Wait...what? Howard Days is Over?!

The adrenalin has finally subsided. Howard Days 2016 was a complete success and there are so many people to thank for such a fabulous event.

Thank you, Project Pride for being the main force behind Howard Days. Without your wonderful organization there would be no Howard Days. We Howard Fans are ever so grateful that you sponsor and then put up with...uh, host us for the weekend and for that you have our eternal thanks. The House was shining in the Texas sun, the docents helped folks through the rooms with their ever gracious ways and narrations and the grounds were beautiful. (First time ever we saw lawn mower marks on the grass!)

The hot dog lunch, the Friday BBQ and the Saturday BBQ provided us with authentic Texas chow, the Gift Shop, Postal Cancellation Silent Auction and Swap Meet provided us with REH souvenirs. The Pavilion provided cool drinks and shade from the hot sun and is the perfect place for the ongoing Howard conversation and fellowship we all enjoy.

The Friday Banquet hit an all-time record in attendance at 145! If you were there you knew that we had the Community Center packed to the rafters, there was much energy shown by the bidders at the Silent Auction and the chicken-fried steak was as Texas as ever!

Thanks also go out to the Robert E. Howard Foundation and REHupa - the Robert E. Howard United Press Association and all their members in attendance. Said members always act like REH Ambassadors at Howard Days, which has become a family reunion of sorts for so many of us.

And a big thank you to everyone who showed up to Howard Days 2016. Overall attendance was down only slightly, but you wouldn't know it from the numbers showing up for the panels. The lowest panel number was 75 with a high of over 100 for the Saturday ones. The interest in all aspects of Robert E. Howard continues with much enthusiasm.

So now it's time to not only reflect on this year's event but to do some preliminary thinking about next year's Howard Days. If this event taught us anything, it's that it comes and goes like the speed of Solomon Kane's rapier or Conan's sword or Steve Costigan's fists or El Borak's six-guns or Breckinridge Elkins working a crossword puzzle. Oh, wait...not so much that last one.

Thanks to everyone! Two words for next year: "Y'all come!"

Howard Days is This Friday!

All right! The event we've been waiting for is almost here! While Friday the 10th marks the first "official" day of the Howard Days extravaganza, folks are already gathering in Cross Plains in anticipation of the festivities. The House will be open on Thursday from 2 to 4, the Cross Plains Review will be open the same time and Project Pride is looking forward to seeing old friends and making many new ones!

Don't forget to hit the little tabs at the top of this page for all the info you'll need about Howard Days.

However, even if you've procrastinated until now, you can still come to Howard Days on a whim - no fee is charged for touring the House or enjoying the panels and movies and auctions and readings and cook-outs and other activities planned. The *possibility* of squeezing into a seat at the Banquet Friday is always there (we like to accommodate everyone) but you won't be able to if you're not there!

But the real reason to show up at Howard Days is to honor the Legacy of Robert E. Howard, an American and Texas Original. Fans and scholars and experts and admirers of REH show up in full force to keep alive the magnificent words that flowed from Howard's Underwood No. 5.

We hope to see you there - it's a time you won't forget or regret! Y'all come!

Howard Days is Next Week!!!

With Howard Days starting up next week, we thought we'd bring you a few little tips that will (hopefully) make your visit more enjoyable.

Remember that a lot of time at Howard Days is outdoors. While the House itself and all the venues for the panels and Banquet are nicely air-conditioned from the hot Texas weather, you will be spending time outside at the open-air Pavilion. Sunscreen is always a good idea, along with liberal doses of bug spray to fight off this year's Texas-sized mosquitoes - and keep yourself hydrated so the heat doesn't sneak up on you.
The fine folks of Project Pride do provide bug spray and a huge cooler filled with water and soft drinks, but if you've got a particular brand of bug spray or sunscreen you like, please bring it along. If you've got a soft drink you like and want to share, it's acceptable for you to dump a case of it in the cooler! (Or keep it in your own cooler.) No beers during the day, please - but after hours is fine as long as we keep it at the Pavilion.

