West Texas Historical Association Calendar of Events

Upcoming meetings and workshops:

February 13-16, 2013 - Southwest/Texas Popular & American Culture Association’s Annual Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Link

February 21-23, 2013 - Spring meeting of the East Texas Historical Association in Galveston, Texas. Link

February 22-24, 2013 - Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Link.

February 28 - March 2, 2013 - 117th Annual Meeting of the Texas State Historical Association in Fort Worth, Texas. Link

March 20, 2013- Joint meeting of the North and South Texas chapters of the Greater Western Cattle Trail Association in Brady, Texas. Link

March 28-30, 2013- 97th annual meeting of the Texas Folklore Society in Corpus Christie. Link

April 2-5, 2013 - Texas Association of Museums annual meeting in Beaumont, Texas. Link

April 5-6, 2013 - the 90th Annual Meeting of the West Texas Historical Associations in at the Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.

April 12-14, 2013 - 22nd Annual Texas Mountail Trail Writers Spring Retreat at the Mountain Trails Lodge in Alpine and Fort Davis, Texas. Link

April 17-19, 2013 - Annual meeting of the Oklahoma Historical Society in Clinton, Oklahoma. Link

April 18-20, 2013 - the Historical Society of New Mexico History Conference in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Link

May 22-25, 2013 - Annual meeting of the Society of Southwest Archivists in Austin, Texas. Link

August 11-17, 2013 - Joint annual meeting of the Council of State Archivists and the Society of American Archivists in New Orleans, Louisiana. Link

September 26-28, 2013 - the 51st annual meeting of the East Texas Historical Association in Nacogdoches, Texas. Link

October 9-12, 2013 - the Annual Western Historical Association Meeting in Tucson, Arizona. Link

November 8-9, 2013 - Center for Big Bend Studies annual meeting. Link

April 4-5, 2014 - Texas Association of Museums annual meeting in Lubbock, Texas. Link

Call for Papers:

The National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration will conduct its 25th Anniversary event September 5-8, 2013, at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center in Lubbock, Texas. An integral part of the NCSC since its inception has been the presentation of papers related to the American West. For this 25th anniversary, they have selected the theme of American West Outlaws and Lawmen for presentations and solicit your assistance in securing outstanding papers and presenters. They ask that you copy or route this communication to members of your department or others that have a special interest in the history of the American West. Papers selected will be limited to a presentation time of 20 minutes or less. Preference as to Friday or Saturday presentations will be allowed as scheduling permits. Synopses of papers must be received at the address below by June 1, 2013 to allow for consideration and scheduling. Those selected will be notified by June 15th and announced by title in the official program. For more information and proposal submission forms contact National Cowboy Symposium & Celebration, P.O. Box 6638, Lubbock, TX 79493 (806)798-7825 office, (806)798-1290 fax, www.cowboy.org, cowboysymposium@suddenlink.net.

Upcoming events for you and the family:

May 3, 2013 - the Red River Valley Museum’s 12th Annual Red River Valley International Juried Art Exhibition. Forty seven artists from fifteen states entered work in the Red River Valley Museum’s twelfth annual Red River Valley International Juried Art Exhibition and thirty-nine artists from thirteen states had work accepted. The exhibition will be on display at the Red River Valley Museum, 4600 College Drive, Vernon, Texas beginning May 3rd through June 7th. The celebration will begin with a cocktail party at the Red River Valley Museum on Friday, May 3rd from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM. Hors d’oeuvre will be served. Doan’s Picnic historical fashions will be on display during this special event. Grand Opening of the International Juried Art Show and $4000 in art prize monies will be awarded that night. Many of the artists are planning to attend the cocktail party and you will be able to meet them. The Red River Valley Museum Volunteer of the Year will be recognized also. Tickets to this event are $20.00 in advance and can be purchased at the Red River Valley Museum and the Vernon Chamber of Commerce. You may contact the museum at (940)553-1848 or email Sherry Yoakum at rrvm1@yahoo.com.

June 1, 2013 - the 25TH Annual Beach Bash and Vehicle Show in Borger, Texas. Calling all cars, trucks, motorcycles, street rods, stock cars and all cool things with wheels for the Downtown Merchants 25th Anniversary Beach Bash and Vehicle Show. The vehicle show, managed by the Hutchinson County Museum, will again be in the 600 block of North Main from 10 am - 3 pm. Vehicles are not limited to antiques but all vehicles with a cool factor are invited. Registration is requested but not required. The first 20 vehicles registered receive a free souvenir dash plate courtesy of Friends of the Museum. Trophies will be awarded for winner and 1st runner up for: Oldest vehicle, People's Choice vintage - Pre 1950; People's Choice 1951-2000; People's Choice contemporary 2001 - current. Vintage vehicles are always a favorite even those that are restoration projects. Bring your favorite stock car to show off. Lift the hood and brag about your power. The show will be over in time for you to get to the "roundy round" in Amarillo that night. Street rods and customized vehicles are fun and popular. If you have a vehicle to sell, looking for parts, or something to buy, the museum will have a bulletin board to post your ad. A fun day in the sun is being planned. Register: lynnhopkins@hutchinsoncnty.com or 806-273-0130. Please include your name, email address, phone, and type of vehicle.

Texas cities celebrating upcoming anniversaries:

If you're out and about, here are some interesting exhibitions to check out:

Canyon, Texas - PPHM TO DISPLAY LUCIEN ABRAMS: TEXAS IMPRESSIONIST EXHIBITION. Guest-curated by Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum staff, and organized by the Old Jail Art Center in Albany, Texas; the exhibition opens in Albany during June 2013 and will travel to other museums. The exhibition will include four Abrams paintings from the PPHM collection. The Lucien Abrams: Texas Impressionist Exhibition will open at PPHM on September 14, 2013 and will be on display until February of 2014. For more information contact Stephanie Price at sprice@pphm.wtamu.edu

Other interesting places to visit:

The "ghost town" of Medicine Mound, once privately owned by Myna Potts and now being preserved by an non-profit group, welcomes visitors to this unique site. More information can be found here.

The Texas' Last Frontier Museum in Morton, Texas, has been officially designated as the headquarters of the new Trails of the Last Frontier segment of the statewide Texas Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Trail.

The American Wind Power Center and Museum in Lubbock, Texas, is a 28-acre facility which has the most comprehensive collection of historic windmills in the world. Its website gives more information on the types of windmills it has.