Friday, May 28, 2021

Howard Days is Two Weeks Away!


 

With Howard Days now two weeks away, we're in the process of solidifying all our events, activities and special guests. Hope you can be there for the 35th Year of Howard Days!

First of all, if you haven't reserved your seat at the Friday Night Celebration Banquet, you should do so right away. Seating is limited to 150 and those spots are going very quickly now. PayPal your $15.00 per person reservation to ProjPride@yahoo.com. As of tonight, only 13 places are left, so do it now!

5-29-21 UPDATE: THE BANQUET IS SOLD OUT! But don't despair - get your name on the waitlist at ProjPride@yahoo.com. There are usually a few cancellations or no-shows. Also, you may still attend both the Silent Auction and after-dinner activities at no cost, there just won't be any chicken fried steak for you in the middle of those activities!

In addition to Roy Thomas as our Guest of Honor and numerous Howard scholars on hand, Howard Days this year will have some special guests as well.

Noted author and essayist and REH Foundation Award winner Fred Blosser will be there. Fans of The Savage Sword of Conan magazine will remember Mr. Blosser from his numerous REH essays that appeared in the pages of SSOC. Mr. Blosser has also collected additional essays into five books about Robert E. Howard: The Annotated Guide to REH's WEIRD FANTASY, SAVAGE SCROLLS: Scholarship from the Hyborian Age, WESTERN WEIRDNESS & VOODOO VENGEANCE: REH's American Horrors, AR-I-ECH:  Howard's Lovecraftian Fiction and SILKEN SWORDS: Women in the fiction of REH.

The top guns of Cabinet Entertainment will also be on hand. As Cabinet is the controlling faction of Conan Properties International, Fred Malmberg, Jay Zetterberg and Steve Booth will be on hand with news of their upcoming Netflicks Conan show, Marvel Comics news and exciting happenings with their videogame empire!

And the gang from our favorite podcast, The Cromcast (also REH Foundation Awards winners) will be at HD this year, not only doing their fun podcast thing, but helping us out by being our video recorders this year.

Fred Blosser, the Cabinet gang and Cromcast will be on hand Friday and Saturday, so Howard Days has ramped it up even more!

And be sure to join everyone in the front yard of the REH Museum on Friday at 12:45, for the unveiling of a new historical marker!

A note about anyone bringing REH items to sell: we will have extra tables (8) set up in the yard around the Pavilion, that will be available on a first come basis. In order to sell your REH (or closely related) items you must first make a $25.00 donation to the Museum and then set up. NO SELLING IN THE PAVILION. And please, your items must be of a REH connection (books, magazines, fanzines, artwork, comics, t-shirts, etc.). Any questions, please contact Bill Cavalier at indybillcav@gmail.com.

We are chomping at the bit to have a great Howard Days this year. After a year off, our plans for our annual family reunion are in place and we're ready. We hope to see you there!

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Howard Days will be here SOON!

In a little over two weeks, fans of Robert E. Howard will finally be able to gather again at the REH Museum in Cross Plains, Texas! While we will miss some of our overseas amigos, plans are in place for another great Howard Days on June 11th & 12th..

Please peruse the scheduled activities on this site, knowing that Project Pride is waiting to welcome you with all the fun and fellowship that can be had at Howard Days!

Roy Thomas is our Guest of Honor, as we focus on 50...uh, 51 Years of REH in Comics. Roy is the main man when it comes to bringing Conan into Pop Culture and he'll be there to meet and greets his many fans!

But Howard Days is mostly about Howard Fellowship, as fans gather to celebrate the great legacy of Ol' Two-Gun Bob Howard. For all the activities we have planned for Howard Days, the best one is unplanned - the comradery and friendship shared by HD attendees. Hope you can come and hang out with us!

The special postal cancellation stamp is shown above, designed by Marvel artist Becky Cloonan. This is an exclusive souvenir available to HD attendees, only Friday only at the Cross Plains Post Office. So, the price of a stamp gets you an exclusive REH collectible!

