Welcome to the 2010

ROBERT E. HOWARD DAYS

INFORMATION PAGE

This page will be updated and revised periodically, so please check back.

2010 HOWARD DAYS SCHEDULE — SUMMARY VERSION

FRIDAY JUNE 11

8:30 – 9 am: Coffee and donuts at the Pavilion, compliments of Project Pride

9 am – 4 pm: Robert E. Howard House Museum open to the public.

9 am – 4 pm: REH Postal Cancellation at Cross Plains Post Office

9 am – 11 am: Walking Tour of Cross Plains

9:30 am – 12 Noon: Bus Tour of Cross Plains area

10 am – 5 pm: Cross Plains Public Library open

Noon: Lunch hosted by Project Pride. Donations Welcome.

Noon to 4 pm: Pavilion available for REH items Swap Meet

1:00 pm: PANEL: The Illustrators of REH

3 pm: PANEL: The Evolutionary Heroes of Robert E. Howard

5:30 – 6:30: Silent Auction items available for viewing & bidding at Banquet site

6:30: Robert E. Howard Celebration Banquet at the Cross Plains Community Center, featuring Guests of Honor Jim & Ruth Keegan

Following the Banquet & Silent Auction: The First Annual Robert E. Howard Foundation Awards at the Cross Plains Community Center

Plus there will be an extemporaneous Poetry Throwdown at the Pavilion.

SATURDAY JUNE 12

9 am – 4 pm: Robert E. Howard House Museum open to the public.

9 am – 4 pm: BARBARIAN FESTIVAL in the large lot North of the Dollar Store on Main St.

9 am – 11 am: Walking Tour of Cross Plains

9:30 am – 12 Noon: Bus Tour of Cross Plains area

10 am – 3 pm: Cross Plains Public Library open

10 am PANEL: The Jim & Ruth Keegan Hour

Noon to 4 pm: Pavilion available for REH items Swap Meet

Lunch & Festival Activities at your leisure during the day

1:00 pm PANEL: Paul Sammon: 51 Years in Cimmeria

3 pm PANEL: What’s Happening with REH

5 pm: Sunset BBQ at the Caddo Peak Ranch

The Robert E. Howard Foundation will host a Legacy Circle Members Luncheon on Saturday at Jean’s Feed Barn.

NOTES: A visit to the Howard grave site at the Greenleaf Cemetery in Brownwood is not a planned activity, but directions are available at the Howard House, as are directions to Novalyne Price Ellis’ grave site between Brownwood and Bangs.

There will be an extemporaneous REH Poetry Reading at the Pavilion after the Friday Night Banquet. This is a scaled down version of the Poetry Throwdown and is limited to an hour of REH poetry only.

HOWARD DAYS PRE-REGISTRATION

PLEASE NOTE: You do not have to pre-register to partake of the weekend’s festivities. All are welcome to attend, visit the House and enjoy all of the activities. Project Pride likes to pre-register folks to get a head count of how many will be attending the Banquet and Saturday Bar-be-que. All the panels, tours, Swap Meet, etc. are presented at no cost. To sit down for dinner at the Friday night Banquet is the only true fee for the weekend, as space is limited at the Banquet site.

The cost for pre-registration this year is $12 per person. This fee will entitle you to both the Friday Night Celebration Dinner and the Saturday Caddo Peak Ranch Barbeque. Simply send a check or money order, along with your name(s) and address to:

Project Pride
Attn: REH Days 2010 Pre-registration
PO Box 534
Cross Plains, TX 76443

Please pre-register before June 1, 2010.

And for only $3.00 more per person ($5.00 per family), you can become a card-carrying Member of Project Pride. Each membership can make a big difference for the House!

HOWARD DAYS 2010 DETAILED INFORMATION

Since 1986, people have been coming from all around the world to Cross Plains, Texas, to celebrate the life and writings of acclaimed author Robert E. Howard. Every year on the second weekend of June, Project Pride of Cross Plains, a local civic organization, puts on a festival known as Robert E. Howard Days. It is a two-day extravaganza of tours, panels, auctions, films, speeches, readings, rare collectibles, and Howardian fellowship. For fans of Howard, it is the ultimate gathering: part historical symposium, part fan convention, all fun.