The House is open to the public Friday and Saturday (June 10-11) from 9 am to 4 pm. It will also be open on Thursday from 2 - 4 pm.
This year the Cross Plains Review is opening its doors to Howard Days folks - from 2 - 4 pm on Thursday you can go see what newspapering was like in Howard's day while you view their old presses.

There is NO FEE for touring the House, hanging out at the Pavilion, going on the Friday Bus Tour, attending any of the panels, having lunch at the Pavilion on Friday or the BBQ on Saturday or for the provided water & soft drinks. If you registered for the Banquet with your $15.00 fee, that helps defray the costs of the list of activities mentioned above. HOWEVER, there is a Donation Jar set out during these activities so please help out with a couple of pazoors now & then.

The Gift Shop in the Howard House is still cash or check only. There are several ATM's located around town.

Check out all the scheduling by clicking on the tabs at the top of this page. We'll have a large schedule posted at the Pavilion and you'll get a paper one when you check in at the House.

The Pavilion is available to all attendees from Wednesday until the wee hours of Sunday morning, so please feel free to hang out and engage with Howard fans from all over the world - there will be lots of good conversation and fellowship and everyone is welcome.
Except for the mosquitoes, that is.

A Gent from Bear Creek

For all you Howard fans who have some extra dough lying around, here's the deal of the century. The copy of A GENT FROM BEAR CREEK owned by the late Glenn Lord is going up for auction on Ebay, starting May 24th at 7 pm CDT. It will last for 10 days and the opening bid has already been established at $19,500.

The link to Howard Days and why we are mentioning it here: if the winner of this book is attending Howard Days, it can be hand delivered to him or her there.

Happy bidding, everyone!

Barbarian Festival in Cross Plains has been cancelled!

Word has come from the organizers of Cross Plains' BARBARIAN FESTIVAL that the event has been cancelled this year.

Traditionally held on the same Saturday as Howard Days,this year's Festival has been shelved due to its location in Treadway Park being underwater. Texas has seen an incredible amount of rain this spring - rain is predicted over the course of the next 15 days! - and there has been much flooding in a number of areas so the Festival Folks decided to be safe rather than muddy.

The Thrusday night Barbarian Festival Parade will still take place down Main St. in Cross Plains, as will the Senior Center Dinner. Any sponsorships for this year's Festival will be carried over to 2017.

One Month Until Howard Days!

With June 10th being one month from today, it might be time to work on our Howard Days checklists.

First on the list should be: Registration for Howard Days. Now, you don't have to register to attend the House Tours, Bus Tour, panels, activities or BBQ, but your $15.00 registration fee will get you a seat at the Friday night Banquet at the Community Center. As seating is limited to around 120, you want make sure there's some chicken fried steak with your name on it - plus you'll be on site to bid on all the great Howard collectibles in the Silent Auction there! If you're not already registered, don't wait until the last minute! Thanks!

Secondly, this is a perfect time to support the aforementioned Silent Auction by making a donation of Howard items (books, magazines, fanzines, 2D and 3D art, comics, etc.) There's time for you to ship these items to: Project Pride Howard Days Auction, POB 534, Cross Plains, TX 76443. 100% of the proceeds from this auction goes to the upkeep of the House Museum by Project Pride.

You also might want to gather up a few other items to sell or trade in the Swap Meet at the Pavilion. Table space is somewhat limited but there's enough for you share with other traders. We ask that the items be directly related to or by Robert E. Howard and that you donate 10% of your earnings to Project Pride. (Thanks.)

And while there's no planning for some extemporaneous events that always pop up at Howard Days, we can tell you about several of them.

