To Site MapFESTIVAL OF THE WEST 2006
ROUND ‘EM UP….HEAD ‘EM OUT
by
Moira J. Purnell aka The Calgary Cowgirl
Some 15 years
ago, Mary Brown had a vision - a vision that has today become one of, if not,
the largest and most prestigious Western Festival in the world.
Mary Brown, a
long-time fan of the late John Smith, had a dream of sharing her love of the
western, while at the same time preserving this extraordinary genre for future
generations. Mary was lucky enough
to meet her childhood hero in the early days of Festival of the West and he
continues to be the driving force behind accomplishing her goal of creating this
outstanding annual event. Though
his career was short-lived and he is missed by all who worked with him, Mary
Brown has created a legacy in his name that will grow and live for years to
come.
For many
years the festival has been held at different locations, including Westworld,
but due to the continued growth of the festival, in 2005 Mary moved it to the
western town of Rawhide. Rawhide
was then relocated at the end of 2005 and is now set up in a new permanent
location at Wild Horse Pass off I 10 at Exit 162.
This new location is the perfect setting for the festival and Mary Brown
admitted that they felt completely at home in the new setting. And I have to say that I agree.
Where else but in the setting of an old western town should you find our
beloved cowboy heroes of our childhood?
Upon visiting
the Festival you will be astounded by the size of the schedule and the variety
of events. From vendors selling just about everything you could imagine,
including tack, western wear, western décor for the home, jewelry, to the
enticing odors emanating from the various concessions including the great Chuck
Wagon Cook Out, there is something geared to everyone’s taste and every age
group.
Once again Buck Taylor – actor/artist and son of the great actor Dub Taylor - had a wonderful booth filled with his outstanding works of art, a couple of which I am proud to say now adorn my home. Trouble is, each piece is so unique that once you own one of Buck’s works, you will be hankering for more. Next to Buck was Mike Moroff – actor/songwriter/singer/artist – a different style to Buck but unique in its own right. If anyone reading this has the opportunity to view either of these two fine artists’ works please take it, you won’t be disappointed.
The strains
of Country & Western music could be heard floating throughout the marquee,
serving as the perfect backdrop for visitors to enjoy while wandering from one
vendor’s exhibit to another. Johnny
Western is a personal favorite of mine and I tried to stop and listen to him
whenever I could. I even managed to chat with him on several occasions during
the festival. But one musician in
particular was of special interest to me, a mounted singing cowboy by the name
of Gary Sprague and his horse “Dusty” who rode about the town singing as he
went, stopping every now and then to go into a larger act that included Dusty
performing tricks. He stopped for a
couple of us at one point and sang and then dismounted so that Dusty and he
could go into their act. They were
delightful to watch.
Now it just
so happens that one of the members of my small party is terrified of horses and
has been all her life. I won’t mention names but she knows who she is.
Well, Gary took her by the hand and after a few very precarious minutes
and much coaxing, she and Dusty became good friends and she ended up hugging him
and I have pictures to prove it. Fears
like this don’t dissipate overnight but she made a significant step forward in
overcoming hers. Well done, my dear
friend.
Outside the
massive tent were numerous places of interest, such as the various full-size
stagecoaches, chuck wagons and a favorite with everyone - the mounted shooting
and equestrian events.
Friday March
17th, St. Patrick’s Day, was also Children’s Day – I saw many
visitors and volunteers alike wearing their green attire in celebration of the
day. There were several parties of
children attending that day, all attired in bright green tee-shirts, these small
groups were obviously from local schools and it was so nice to watch their faces
light up in delight at what they saw. It
is only through these young people that the western will live on and I commend
those parents and teachers who brought these youngsters along to the festival.
But the real
attraction for many who attend Festival of the West, are the Celebrities (our
childhood heroes) who keep the Wild West alive for so many of us.
If not for their love and dedication to the western genre and their
willingness to take time out of their busy lives to attend such festivals, the
“western” would be lost forever. But
for the Celebrities, it is the fans who attend these events that make it all
worthwhile for them. Anyone who
loves westerns and wants to keep this special time in America’s history alive
for generations to come may do so by promoting and attending these outstanding
western events.
Each year
sees a very special event at Festival of the West, namely the Cowboy Spirit
Award Ceremony. This award is presented to Celebrities who have set the
benchmark as Western heroes with their integrity, strength of spirit, and moral
character. This year’s recipients were Mr. Morgan Woodward - a well-known
actor in the TV and movie industry, being especially remembered for his part as
Punk Anderson in Dallas. Mr. Robert Horton too was honored and many of his
undying fans, known fondly as Horton’s Harem, traveled from far and near to be
present for their hero.
Rusty
Richards was meant to be at this year’s festival but sadly could not attend.
For all in attendance, at the end of the award ceremony it became very clear as
to why he had not been able to be there. Mary
Brown was on stage with her family around her and the head Celebrity Wrangler
announced that Rusty was sad not to be there but that he had sent Mary a
message. After a few moments of
quiet, a song could be heard floating across the audience, composed for Mary and
sung by Rusty in recognition of her unwavering devotion to the western.