Come and walk through the streets where Howard dreamed his fantastic adventures, visit the House and gaze upon the exact spot where he wrote them. See with your own eyes the original yellowed typescripts, listen to scholars detail the history embedded all around the town. Meet and mingle with hundreds of Howard fans from all over the world. Browse the Howard Museum’s impressive Howard Gift Shop, and win prized items in the annual Silent Auction. An informal “Swap Meet” is also held, where fans can buy, sell or trade REH items of all sorts. Climb the same Caddo Peaks that Howard did, or take a drive south to visit historic Fort McKavett, and take your photo in the exact spot Howard did over seventy years ago. Go to Brownwood to Howard Payne University to see the books Howard owned, and stop in at Greenleaf Cemetery to pay your respects at his grave.

Robert E. Howard Days 2010

GUESTS OF HONOR

Jim & Ruth Keegan

Before having the opportunity to contribute to Robert E. Howard publishing, Jim & Ruth Keegan collaborated artistically as storyboard artists, editorial cartoonists, and advertising illustrators. Jim received a 2003 Eisner Award nomination for his publication design of Gary Gianni’s Corpus Monstrum, and they won the 2004 Cimmerian Black River Award for their ongoing Dark Horse comic strip, The Adventures of Two-Gun Bob. They’ve designed numerous Robert E. Howard publications for Wandering Star, and have illustrated a two-volume The Best of Robert E. Howard set for Random House. Recently they contributing several paintings to Del Rey’s El Borak and Other Desert Adventures, and painted the cover of The Early Adventures of El Borak, for the Robert E. Howard Foundation. They live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with their son, Rourke, and can be found online at www.twogunblog.blogspot.com.

REH DAYS SILENT AUCTION

Past attendees to Howard Days know the thrill of entering Silent Auction Row at the Friday Night Banquet and marveling at all the rare Howard treasures for sale to the highest bidder, with all proceeds going directly to Project Pride and the upkeep of the Howard Museum. It is a great place to fill in gaps in your collection, or acquire some very unique Howard items.

Are you willing to donate some of your books, magazines, old pulps, memorabilia, fanzines or other publications? Other Howard items such as t-shirts, bookmarks, wood carvings, original artwork or limited edition prints or posters are also great items to have in the auction. Instead of selling your items on Ebay, you can donate them to the Silent Auction and know the money will be supporting a worthy cause! (And it counts as a donation, so it’s tax deductible!)

Simply send your donated items to:

Project Pride
P.O. Box 534
Cross Plains, TX 76443
ATTN: REH Days Silent Auction

Be sure to include your name and address information, as all donors are listed in a place of honor in the Howard Days Banquet program booklet. Additionally, you may arrange to place items in the Silent Auction prior to the Banquet, if you’d rather bring the items to Howard Days. If you please, with any item you might donate to the Auction, list a reasonable low opening bid price on the item (like a dollar or two – start low and let the bidders raise the amount). A sticky note placed on the item you donate will work. The bidding is always fast, furious and fun!

The Cross Plains Library and Robert E. Howard

The Cross Plains Public Library has had an impact on the shaping of Robert E. Howard Days ever since the first event in 1986. It is now a place to go for REH research by virtue of the numerous Howard manuscripts housed there, along with the REH collection that is available to all: it has some rare collectibles, including old pulps and obscure fanzines, limited edition books and even letters from Mrs. Howard in Cross Plains to her son in Brownwood, reminding him to change his socks! The Library expanded into a new annex in 2009, the stacks got bigger and the programs offered are now more numerous. They were able to do it through the generosity of people all over the world via their gracious donations, and now it has paid off.

Cross Plains, Texas is proud to announce that the Cross Plains Public Library has been selected as one of only three finalists in the Library Journal’s 2010 Best Small Library in America Award. This award, which is co-sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was given after a review board looked at 30 small-town (under 25,000 pop.) libraries, and they decided on three finalists.

The winner of this award was the Glen Carbon Centennial Library in Illinois, and the only other library finalist was the Baker County Library District in Baker City, Oregon. Both are bigger libraries with branches, and in larger population bases, so this is a HUGE deal for the Cross Plains Library.

Congratulations to Linda Burns, the CP Library Director and to all of her staff for giving people another reason to visit Cross Plains.

