Friday, March 17, 2023

St. Patrick's Day Means Howard Days is 6 Weeks Away!

St. Patrick's Day was Bob Howard's favorite holiday! So, Happy O'Day to you - we hope you're enjoying your corned beef, cabbage and green beer as you plan for the April 28-29 version of Howard Days! Only six short weeks away!

Selecting the various tabs on this page will help you with those plans, as we've tried to include as much information as you would want. The schedule is 95% complete, Project Pride is getting Cross Plains ready and Howard Days is on our minds for a cooler springtime presentation!

That being said, there are a number of things to remind you about for the upcoming Best Two Days in Howard Fandom.

  • If you haven't made your reservation for the Friday night Celebration Banquet, there is still time. But seats usually go fast as Howard Days draws near. Only $25.00 per person gives you a seat at the big social event of Howard Days, plus you can bid on Silent Auction items, enjoy some great chicken fried steak and hear Guest of Honor John Betancourt speak to this year's theme of "100 Years of Weird Tales". You can Pay Pal your fee to Projpride@yahoo.com.
  • As for the Silent Auction, it is always in need of REH and related items to be put up for bid. 100% of the proceeds from this goes directly to Project Pride and the upkeep of the REH Museum! If you can send your items in advance, please do so: Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, Texas 76443; or, bring your items to the Museum on Friday by 4 pm. Thanks!
  • The Postal Cancellation Stamp is available only on Friday, so make sure you get to the Cross Plains Post Office to get this nifty little unique souvenir. There will be a new display of 12 different postcards available in the Museum Gift Shop, compliments of Mark Finn and Janice Schange.
  • The Cross Plains Review will be open on Friday again this year. Come and see what making a newspaper in Howard's time was like at the place where early Howard writings were published.
  • We're trying something a little different this year with an informal panel called Howard's Women. This will take place Friday at 4 pm at the Cottonwood Coffee Shop on Main Street. It will be a fan-based and fan-inspired round-table discussion of "Howard's Women", relating to his life and his fiction, in a coffee shop atmosphere. Give it a try and enjoy their great beverages too!
  • There will be a number of new books debuting at HD this year: the REH Foundation will present The Robert E. Howard Photo Album, Forbidden Magic - REH Poems from Weird Tales will be available in the Gift Shop, Jason Waltz will premiere Hither Came Conan, a collection of essays about Howard's Conan stories, and Bobby Derie gives us (literally) The REH Trivia Book.
So, all these events will be intertwined in a fun-packed two days at the Robert E. Howard Museum. We're hoping you can join us as we celebrate the life and Legacy of a True American and Texan, Robert E. Howard.

And don't forget he was Irish! Slainte!



Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Howard Days is 8 Weeks Away!

 



With only 8 weeks to go until Howard Days, things are starting to hop!

Above you see the flyer that Project Pride likes to send to previous attendees. If yours has not arrived, never fear! You may use this form here to register for the Banquet at Howard Days, and your $25.00 fee will also help with hot dogs, snacks and drinks.

Please remember you do not need to register to attend Howard Days. This fee is primarily for a seat at the Friday night Celebration Banquet. All of the other activities are FREE: Bus, Walking, Grounds and Museum tours, panels and access to the House, Gift Shop, yard and Pavilion are without cost. You won't find a finer deal in all of Texas come April 28-29!

If you do register, remember you can also do it by Pay Pal; include your name and address and send to Projpride@aol.com.

Howard Days will be here before you know it, so make your plans now to come to Cross Plains and enjoy a fine time of Howard Fellowship while we honor his Life and Legacy!

Tuesday, February 21, 2023

The Robert E. Howard Museum Brochure

 


While the experience of visiting the Robert E. Howard Museum is best done in person, this little brochure will give you a good idea of what it's like.

Robert E. Howard Days happens April 28-29 at the Museum in Cross Plains, Texas. Come see for yourself!

Thursday, February 16, 2023

10 WEEKS UNTIL HOWARD DAYS!


With 10 weeks to go, we're starting to firm up the Howard Days schedule. We hope you're making plans to join us April 28-29 at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas, for The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom!

Our hosts at Project Pride like to send out a flyer to all former attendees for registration for the Banquet and to help pay for the Hot Dog Lunch and the Sunset Bar-B-Que. But don't let that stop you from registering early for Howard Days!