STOP THE PRESSES! (That's newspaper jargon for 'pay attention'...) While we know the Howard House is open on Thursday June 9th from 2-4 pm, let it be known the fine folks at The Cross Plains Review are also opening their doors at the same time for a tour for any early visitors to Howard Days. Their building is now a designated Historical Site and contains most of the same old-time newspaper printing equipment that was there when REH lived in Cross Plains. So pass through their threshold and step back to a time when newspapers were the #1 for of communication. The CP Review is looking forward to seeing you.

There will be a Launch Party in the Pavilion for the brand new Howard pro-zine: SKELOS #1 - The Journal of Weird Fiction and Dark Fantasy. This beautiful new vehicle for fantasy stories and art (plus some never-before published REH) will no doubt set the Howard fans and collectors abuzz - and you'll be able to get first crack at it ONLY at Howard Days. Their Kickstarter is currently ongoing and they've got a Facebook page too, so check it out!

We're going to have a second smaller Auction at the Pavilion on Saturday afternoon/evening (time TBA), but probably tied in with the BBQ) where we'll have y'all bid on items like the Howard Days banners and a few other special items. One of those items is rumored to be a limited edition bottle of Robert E. Howard beer - a special import brew compliments of Patrice Louinet. Again, 100% of the proceeds go to the Robert E. Howard Museum.

And while not so extemporaneous this year, the REH Porchlight Poetry event will feature an encore presentation of the poem "Cimmeria" being read in SEVEN languages! Last year we just let it pop up at the Saturday night Porchlight Poetry and it was simply fantastic. Come hear one of Howard's most powerful and endearing poems read in English, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish and Polish. It will be memorable.

Also, be sure to check out Cross Plains' BARBARIAN FESTIVAL on Saturday from 10-4 in Treadway Park, 3 blocks west of the Howard House. It's a great time at a good ol' country fair with vendors, games, rides, activities and great food - family fun for all!

No doubt there will be additional surprises and special guests who show up at Howard Days - there always are - and it's never too late to decide to come to Cross Plains for The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom. We certainly hope to see your smiling mug on June 10th & 11th - or even a day or two early.

Y'all come!

Howard Days is Six Weeks Away!

With Howard Days only six weeks away, June 10th & 11th are looming large for the hordes of Howard fans who are making plans to join us for The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom. Reading and poking around this blog will provide you with the necessary info for a wonderful weekend filled with panels, tours, exhibitions, auctions, featured guests and events - and this year there's even a full length feature showing of The Whole Wide World!

We certainly hope to see you with a Texas sized smile on your face, but even if you can't show up in Cross Plains, you can still help Project Pride extend the Legacy of Bob Howard for the whole (wide) world by making a small donation. Your money will help keep the Robert E. Howard Museum up and running throughout the year, is tax deductible and greatly appreciated!

And money isn't the only way you can help! Friday night at Howard Days features our Celebration Banquet. This year our Guest of Honor is Michael Scott Myers, screenwriter of The Whole Wide World and he'll be making his keynote speech at the Banquet. But another fun aspect of the Banquet is the Silent Auction. This is another way of donating to Project Pride, as 100% of the proceeds from the Silent Auction goes to the Robert E. Howard Museum.. And it's a way you can help the Legacy of REH without leaving your home.

Many of you reading this have Robert E. Howard books, magazines, comics, artwork, 3D art, paperbacks and all sorts of REH related items in your collections that would be perfect for the Silent Auction. Some of us have duplicates of our Howard items that would be also be perfect for the Silent Auction. So, make yourself feel good by donating these items to Project Pride, won't you?

You can send your items to;
Project Pride
Howard Days Silent Auction
POB 534
Cross Plains, TX 76443
Or, you can Paypal a monetary donation to: ProjPride@yahoo.com. Any amount is greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much for your generosity! We plan on keeping the Legacy of Robert E. Howard alive for many years to come because of fans like you!

Shown above: an item from a previous Auction: etched glass and a frame made from materials of a damaged window from Howard's actual writing room! Rumor has it there may be one in this year's Auction!