THE BARBARIAN FESTIVAL

The “Barbarian Festival” is an annual one-day street fair which the town of Cross Plains hosts on Saturday during Howard Days. There are dozens of booths selling all kinds of neat stuff, lots of food, live music, car & tractor shows, games and rides for kids, a petting zoo, parades, contests and much more. This year they’ve added a Talent Contest.  Howard Days attendees (especially non-Howard fans like spouses and kids) will be able to spend time at the festival for a lot of fun things to do.This year the festival moves from right on Main Street to the large lot just north of the Dollar Store (still on Main Street). Check it out at : www.barbarianfestival.net.

GETTING TO CROSS PLAINS
Cross Plains is located almost in the exact center of the state of Texas, about two and a half hours drive west of Dallas, thirty minutes south of I-20, and 30 minutes north of Brownwood.

As for when you should consider coming and leaving Cross Plains, one recommended plan would be to fly or drive to Texas to arrive on Thursday June 10, and leave for home on Sunday, June 13. A lot of folks come in on Thursday, and congregate either at the Pavilion adjacent to the House, or gather in the courtyard of the 36 West Motel. You’ll be able to tell the Howard fans by all the Hawaiian shirts! C’mon over and join the group – all Howard fans are welcome!

DRIVING TO CROSS PLAINS

If you fly in, plan to spend a pleasant 2-3 hours on the highway from Dallas (or Austin) to Cross Plains. This will be driving your rental car from Dallas on Interstate 20 for most of the way, until making the turn-off to Cross Plains. For those of you driving to Howard Days, you can plan your trip accordingly. Needless to say, watch your speed limit in Texas, as the troopers there are not shy about handing out tickets.  Be advised that the constable in Cross Plains is also on the job.

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

You have a lot of choices in this regard. The only motel in Cross Plains itself is the 36 West (so named because it sits on Highway 36, a mere block away from the Robert E. Howard Museum).

As the 36 West has a limited number of rooms and is always sold out for Howard Days, a lot of attendees each year make do with finding a motel at one of the surrounding communities, then driving in to Cross Plains each morning for the festivities, and driving back to their motel in the evening. The drive from nearly all the other towns is about thirty minutes one way, and the roads are very straight, scenic and pleasant, especially if the wildflowers are in bloom.

The three nearby towns most popular with Howard fans in need of acommodations are Cisco, Coleman, and Brownwood. Cisco and Coleman are smaller towns, much like Cross Plains, and boast only a modest selection of hotels and rooms. Brownwood is a larger community with many hotels, restaurants, and other amenities. The closest “big” city is Abilene, which is about an hour away.

Of course, the internet is your best friend at times like these, and a search for hotel space is an easy undertaking.

The following is a partial listing of local hotels. A Google or Yahoo! search will turn up many more options for you to consider.

36 West Motel with RV Park
(254)725-4550
Cross Plains
Highway 36
Located 1 block from the Howard House and Museum. Rumored to be sold out for REH Days.

The Enterprise Motel (formerly the Oak Motel)
(254)442-2100
Cisco
300 East Interstate 20

Best Western
(254)442-3735
Cisco
1898 Highway 206 West  21 miles from Cross Plains.

Holiday Inn Express
(325)641-8085
Brownwood
504 West Commerce Street www.hiexpress.com/brownwood

Best Western
(800) 528-1234
Coleman
1401 Highway 84 Bypass

America’s Best Value (formerly Best Western)
(325)646-3511
Brownwood
410 East Commerce  www.americasbestvalueinn.com

Knight’s Inn (formerly Post Oak Inn)
(325)643-5621
Brownwood
606 Early Boulevard 32 miles from Cross Plains.

Gate 1 Inn
(325)643-5463
Brownwood
4410 Highway 377 South  32 miles from Cross Plains.

Days Inn www.daysinnbrownwood.com
(877-500-2600) Brownwood
515 East Commerce  32 miles from Cross Plains.

Lake Brownwood State Park
(512)389-8900
Campsites Available (must make reservations by phone)

Star of Texas Bed & Breakfast
(325)646-4128  www.star-of-texas.com
A deluxe Bed & Breakfast for those who want something special.
$120.00 – $160.00 per night.