There were tears and gasps from Mary as she listened to the words that
Rusty had put to music in her honor. Once
the song was finished, the head Celebrity Wrangler made a surprise presentation
of the Cowboy Spirit Award to Mary. There
were hoots and rounds of applause as people rose to their feet to acknowledge
the wonderful woman who gives of herself for a complete year to bring to us the
most outstanding western festival in the universe.
But of
course, those of you reading this want to hear all about the reason why I and so
many others traveled to Festival of the West 2006. It can be summed up in two
words - Robert Fuller. Not only is
he an outstanding actor and a hero to many, but also an extraordinarily giving
human being, who fills the world with light and compassion. He is without a
doubt, a true gentleman to all that meet him.
There were
many of us there this year, old friends who had traveled from New Jersey, Norco,
Salt Lake City, Williamsport, Boston, Japan, England and myself from the frozen
north aka Canada plus a dear member of our group who had traveled all the way
from Germany and needs no introduction. And
this year saw so many new friends to meet for the first time from England,
Kentucky, Arizona, Texas and another lady from Germany.
For the past year we had communicated via email on our fandom and fan
club groups and finally we got to meet and for us oldies, it was nice to watch
as our new friends got to meet their hero for the very first time.
During the
Friday schedule of events there was a showing of Laramie in the Old Schoolhouse,
which many of us attended. The
episode shown was Saddle and Spur, one of my favorites.
After it was over, who should appear but Bob accompanied by the guest
star from that episode, Beverly Garland, one of this year’s festival
celebrities. They took questions
and then had to return to their signing venue.
Bob, being
the composite gentleman that he is, and loving his fans as he does, made some
very special private time for those who had traveled to see him and on Friday
evening we all gathered at the Moonshine Room for a private get together.
We all sat back and just chewed the fat with Bob, talking about anything
and everything from day to day issues, to asking him pertinent questions about
his career, etc.
This past
year, we welcomed a very talented member to our group, her name is Shelley
Hunter and she hails from Kentucky and is a sculptor.
A few years ago she made a bronze figure of Bob in his favorite
character, and ours too, Jess Harper astride his horse and she named it “The
Hunt”. She entered her labor of
love into the 2004 American Academy of Equine Art Exhibition and won the Award
of Excellence (kind of like best in show).
All of the members of the Art Academy voted for their favorite piece in
the show and they all agreed that ‘The Hunt’ had that special something.
Many of us had seen the pictures she posted on the group sites and were
in awe of her skill and talent.
A few weeks
before Festival of the West, Vernette Goats and Tony Gill, the founding members
of the Robert Fuller Fandom, approached several of us with a proposal that blew
the mind away, to make a gift of this exquisite piece to Bob, as our way of
showing him how we all feel about him and to thank him for so many years of
pleasurable viewing. This was
probably the best kept secret ever, as all wanted Bob to be surprised and I can
tell you it ain’t no easy feat keeping Bob in the dark. With the help of Mary
Brown, the plot thickened.
Before the
Cowboy Spirit Awards were presented, Mary made an announcement about fan clubs
and the dedication shown by members and introduced Vernette and Tony.
To the audience this was obviously going to be a segment dedicated to fan
clubs and their work. Vernette and Tony expounded about the fandom and about Bob
and what he means to all us members. Tony
introduced Shelley and told everyone about her work as a sculptor and of the
dedication she has as a fan and her way of showing it, was to make a wonderful
bronze statue of her favorite cowboy. Shelley
unveiled her masterpiece, which received profound recognition from the audience.
Tony told the audience that Bob had seen pictures of the bronze but had
never seen it up close and he invited Bob on stage to view it for the first
time.
Mary brought
Bob on stage and he stepped forward in awe of the work, spoke with Shelley and
hugged her. Then Tony dropped the
bombshell and announced, “Bob through the generosity of Shelley and of your
fans, we can think of no better home for the sculpture than with the person who
inspired it.”
Bob’s mouth fell open in disbelief. The moment was priceless and everything that we had hoped for and more. There was clapping and cheering and hugging and tears. Definitely a Kleenex moment.
Gotcha!
Bob…….
Finally, Bob
took the microphone and turned to Tony and all he could say was….”My friend,
you never cease to amaze me.”
Shelley told
us that while they were backstage after the presentation, Bob told her that next
to receiving his Star on Hollywood Boulevard, this was the next best thing ever.
Seems Jess
Harper was right when he said that he feared two things - a good woman and being
left afoot, because against over twenty of us good women and our infamous Tony,
Bob’s feet certainly did leave the ground……..I wonder if he has come down
yet. I know I haven’t and it will
live long in my memory of days with my western family.
Sunday dawned
wet and very cold. In fact I thought that I had been transported back to Canada
overnight. Undaunted by the
weather, our trusty party set forth for the festival’s final day.
There was a wonderful question and answer panel comprising of Don
Collier, Bob, Ruth Buzzi, Peter Brown, and Bobby Hoy.
After the panel there were some goodbyes to people who had early flights
to catch and, by this time the overhead heaters had warmed up the marquee
considerably and the rain had stopped. But
all too soon our heroes packed up their signing tables and we had to say
goodbye. Another Festival of the
West was over and all I can say is…………
FESTIVAL OF THE WEST 2007………….HERE WE COME!!!!!!!