royrogersfestival.org/2012_roy_rogers_festival.html
| | Aug 9-11, 2012 | Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention - Hunt Valley, Maryland
Guests unknown at this time. For more information, visit their website: http://oldtimeradiotapes.homestead.com/conventionhome.html
| Aug 16-18, 2012
| Western Legends Roundup - Kanab, Utah Guests unknown at this time. For more information,
visit their website www.westernlegendsroundup.com | Sept 13-Oct 27.
2012
| National Harvest Festival - Silver Dollar City - Branson, Missouri After not having a tribute to the Cowboys last year, Silver Dollar City is bring it back. The Salute to the American Cowboy rides again in a BIG WAY during the granddaddy
of all festivals! This year features a New Western Stunt Show with professional stunt men and women, Legendary Western Star and water color artist Buck Taylor returns, with guest appearances by fellow stars of classic westerns, Western Musicians including Riders In The Sky and Red Steagall, Cowboy Poets, Trick Horse Stunts, Trick Roping, and Bull Whip Demonstrations and Chuckwagons. For more information, check their website at: http://festivals.bransonsilverdollarcity.com/mini-section/?id=11
| | Sept 22, 2012 | The Virginian 50th Anniversary at the Autry Museum - Los Angeles, CA Guests from "The Virginian" scheduled to attend are James Drury, Randy Boone, Gary Clarke, Roberta Shore, Sara Lane, Diane Roter and Don Quine.
The event will include panel discussions, episode screenings, and autograph sessions, followed by a special Chuck Wagon Dinner with The Virginian cast.
To learn more, visit http://www.autry.com/news/2011/virginian-50th-anniversary.html
| Oct 5-7, 2012
| Annual Rex Allen Days Celebration - Wilcox, Arizona Guests unknown at this time. For more information, visit their website: http://www.rexallendays.org/
| | Oct 19-21, 2012 |
Wild West Festival - Glendale,Arizona For information, visit http://www.wildwsternfestival.com | | Oct 27, 2012 | 15th Annual Silver Spur Awards - Studio City, CA No information available yet. Visit their website at:
http://www.reelcowboys.org/RC_SilverSpurAwards.htm |
We have had the pleasure of visiting the Roy Rogers Museum in Branson several times.Unfortunately this wonderful museum officially closed in December 2009 and all items were sold at various auctions. We also enjoyed visiting the Gene Autry Museum in Gene Autry, Oklahoma two years during their Annual Film & Music Festival held each September. While this wonderful museum still exists and they do have various events that will continue, their 18 year
Film & Music Festival tradition ended in 2009.
Times are changing and the Cowboy Dream is quickly fading but there are still some wonderful museum and events around the country. There are magnificent collections just waiting to be enjoyed. Many legendary Cowboys from those classic TV westerns
are still meeting and greeting their fans. We encourage you to plan to attend an upcoming
westerns event in your area while you still can. Follow your Cowboy Dream and see where your journeys can lead you.
This page was last modified on January 26, 2012 | |