Hampton Inn www.hamptoninn.com Brownwood  1-800-Hampton

La Quinta Inn Brownwood (325-641-1713)

HERE ARE SOME BITS OF GENERAL INFORMATION

Robert E. Howard Days is a wonderful yearly get-together of fans, scholars and historians, all gathered to celebrate the life and work of Ol’ Two-Gun Bob Howard, a true Texas and American original. It’s an open-air-under-the-Texas-sun informal meeting of folks from all over honoring the Legacy of Robert E. Howard with fellowship and friendly conversation, and you can do so on the very ground where he walked and wrote his wonderful works. The Alla Ray Morris Pavilion is adjacent to the Howard Museum, where tables and chairs are set up for all attendees to sit and relax in the shade, chat with your new and old Howard Friends, and enjoy water and soft drinks provided by Project Pride. (As always, donations are welcome.)

WHERE TO EAT

The “unofficial” eating and meeting place for Howard Days attendees is Jean’s Feed Barn, just up Highway 36 from the 36 West Motel. Additionally, there are a number of great restaurants in Cross Plains, like the Staghorn Cafe and Mexico City.  Nothing quite like authentic Texas chow, and Cross Plains has it! There is also a Subway and Dairy Queen, and a well-stocked grocery store is next to Jean’s Feed Barn. A slew of restaurants in Brownwood covers pretty much all cuisines (fast and otherwise.)

HOWARD’S GRAVESITE

Regarding Robert E. Howard’s gravesite at the Greenleaf Cemetery in Brownwood: there are no organized tours to the cemetery during Robert E. Howard Days, but folks usually caravan to the site sometime during the course of the weekend. Directions to the gravesite are available at the Howard House, as are directions to the gravesite of Novalyne Price-Ellis between Brownwood and Bangs. Vonne Cornett of FROG (Friends and Relatives of Greenleaf) informs us that they will have refreshments, cold water and soft drinks available at Howard’s gravesite on both the Friday and Saturday of Howard Days from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm. They will also have maps to Novalyne’s gravesite. Please help them out with a donation for their wonderful service to us Howard Fans!

MONEY MATTERS

Everyone who goes to Howard Days always ends up returning home with Howard books, magazines, t-shirts, postcards and all kinds of Howard related souvenirs. There are usually some items exclusive to Howard Days (like the Postal Cancellation, books, journals and post cards, t-shirts and now a Poetry book), so it’s always a good idea to bring some extra dough! You not only have the Gift Shop to contend with, but the Silent Auction and whatever other items people bring to sell at the Swap Meet at the Pavilion as well. Additionally, there are restaurants and businesses in Cross Plains that are quite happy to see you and exchange your money for great food or a pair of real Texas cowboy boots - and there’s nothing like some frosty DQ on a hot Texas afternoon! And there are always nifty items and delicious food for sale at Saturday’s Barbarian Festival as well! Get in line behind Mark Finn for the funnel cakes!

Note that the Gift Shop at the Howard House or the Silent Auction at the Banquet does not accept credit cards; they take cash or checks only, so please plan accordingly.  ATM’s are available at several locations in town.

Gift Shop Plug: There is now a Howard Poetry Book that is available EXCLUSIVELY at the Howard House Gift Shop: A WORD FROM THE OUTER DARK is a collection of 100 poems in a 5×7 paperbound 213 page book. You can also order this book by mail for $15.00 each, plus $2.00 shipping & handling, from Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 74663. Checks or money orders only, please, and add an extra dollar if you order two books.

ALCOHOL IN CROSS PLAINS

Regarding alcoholic beverages: CROSS PLAINS IS DRY. The town is located in Callahan County, which just as in Howard’s time is devoid of liquor for sale. However, if you bring your own alcohol into Cross Plains, no one is liable to kick about it if you keep it to yourself, clean up your mess, and behave yourself at all times. The Howard House is on private property, so alcohol consumption is allowed, but Please Practice Discretion.

Each day during Howard Days usually ends with people talking late into the evening (Thurs., Fri., Sat.) at the Howard pavilion or the local motel. Friendly folks that Howard Fans are, there are always coolers filled with water, soft drinks and/or stronger stuff, which is generously shared by all. If you choose to participate with alcohol, remember to please keep it at the pavilion or your motel. Texas is a big-time Open Container Law state and there are sheriffs patrolling all the major highways at night for drunk and/or speeding drivers. They know about Howard Days and the increased activity on the highways around Cross Plains.

