A Great Howard Days is in Store for You!

With less than four months until Howard Days, the wheels are in gear and turning quickly to present "REH Throughout the Years" at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas on June 12 & 13! For this year's event, we have quite a few anniversaries to celebrate and we hope you're making plans to get on down to Texas and partake of the festivities!

First and foremost is celebrating Bob Howard's 120th Birthday! While there won't be any party hats or favors, there will be cake and ice cream! Come to the Friday Hot Dog Lunch and say Happy Birthday, Bob! Sorry, but 120 candles will violate the ongoing burn ban in Cross Plains!

40 years ago, Rusty Burke led an intrepid band of 10 members of REHupa on a trip to get serious about the Legacy of Robert E. Howard. By this small group visiting Howard's home town, the people of Cross Plains realized that they had something that should be shared with the world, so they turned that first visit into a now world wide event to honor their hometown claim to fame, Robert E. Howard. The 40th Anniversary of Howard Days Guest of Honor is its founder, Rusty Burke! And his sidekick (then and now) "Indy" Bill Cavalier, is our "Special Guest".

The award-winning film about Bob Howard and Novalyne Ellis is 30 years old now. Howard Days will present a special screening of The Whole Wide World, with screenwriter Michael Scott Myers and cast member Ben Mouton on hand, along with a special panel that (fingers crossed) may include additional cast members! Stay tuned for more information on this.

Founded in 2006, the Robert E. Howard Foundation established an energetic literary, civic and publishing mission to help preserve Howard's work and legacy. Coupling with Project Pride of Cross Plains to help sponsor Howard Days, the REH Foundation is at the vanguard of all things Robert E. Howard! For 20 years, the Foundation's mission goals have moved forward in the name of Robert E. Howard. Check it out at www.rehfoundation.org.

And while you're over there, you'll notice that the REH Museum is in need of your help. Over 100 years of existence has caused major wear and tear on the entire structure, and the REH Foundation is taking donations for badly needed restoration. Read all about it at the website and please make a tax-deductible donation!

Other anniversaries come to mind as we celebrate Howard Days 2026. It's the 60th anniversary of CONAN THE ADVENTURER from Lancer Paperbacks. This seminal book revived Howard's career in 1966 with its iconic Frank Frazetta cover, and the Conan and other Howard story volumes that followed began the Howard Boom that lasted into the late 1970's!

The aforementioned REHupa (the Robert E. Howard United Press Association) is now into its 54th year of existence. REHupa is an apa (amateur press association) dedicated to REH and produces a quarterly fanzine Mailing of contributions from members. It was REHupans who made that first journey to Cross Plains to bring on the creation of Howard Days. REHupa is still a big part of the entire weekend, as current and former members are now the official Ambassadors of Howard Days.

Of course, the Cross Plains Public Library, in operation since 1979, has played an equal part in the origins and longevity of Howard Days. When Rusty Burke found Billie Ruth Loving and Joan McCowen there in 1985 and expressed his interest in Robert E. Howard, these fine ladies stepped up to help him create Howard Days.

The CP Library now houses an extensive REH collection: 29 original REH manuscripts, several dozen Weird Tales and other pulp magazines with REH stories along with first edition and rare books that are on display at Howard Days. Plus you can buy copies of the manuscripts if you like!

So, quite the combination of people and circumstances generated the creation of Robert E. Howard Days: Rusty, REHupa, the Cross Plains Library, Billie Ruth and Joan - and the interest of fans from all over the world that has grown and carried on until today.

Let's brandish our Bowies and blaze our pistolas as we honor the Life, Work and Legacy of the incomparable Bob Howard by celebrating 40 Years of Howard Days!

Only Four Months Until Howard Days!

 Here we go! The Official Flyer for Howard Days 2026 is now ready, along with the Schedule of Events.

You may pre-register now for the Celebration Banquet. Your money will also go towards helping Project Pride with Friday Donuts & Coffee, the Hot Dog Lunch (and Bob's Birthday Cake) and pop & water in the big cooler. (Remember that pre-registration is not a condition for attendance but to get a seat at the Banquet.)

So, register via PayPal or Venmo at projpride@yahoo.com, or print out the form and send your check to Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443.

And then sit back and get ready for The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas!

Y'all come!

Start Making Your Plans for Howard Days 2026!

With Howard Days only 4 1/2 months away now, here's a bit of information to help you with your pre-planning for The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom. Mark your calendar for June 12th & 13th to meet up at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas!

