Keepin' the Memories Alive! (KTMA)
    Folks who love things Western are up to some great activities in their own communities, as they spread the word about the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum, its work and its various events.  Although some of these efforts have been happening for quite some time now, we've now formalized these outreach activities into a program that we're calling "Keepin' the Memories Alive."  We have chapters in Dallas-Fort Worth and Wichita Falls, Texas, so far and challenge those of you who appreciate what we do at the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum and through our events, to start a group in your community.  Click here for more information!

Newsletters
    You can learn about what's going on at The Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum in various ways, including two versions of our newsletter, "News, Notes & Nostalgia"--one by regular mail and one by e-mail.  It's an occasional publication that is packed full of event news, items about new acquisitions, features on selected displays, stories about some of the film stars of the "B" Western movies, plus news about our various outreach efforts.  It's a free publication for anyone who requests to be put on the list.  Just contact us and let us know how you'd prefer to receive our Newsletter--by US mail or by e-mail. And, we'll add the newsletter here as well, so you can check back to this page to read it. We look forward to sharing our news with you.

Latest New Releases

March 28, 2008

Mini-Festival Features Young Entertainers, Showcase, Workshop & Concerts

The Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum will present a brand new event on Saturday, April 19th that focuses on young folks--those who have talent in performing Western or country music or poetry, those who love good music and those who enjoy an “old-fashioned” Western movie or two. Called “Rhythm & Reels: A Festival Featuring Young People,” it’s a chance for young folks, their families and older folks as well to come together to share the joys of traditional Western and country music, cowboy poetry and related traditional arts.

Included in the event is a showcase (beginning at 1 p.m.) for youngsters (age 16 & under) who enjoy playing or singing western or country music, writing and/or reciting cowboy-style poetry or performing other traditional arts. (Showcase performers should call the Museum at 580-294-3047 to sign up for their performance time. Participants and their immediate families are admitted free to the event.)

A workshop (at 3 p.m.) called “So You Think You’d Like to Be an Entertainer,” will be presented by Festival hosts Mary Schutz and Janet McBride and two featured young professional entertainers, Chelsea Beck and Jake Simpson. Youngsters who have an interest in performing traditional music will learn many of the basics of learning to play an instrument, learning to sing and to market their act. A Question-and-Answer session concludes the workshop.

While the Showcase and Workshop are happening, showings (beginning at 1:10 p.m.) of various “B”-Western films will be presented in the Senior Center, across the parking lot to the west of the Museum.

Two special concerts feature young professional entertainers, with The Chelsea Beck Show beginning at 4 p.m. and The Jake Simpson Show beginning at 4:30 p.m. The mini-festival will conclude at 5 p.m. with a finale selection featuring all of the showcase performers, the professional entertainers and the festival hosts. At 14, Chelsea is a seasoned singer and yodeler with several awards to her credit. Jake, now 16, is a versatile fiddler who has played with several music legends and is in demand at festivals across the Midwest. Chelsea lives in Dover, OK, and Jake lives in Skiatook, OK.

“Rhythm & Reels” is an effort to introduce these traditional performing arts to the young folks of Oklahoma. Admission to the event is $5 for adults and $3 for youngsters 16 & under. Showcase participants and their immediate families will be admitted free-of-charge. Food concessions are available on-site.

For general information about the event, call 956-792-5151. To sign up for a showcase spot, call 580-294-3047.
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(Contact: Mary Schutz, 956-792-5151, texschutz@aol.com, www.geneautryokmuseum.com)


March 1, 2008

Gene Watson, Les Gilliam, Eli Barsi, Barry Corbin and Robert Fuller
to Headline 2008 Gene Autry Oklahoma Film & Music Festival

Advance Tickets Now On Sale
      Western and country entertainers, Western film stars, authors and cowboy poets highlight this year’s Gene Autry Oklahoma Film & Music Festival, held September 24-28 at the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum.
Advance tickets are now on sale for this event that put the tiny town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma, on the map. It’s located about 12 miles northeast of Ardmore, just east of Interstate 35. The town took its name from film star Gene Autry, who owned a ranch there in the 1930s and ‘40s.
      Country superstar Gene Watson, whose hits include “Paper Rosie” and “Farewell Party,” heads a strong list of headline performers that includes Les Gilliam, the Oklahoma Balladeer; Johnny Western, who played for both Gene Autry and Johnny Cash; and Eli Barsi, known as “Canada’s Cowgirl.” Others to be featured include Judy Coder & Pride of the Prairie, a Kansas-based Western ensemble; singer/songwriter Terry Smith (“Far-side Banks of Jordan”); the hilarious O’Roark Brothers; and Western swing/rockabilly singer Liz Talley from Houston.
Film star guests at the Film & Music Festival include Robert Fuller (Laramie), Barry Corbin (Lonesome Dove), Lisa Montell (Gunsmoke, Maverick), Roberta Shore (The Virginian) and Don Reynolds, Jr. (Little Beaver). (Mr. Corbin will be attending if he is not involved in a film project at that time.)
      Authors and celebrities confirmed include Bobby Copeland, author of 14 books about various aspects of the B-Western films; Joyce Spizer Foy & Judy Keel, author of Only Make Believe, a biography of actor Howard Keel; and Cheryl Rogers Barnett, daughter of Roy Rogers & Dale Evans. Celebrity MCs include Tommy Wiggins, John Buttram and Jo Hargrave.
The event includes showings of various B Western films and a new film called Trail End, produded by Shannon Keenan and starring Barry Corbin.
      The Gene Watson Show will be held Friday evening, September 26, and includes The O’Roark Brothers, Eli Barsi and Liz Talley. The Les Gilliam Show will be Saturday evening, September 27, and will include performances byJohnny Western, Judy Coder & Pride of the Prairie and Terry Smith.
      Admission to the event is extremely affordable and discounts are given to Seniors, children 12 and under, and to afternnoon tour groups. Contact the Museum at 580-294-3047 or townofgeneautry.com for a ticket price list.
      The setting for the Film & Music Festival is the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum, a three-building complex located just west of Gene Autry. Dedicated to the “legacy of the singing cowboys of the ‘B’ Westerns of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s,” the museum contains dozens of displays that evoke the lives, films and careers of the various singing cowboys. Included are Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Ken Maynard, Eddie Dean, Tex Ritter, and, of course, Gene Autry (among many others).
      The Gene Autry Oklahoma Film & Music Festival is an annual presentation of the Gene Autry Oklahoma Historical Society and Museum and is funded in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council and the Mid-America Arts Alliance.
      For more information about the Film & Music Festival or the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum in general, log on to www.geneautryokmuseum.com . To order tickets for the Film & Music Festival, call the Museum office at 580-294-3047, Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Contact: Mary Schutz, 956-792-5151, texschutz@aol.com