SMOKEY THE BEAR SAYS

Lastly, Howard’s little town is dry in a really bad way: CROSS PLAINS IS FIRE-PRONE. In December of 2005, a horrific fire nearly destroyed the town of Cross Plains, and Texas is continually undergoing a drought. We are told that 2010 will be no exception. PLEASE BE EXTRA CAREFUL WITH LIGHTERS, MATCHES AND ALL SMOKING MATERIALS, as well as camping fires and barbeque grills!

Use common sense and be extra diligent about cigarette smoking and the disposal of your cigarettes during your visit to Howard Days. Note that the owners of the Caddo Peak Ranch have requested that there be ABSOLUTELY NO SMOKING WHATSOEVER at the Ranch during the Saturday evening Barbeque due to the perpetual danger of fire. If you absolutely cannot make it without a cigarette at the Caddo Peak BBQ, please go and smoke only inside your vehicle, with the windows up, and extinguish the cigarette in the car’s ashtray. You do not want to be the person who ends Howard Days forever with a carelessly smoked cigarette!

Thanks in advance for following the above suggestions, and for continuing to give the Howard fans who come to Cross Plains a good name.

CROSS PLAINS CHURCHES

Cross Plains is a community in which faith plays a central role, and
any of the churches would be happy to welcome Robert E. Howard fans who
wish to join them in worship.  The following list covers primarily
those churches within or just outside the city limits.  The Cross
Plains Review each week includes a church directory (from which the
following information was drawn), and of course others may be located
through inquiries.

Cornerstone Bible Church, 832 Ave E
Sunday Morning Bible Study: 10:00 am / Sunday Morning Worship: 11:00
am / Sunday Evening Worship: 6:00 pm / Wednesday Night Bible Study:
6:00 pm

Cross Plains Church of Christ, 433 N Main  (254) 725-6117
Sunday Morning Bible Class: 9:45 am / Sunday Morning Worship 10:45 am
/ Sunday Evening Worship: 6:00 pm / Wednesday Evening Bible Study:
7:00 pm

Cross Plains Cowboy Church, 16075 County Road 459  (254) 725-6446 or
(325) 518-5514
Sunday: 10:30 am / Wednesday Night: 7:00 pm

First Baptist Church, 3rd St NE & N Main (254) 725-7629
Sunday School: 9:30 am / Sunday Morning Worship: 10:45 am / Sunday
Evening Worship: 6:30 pm

First Presbyterian Church, 208 N Ave D
Sunday Service: 9:00 am

First United Methodist Church, 1000 N Main  (254) 725-7377
Sunday School: 9:30 am / Sunday Morning Worship 10:45 am

Living Water Ministries Fellowship, 548 Hwy 36 W  (254) 725-7418
Sunday: 10:00 am / Wednesday: 7:00 pm

Triple Cross Cowboy Church, 21272 Hwy 279 (just past 279/206 split)
(254) 725-7522 or (325) 370-6680
Sunday: 10:30 am

United Pentecostal Church, 209 SW Hwy 36 (5th St)  (254) 725-7140
Sunday School: 9:30 am / Sunday Worship & Word: 6:30 pm / Wednesday
Bible Study: 7:00 pm

THE 2010 HOWARD DAYS SCHEDULE — DETAILED VERSION

Friday, June 11

9:00 – 4:00: Howard House Museum open for tours.

Each year, Howard Days begins at the front door to the Howard House. There is plenty of parking along the West side of the House. Say hi to the nice ladies at the table out front, sign your name in the Guest Register, drop a donation in the Donation Jar and put on a name badge so everyone knows your name.

Then enter the house itself. You can either take the guided tour, where in each room a docent will explain to you all of the history and items associated with that room, or if you’ve been here many times before you can simply browse around yourself and see what’s new. All of the rooms have been restored back to the decor of the period, and there is a wide array of  Howard associational items to look over and enjoy, including numerous photos of REH, his family and friends. You can gaze in awe at the rarest Howard collectible of all: the British publisher Herbert Jenkins 1938 edition of Robert E. Howard’s A GENT FROM BEAR CREEK, a most gracious donation from Leo Grin, or look at the Benjamin Musser poetry book that was autographed to REH by Musser and sent directly to REH in 1931. (This gem was donated by REHupa). A number of books that Dr. Howard owned are now displayed in the parlor of the Howard House, thanks to the sharp eye and quick wits of Don Herron.