The Friday night Celebration Banquet, once again held at the Cross Plains Community Center, is now taking pre-Registration reservations. The fee this year is $35, payable through PayPal and also Venmo now. This fee not only ensures you a seat at the Banquet, but goes towards defraying the costs of Friday morning donuts & coffee, the Friday Hot Dog Lunch, drinks in the cooler and Bob's birthday cake.

Your payment with PayPal or Venmo is easily done at ProjPride@yahoo.com. Arlene Stephenson's name will pop up, as she is the president of Project Pride, the Cross Plains civic group that runs Howard Days for us all. Or, if you're so inclined, send a check to Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443.

This registration will get you a name badge that you can pick up at the front table at the Museum and will enable you to get your seat the the Community Center. Additional details on this are forthcoming.

Venmo and PayPal will also be available now in the Museum Gift Shop and to pay for items in the Silent Auction. Sorry, still no debit or credit cards, but as always, Cash is King!

Remember that you do not need to register to attend Howard Days and partake of all the activities. All the tours, panels, presentations, admission to the Museum, the Pavilion & grounds, participating in the Silent Auction (plus more) are free. Pre-registration is primarily to get a seat at the Friday Banquet, which is limited to 150, so register early!

The Saturday night Dinner at the Pavilion has been revived as a fund raiser for the Cross Plains Public Library. A grand Tex-Mex dinner, catered by the Mexico City Cafe, will be brought in. Pre-registration for this dinner is only $25. Information on pre-registering for this meal will be available soon at the Cross Plains Public Library Facebook page and at www.crossplainslibrary.com.

We'll be getting our schedule posted soon with much additional information, so stay tuned! Looking forward to seeing y'all come June!

Happy Birthday Bob Howard!

Happy Birthday to the one and only Robert E. Howard! January 22nd marks the 120th anniversary of his birth, so let's celebrate!

Tradition has dictated that Howard fans worldwide enjoy this holiday by reading a favorite story or poem written by Bob - and who are we to buck tradition?

Around here, we will savor his masterpiece poem CIMMERIA while sipping an unendorsed bourbon (initials MM).

Honor the life and legacy of Ol' Two-Gun Bob Howard as you will, toast to his shade while wishing him a Happy Birthday!

The birthday cake will have to wait until Howard Days in June, so there's another reason why you need to be there!

Happy Birthday, Bob!

Only Five Months until Howard Days!

Yep, you read that correctly! Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains is only five months away! Here in NW Indiana we are battening down the hatches against Mother Nature's furious wrath, all the while dreaming of the luxurious warmth provided to us as Howard Days attendees. It can't show up soon enough!

June 12th & 13th are the "official" dates for Howard Days 2026, but the gathering for Howard Fellowship always begins a day or three early. Plans for this year's event are full steam ahead and while some discussion is still to be had, rest assured all the "regular" Howard Days events are in place.

Howard Days 2026 finds us with a good number of "Ending in zero" anniversaries to make it extra special:

• 40 YEARS of HOWARD DAYS! From it's small beginnings in 1986, HD has grown to a world-wide international gathering of Robert E. Howard Fans.
• It's the 30th Anniversary of THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, the award-winning film about Bob Howard and Novalyne Ellis. Screenwriter Michael Myers will be on hand as we present a special viewing.
• The ROBERT E. HOWARD FOUNDATION is celebrating its 20th Year!
• Let us not forget 2026 is the 120th Birthday Anniversary of Ol' Two-Gun Bob Howard! We'll need help blowing out all those candles, but there WILL BE CAKE! (Don't forget to celebrate the actual date of January 22nd!)
• CONAN the ADVENTURER Lancer paperback came to us 60 Years ago! This seminal tome is responsible for starting the Howard Boom of the 1960's and '70's. 

Any one of these anniversaries is cause for celebration, but having them all happening this year really shines the light on Howard Days and the Robert E. Howard Museum - and it provides all attendees with Fellowship Fuel as we gather at the House and Pavilion to celebrate our involvement with Bob Howard.

PRE-REGISTRATION FOR 2026

Project Pride is in the process of making some changes in the Pre-Registration process for this year. One change will be an increase in cost to $35.00. This low price will get you a seat at the Friday Banquet along with helping defray the costs of the Friday Hot Dog Lunch, coffee & donuts Friday morning, all drinks in the big cooler and birthday cake.

We will get the correct process information to you as soon as it is available, which should be soon.

