Monday, April 23, 2018

Six Weeks to Howard Days!

With Howard Days getting closer, here are a few announcements and updates.

We will not be holding the Swap Meet inside the Pavilion this year. Instead, we will have Dealers Area tables set up along the fence east of the House for anyone wanting to display and sell merchandise. But there are a few stipulations:

  • There will only be 6 tables available for $25.00 each for both June 8th and 9th. First come, first served and they can be purchased in advance. (Paypal payments: ProjPride@yahoo.com or check or M.O. to Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443). If you only need orwant a table for one day, it is still $25.00.
  • There may be tables available on site the day of the event, but as they are limited to only 6, advance registration is a good idea. Limit 1 table per person.
  • As this is Robert E. Howard Days, we will require the majority (75%) of your merchandise be directly related to Robert E. Howard. This means books, magazines, comics, pulps, fanzines, artwork, etc. "Directly related" can also include Lovecraft and other pulp writers' works, but does not include any self-published non-Howard items. Howard pastiches and knock-offs like Brak the Barbarian are ok. "Directly related" still covers a lot.
  • There will be absolutely no displaying of items for sale on the tables or benches in the Pavilion and we would greatly appreciate your cooperation on this.

One of the most thrilling events at Howard Days is the Silent Auction at the Celebration Banquet on Friday night. A wide variety of Howard items are always available, but we need more!

If you would like to donate to the Silent Auction, please know that you will be helping out with the upkeep and maintenance of the Robert E. Howard Museum - AND your donation is tax deductible.
100% of all proceeds go to Project Pride and the Robert E. Howard Museum! 

You can send your Silent Auction items directly to Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443 and please mark your box "ATTN: SILENT AUCTION". Or, if you are attending Howard Days, you may drop your items off at the Gift Shop before 3 p.m. on Friday, June 8th.

Again, we are in need of REH-specific items. It is much appreciated and you will feel good about supporting the Legacy of Ol' Two-Gun Bob Howard!

Finally, we will adding a couple of new features this year. Various Howard scholars and fans (we call them "Howard Heads") will be on hand at the Cross Plains Public Library during Howard Days to do a "meet and greet", answer any questions you have, show off the impressive library collection of original REH typescripts, original pulp magazines and books and to show you the ongoing REH gaming area in the conference room. Every visitor to the Library can sign in at the front desk which gives the numbers rating a boost for this award-winning small town Library. Of course, donations are welcome also and coffee mug souvenirs are available.

Also, prior to the Saturday evening BBQ dinner, Rusty Burke will present a walking tour of the grounds at the Howard Museum. During this walk, archaeologist Jeffrey Shanks will be available to talk about the April excavation of the storm cellar in the back yard of the House.

More announcements, updates and information to come. Click on the various tabs at the top of this page for all the info you need for Howard Days. Also check out the Robert E. Howard Days Facebook page. We look forward to seeing you in Cross Plains!

For specific questions, please e-mail Bill Cavalier at 2cavaliers@sbcglobal.net.

Sunday, April 15, 2018

The Dig at the House


The "Big Dig" is happening this week on the grounds of the Robert E. Howard Museum! Archaeologist Jeffery Shanks (who just happens to be a major Howard fan too) will be leading his team of fellow archaeologists plus a number of volunteers. They'll be digging in the back yard of the house  trying to uncover a former storm/cold cellar for the possible artifacts that may be there. One item of interest is the sign that hung on the house when REH lived lived there: DOCTOR. HOWARD RESIDENCE. It was deposited in the pit 40-some years ago - maybe it fell into a pocket of preservation!

There is a Go Fund Me page set up! https://www.gofundme.com/hh35y-robert-e-howard-house-archaeology is the place to go for complete information and if you'd be interested in helping out with this project. Any amount over the funding goal will be donated directly to the Robert E. Howard Museum.

More news next week when we return from the dig! Thanks for your support!