In the back of the House, the Howard Gift Shop has an enormous selection of books, magazines, postcards, t-shirts and other souvenirs to purchase. Each purchase contributes to the Robert E. Howard Museum, so be sure to bring lots of dough! Cash or checks only please…and the Jenkins book is not for sale…

Adjacent to the Robert E. Howard House you’ll find the Alla Ray Morris Pavilion, a covered, open air meeting place for all Howard Days attendees. There are plenty of tables and chairs set up here for you to relax, converse, look over your Gift Shop purchases or swap meet deals, and just enjoy old and new friendships while celebrating Ol’ Two-Gun Bob Howard. Project Pride provides cold water and soft drinks in a large cooler here (don’t forget the Donation Jar!), and the Bus and Walking Tours also start here. The Friday luncheon, some of the panels and the Swap Meet take place here, and the Pavilion is also the after-hours gathering spot. It is open to all, and you are welcome here whether or not you’ve pre-registered. See you at the Pavilion!

9:00 – 4:00: Postal Cancellation at downtown Post Office

Take your postcards and souvenir mail there, and they will cancel the stamp with a special REH Days logo, this year designed by Jim & Ruth Keegan. Send your family or friends who couldn’t make it something to add to their collections. The post office is located at 101 N. Avenue D, one block east of Main Street (behind Higgenbotham’s General Store).

10:00 – 500: Public Library downtown open. Original manuscripts available for viewing, copies for sale.

The Cross Plains Public Library will be open all day for the purpose of viewing their extensive Howard collection. The Library has an wide array of original Howard typescripts, rare Howard books, old Weird Tales magazines and various Howard fanzines. Enjoy the new library annex and be in the audience for the various Howard Days panels presented here. There will also be Howard books for sale here, including the excellent REH memoir by Novalyne Price Ellis, One Who Walked Alone, and copies of Howard’s manuscript pages are also for sale.

9:00 – 12:30 Walking and Bus Tours. Specific times for each to be announced on site.

A walking tour of the grounds of the Howard House and select places around town is hosted annually by Rusty Burke. First thing in the morning (before it gets too hot!) join Walking Howard Encyclopedia Rusty Burke on an engrossing stroll through the area surrounding the Howard Museum, where you will learn all about Howard’s backyard life during the time he spent there. Chopping wood, milking cows, feeding stray cats, and working out with weights are only some of the things Howard did in out back during those years. See the area through Howard’s own eyes while listening to excerpts from his letters and to stories and anecdotes told by his friends. Immediately following the backyard tour, Rusty will host a walking tour downtown, spotlighting places like the old Ice House, where Howard mixed it up with pugilistic opponents. Walk in the footsteps of Robert E. Howard all over town as Rusty tells you about Cross Plains.

There will also be a bus tour each morning to the area surrounding Cross Plains, hosted by people who will give you a history of the area, including many Howard-related stories. It’s about a two-hour tour (so bring your water bottle), and you’ll be driven all over the nearby places where Bob Howard lived and roamed. The bus tour leaves in the morning from the Howard House Pavilion. Listen for the all aboard call, and travel back in time on the dusty roads of West Texas!

12:00 Lunch in the pavilion – provided by Project Pride. Donations are welcomed.

12:30 – 4:00 Pavilion available for informal REH Swap Meet. You are welcome to bring your Robert E. Howard and related items and set up on the tables in the pavilion, for a Howard Fans Swap Meet. Buy, sell, & trade in this informal setting with your fellow fans, while enjoying a cool drink provided by Project Pride and chatting with your new and old Howard friends. If you do sell items, a donation of your proceeds to Project Pride (on the honor system) is the only fee for the space provided, and it is much appreciated. The requested donation is 10% of your sales.

As this year’s theme is The Illustrators of REH, artists are encouraged to bring their REH artwork to show & sell amongst Howard Days attendees.

1:00 Panel: The Illustrators of REH. A discussion of the many artists who have brought forth images from the words of REH. Panelists: Jim & Ruth Keegan, Tom Foster, Paul Sammon, Bill Cavalier (moderator). Presented at the Cross Plains Public Library.