HOWARD DAYS EVENTS

All of our "regular" HD Events are ready to roll. The Tours (House, Bus, Walking & Grounds) are always the highlight; the Friday Night Celebration Banquet (with Guest of Honor Rusty Burke) will once again be at the Cross Plains Community Center; the amazing Silent Auction takes place next door; and we have an excellent slate of interesting panels in place related to our anniversaries. The REH Foundation Awards will be presented, a special souvenir Postal Stamp Cancellation will be available and the Cross Plains Review and Cross Plains Public Library will be open to show off real Howard artifacts (manuscripts, pulp magazines and boxing gloves!) The Library is planning a fund-raiser dinner for Saturday late afternoon - we'll have more information as details become known.

The Barbara Barrett Memorial Porchlight Poetry will happen Saturday evening as well.

And above all, plan on being immersed in Howard Fellowship, where all like-minded folks with an interest in Robert E. Howard can gather and converse about his Writing, his Life and his Legacy. It's The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom - and we hope you can be part of it! 

Y'all come!

THE REH MUSEUM NEEDS YOUR HELP! You can also make a difference in continuing Howard's legacy and help support the REH Museum from the comfort of your home. 

Last year, serious structural problems were found at the REH Museum and it was determined that restorations are needed. The REH Foundation paid for a structural/architectural analysis and it was found that the foundation of the house is in bad shape.

Currently a fund-raiser is underway at www.rehfoundation.org to provide the means by which the situation can be corrected. A substantial amount of money will be needed and your help will be much appreciated. All the needed info is at the website.

You can also check out the REH Foundation's YouTube channel for additional information and some pretty interesting information and entertainment.

 

HOWARD DAYS 2026 IS JUNE 12th & 13th

 

With our two main family holidays about to make our lives more joyful, let's turn our attention to another type of family event for all of you reading this. Namely, the Family & Fellowship time provided by Robert E. Howard Days!

The friendly fellowship that comes with Howard Days now couples itself with the family reunion feel that happens every year in Cross Plains, Texas and provides an engaging atmosphere for the worldwide fans of Ol' Two-Gun Bob Howard.

In 2026, we hope you'll be able to join us on June 12th & 13th at the Robert E. Howard Museum to honor the Life and Legacy of Bob Howard. We have a number of special events planned as we celebrate (at least) FOUR Anniversaries! We'll be saluting Bob on the 120th anniversary of his birth (there will be cake!), commemorating 40 Years of Howard Days!, enjoying the cinematic success of the 30th anniversary of The Whole Wide World movie and celebrating 20 years of ongoing success for the Robert E. Howard Foundation.

These are all milestone achievements that lead directly to the interest in Howard's life and work, which has continued to blossom with ongoing publishing of his writing, and which is only enhanced by scores of websites, blogs, podcasts, YouTube programs, comics, games and collectible figures and more. New readers and fans are finding out that REH is so much more than Conan and discovering the breadth and depth of his body of work.

All of this ties directly into Howard Days, where fans from all over the world gather each June to marvel at being in the spot and touch the table from where Bob Howard conjured realms of fantastic worlds from the dry Texas dust. This is the one common feeling that most everyone who has visited Cross Plains has felt.

Rusty Burke, the Founder of Howard Days in 1986, will be on hand as Guest of Honor. Hear stories of yesteryear and revel in the tales of today as we talk about REH.

The nuts and bolts of Howard Days 2026 are in the put-together stage. We're attempting to update some parts, like registration, payment options and programming, but we will not ignore the "family reunion" atmosphere that we have cultivated. We'd like to make it as enjoyable as we can while dealing with the limited venue that is Cross Plains. The main thing is: this is where Howard lived and wrote!

It is the Robert E. Howard Museum that brings folks from all over, and Howard Days is the time we can gather to celebrate the Legacy of a remarkable Texan Author who just seems to have captivated a goodly number of us. We can return that favor by honoring REH not only on June 12 & 13, but all year long.

Make your plans now to come to Texas! If you've been before, y'all come back! If you've never been, we hope to see you next June when you scratch that bucket list!

A note not only about the photos shown here, but how Howard Days can bring nice surprises. Two never before seen photos of a seven-year old Bob Howard and one of his father, Dr. Isaac Howard came from HD 2025. You never know when fantastic finds like these will pop up, so come to Howard Days and prepare for a surprise or two!

Howard Days 2025!

 We're off! The time is nigh and we've pointed our ponies southwest towards Cross Plains!

Hope to see a passel of you'uns under the Texas sky. Until then, safe travels!

All the Howard Days info you need is right here, but there's nothing like experiencing it first hand. Plenty of room, so y'all come!