Donations are always welcomed to support the REH Museum, but not just money-wise. The Silent Auction, held in conjunction with the Friday Celebration Banquet, is the biggest fundraiser that Project Pride does all year. 100% of the proceeds from this auction goes to the care and maintenance of the REH Museum. So, if you have extra or unused Howard items in your collection (books, paperbacks, magazines, fanzines, artwork & prints or any Howard-related items), please think about sending them to the Silent Auction. (Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443). C'mon, we all have dupes or extras in our collections - make a Howard fan happy by donating them today!

And speaking of the Celebration Banquet, reservations are still available, but going fast. These last few weeks will show a scramble to get a seat, so don't delay! A mere 15 bucks gets you a great dinner of authentic Texas grub, a chance to bid on rare collectibles - and you get to hear Roy Thomas speak! That's the deal of the year. You can use the address above or PayPal to ProjPride@yahoo.com.

And if that's not enough, be sure to be at the Howard Museum at 12:45 p.m. on Friday for a special surprise presentation. It involves something historical so you won't want to miss it!

Hope to see y'all in a couple of weeks. It's going to be so nice to get the family back together for our yearly reunion! Y'all come!

Sunday, May 16, 2021

Less Than a Month to HOWARD DAYS!

Howard Days is happening June 11th & 12th and there's still plenty of time to make your plans to join us in Cross Plains, Texas! But now is also the time to do the pre-planning to help make Howard Days happen!

As the theme this year is "REH in Comics", we've got Roy Thomas as our Guest of Honor. Roy is the man who started Conan's journey into pop culture and he'll be on hand to not only talk about that history but to give you information about his up-to-date involvement with Robert E. Howard's most famous creation.

But Howard Days is much more than one single theme; it's a gathering for everyone to celebrate the life and legacy of the greatest adventure writer who ever lived: Robert E. Howard. Your trip to Cross Plains will bring you in touch with Howard fans from all over the world (even in these hard-travelling times) and your knowledge and appreciation of Ol' Two Gun Bob Howard will continue to grow as you enjoy the wonderful Howard Fellowship provided during the weekend.

Project Pride of Cross Plains is the civic organization that is the backbone of Howard Days. They maintain the world-famous Robert E. Howard Museum for visitors all year long and then break out the major hospitality at Howard Days. Project Pride is an all-volunteer organization and they get by on donations, 100% of which goes to the Museum.

With that in mind, if you can't join us this year, please consider a donation towards the REH Museum to show your continued support for the great work they are doing. And another way of donating is by sending Howard items to Project Pride for the Silent Auction that happens in conjunction with the Friday Celebration Banquet at Howard Days.

This is a highlight of Howard Days, where all types of Howard items are available for bidding: books, paperbacks, comics, magazines, fanzines, artwork and art objects, posters - well, you know this drill! So, if you can thin out your REH collection a bit by donating items to the Silent Auction, you'll be helping maintain Howard's legacy and supporting Project Pride. And, it's tax deductible!

Donations of Howard items or money can be sent to: Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443. You can also donate your dough to PayPal at ProjPride@yahoo.com. It will be much appreciated!

Speaking of the Celebration Banquet, there are still dinner reservations available. Please join us for some authentic Texas grub and an enjoyable evening of auction bidding and listening to Roy Thomas speak! You may send $15.00 per person for your reservation to the addresses above.

And please note: this $15.00 reservation is the ONLY cost for you the entire weekend of Howard Days. Everything else: Museum admission, tours, panels, pavilion drinks, dealers' area, hot dog lunch on Friday and BBQ dinner on Saturday plus much more are FREE. And you don't need a dinner spot to come and bid on the Silent Auction items! (But how can you pass up the great food and Howard fellowship?)

It's never too late to make plans to come to Howard Days! It's Texas, so there's room for everyone! And if you are there on Friday at 12:45, you will be witness to a very special presentation!

In the words of one of the founders of Howard Days, the late Billie Ruth Loving: Y'all come!

Saturday, May 1, 2021

Howard Days in Six Weeks!

 


Here's hoping you can join us to enjoy Robert E. Howard Days on June 11th & 12th in Cross Plains, Texas!

We've got Roy Thomas as our Guest of Honor this year to celebrate 50 - uhh, 51 Years of REH in Comics! All the usual activities are in place to maximize your HD Experience and there *just might be* some surprises and extemporaneous activities.

Make plans now to come see your "Howard Family" at our reunion!