3:00 Panel:  The Evolutionary Heroes of Robert E. Howard. Justin Everett and Dierdre Pettipiece  will present excerpts and discuss their upcoming book from Edwin Mellen Press. With Terence McVicker. Presented at the Cross Plains Public Library.

5:30 – 6:30: Gather at the Cross Plains Community Center to view items and place bids for the Banquet’s Silent Auction.

6:30 The Robert E. Howard Days Celebration Banquet, featuring Guests of Honor Jim & Ruth Keegan.

Come feast on a complete fajita dinner with all the fixin’s, this year provided by our amigos at Mexico City Cafe in Cross Plains. Your $12.00 registration fee entitles you to this, the first of two meals served by your Cross Plains friends. (The second is the Barbeque at Caddo Peak Ranch on Saturday night.)

The Silent Auction ends after dinner, with a brief period to raise those bids. If you are the winning bidder when time is up, you win the item. We promise you won’t have to wait long in the payment line, because we’re hanging at the Community Center for:

The First Annual Robert E. Howard Foundation Awards. Immediately after the Silent Auction ends, stick around in the coolness of the Community Center as the REH Foundation gives out awards for the finest in REH scholarship and fandom, as voted by the membership of the Foundation. Picking up where the Cimmerian Awards left off, there will be awards given for both 2008 and 2009.

The Third Annual REH Poetry Throwdown will take place afterward at the Alla Ray Morris Pavilion. This year it will be a more extemporaneous affair, with a portion of the Pavilion designated for Poetry Readers (REH Poetry only, please) and the remaining space for conversation & beverages.

Saturday, June 12

9:00 – 4:00 Howard House Museum open for tours

10:00 – 4:00 Annual Barbarian Festival located in the large lot just north of the Dollar Store on Main Street in Cross Plains – a small town specialty: parade, car & tractor show, live music, craft vendors & lots of food vendors, games for the whole family, and new this year – a Talent Show. See their website at www.barbarianfestival.net

10:00 – 3:00: Public Library downtown open. Original manuscripts available for viewing, copies for sale.

9:00 - 12:30 Walking and bus tours, free time.

10:00 Panel: The Jim & Ruth Keegan Hour. Join our Guests of Honor as they tell of their ongoing association with the works of Ol’ Two-Gun. Presented at the Cross Plains Public Library.

Lunch available at the Barbarian Festival or any restaurant of your choice.

12:30 – 4:00 Pavilion available for informal REH Swap Meet.

1:00 Panel: Paul Sammon: 51 Years in Cimmeria. Join the erudite Mr. Sammon as he talks of his long and varied career in Howard Fandom, his involvement with the first two Conan movies (and hopefully the third!) and his Conan the Phenomenon book. Presented at the Cross Plains Public Library.

3:00 Panel: What’s Happening with REH. Panelists discuss the ongoing and upcoming events and projects in the continuing 21st Century REH Boom. Jim & Ruth Keegan, Paul Sammon, Rusty Burke, et al. Note: Presented at the Alla Ray Morris Pavilion.

5:00 – 8:00 “Sunset BBQ at Caddo Peak,” hosted by the Middleton Family, owners of the beautiful Caddo Peak Ranch.

We all meet at the Pavilion before 5 and caravan a few miles west of Cross Plains to one of the most picturesque landmarks of Central Texas, the Caddo Peaks. While there, you’ll have the opportunity to take a trip to the base of West Caddo Peak and hike up to the top, giving you perhaps the best view of Central Texas to be had anywhere. (Don’t forget your water bottle!)

AND REMEMBER: THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO SMOKING ALLOWED ANYWHERE AT CADDO PEAK RANCH except in your car with windows up.

When you return, you will enjoy a delicious,  fully catered BBQ meal, courtesy of the owners of the ranch, Janet Swanson and Marsha Murray. And then, watch a beautiful sunset with your many old and new Howard friends, as Howard Days comes to a close. An informal gathering then takes place at the Pavilion after the BBQ.

Hope you can make it to Cross Plains for Robert E. Howard Days this year. It continues to be a wonderful time to enjoy what is the very best time to be a Howard Fan, and share in the Fellowship of Robert E. Howard Friends, Old & New. It’s a trip you won’t forget!

As they say in Texas: “Y’all come!”