For only $25.00 per person you will be able to partake of the three meals above (and enjoy donuts Friday morning!) You may either Pay Pal your money to Projpride@yahoo.com or mail a check to:

Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains, Texas 76443 ATTN: Registration

FYI: the seating at the Banquet is limited to 150 and almost always sells out in advance, so be advised! And please remember, your money is only for a seat at the Banquet table and to pay for the other food and drinks in the cooler! Every other activity at Howard Days (all tours, panels, hanging at the Pavilion) - are FREE and everyone is welcome to partake in the Howard Fellowship!

We hope to be seeing you in April when we honor the Legacy of Robert E. Howard, plus enjoy a whole bunch of neat Weird Tales stuff!

Y'all come!

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Howard Days is 3 Months Away!

 


Judging by the chill in the air across most of America (and the Northern Hemisphere, for that matter!), it's time to be thinking about Howard Days in the warmer environs of Cross Plains, Texas.

Howard Days 2023 will happen on April 28 & 29, centered around the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains. Sponsored by Project Pride and The REH Foundation and with support from the members of REHupa, the annual event to honor the life and legacy of Bob Howard is underway with planning and scheduling.

While the "generic" schedule usually remains the same year to year, we're always adding additional bits of fun activity and happenings for attendees to enjoy. All the tours (House, Bus, Walking and Grounds) are in place, as is the Friday Celebration Banquet and Silent Auction; we'll have a new Postal Cancellation Stamp souvenir (and new postcards!), the Cross Plains Library will have original Howard typescripts and Weird Tales magazines on display, the REH Foundation Press will be set up near the Pavilion,' Friday's Hot Dog Lunch and Saturday's Bar-B-Que will be feeding us well, there will be dealers in the yard, poetry readings and surprise happenings - and all the Howard Fellowship under the Pavilion will be just as satisfying as ever.

Please look to the EVENTS header on this page for this schedule. We will be updating it with detailed information about our panels and with other info as it becomes available.

Howard Days 2023 is themed to "100 Years of Weird Tales". We couldn't let this Century Anniversary go by without acknowledging its importance to Robert E. Howard and his writing. Our panels will be slanted to this theme, as well as a special REH Poetry in Weird Tales book. Announcements for these will be upcoming.

The Weird Tales theme gives us additional reason to welcome our Guest of Honor, John Betancourt. As a former Editor of a later incarnation of Weird Tales, author and publisher John Betancourt will be a great guest to make Howard Days even more special.

It's never too early to plan your trip to Howard Days. We have helpful information here that (hopefully) gives you what you need to have a great trip and a memorable Howard Days. 

Stay tuned here and on our Facebook page for updates and info. Hope to see you in Texas!


Sunday, January 22, 2023

Happy Birthday Bob Howard!

 


January 22nd is the day we celebrate the birth of a true American Original, Robert E. Howard!

2023 finds us marking the 117th year, so let's all honor his being by reading some of his words and raising a toast to his shade. Bob Howard was an important figure in American literature and people all over the world continue to read his words and honor his Legacy.

Happy Birthday, Ol' Two-Gun!

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Thank You Project Pride!



The truth of the matter is, without Project Pride of Cross Plains, there would be no Howard Days.

We are here today to celebrate one of the best community organizations in the U.S., regardless of size. They not only recognized that Robert E. Howard was a writer of importance, but they have been able to accommodate the world which travels to their town because of Robert E. Howard!

So, if you can't make it to Howard Days April 28-29, you can help support Project Pride by becoming a member. No doubt Bob Howard would be amazed at all this fuss over him!

Rusty Burke has some good words:

Robert E. Howard fans, and any other interested folks: As the accompanying article from the Cross Plains (Texas) Review very kindly refers to me as one of Project Pride’s “best ambassadors,” I feel it is incumbent upon me to spread the word and encourage you to join this worthy organization.
It’s only $3 a year for individuals, $5 for families. A lifetime membership is $50.
Membership fees and contributions may be made to:
Project Pride, PO Box 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443
via PayPal to projpride@yahoo.com
You’ll be helping the group of dedicated volunteers who work to maintain the Robert E. Howard House Museum, who are on call to act as tour guides for visitors during the year, and who plan and organize the Howard Days activities and work hard for months in advance and then during the weekend so that we Howard fans can have a good time. (Yes, the REH Foundation does a good bit of the planning for panels and such, but Project Pride members do the planning for the banquet and all the decorating and setup, provide the free hot dogs on Friday and the barbecue on Saturday, serve as docents and in the gift shop at the House, provide the audio-visual equipment and setup for the panels, and otherwise keep it all running smoothly.) And Howard Days and the Museum are not all they do: they are active in helping to keep Cross Plains a clean and attractive community, and in many charitable activities through the year.