SEVEN WEEKS UNTIL HOWARD DAYS!

Bob and Patches will be waiting for you!

 Well, all right! HOWARD DAYS 2022 is coming up fast (SEVEN WEEKS! Where did the time go?) and we're in the process of getting everything ready!

The schedule is 90% set (we're still waiting on confirmation for one panel and our gaming venues), so it's time for you to make your plans to join us at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas on June 10th & 11th. And we've even got stuff going on Thursday the 9th!

The dual themes this year are The REH Influence on Gaming (role-playing, table-top/board games and video) and the 90th anniversaries of Conan, the Cimmerian as well as two Howard masterpieces: Worms of the Earth and the poem Cimmeria.

Fred Malmberg, President of Heroic Signatures (formerly Cabinet Entertainment), will be our Guest of Honor this year. Fred was instrumental in introducing both Conan and role-playing gaming to the people of Sweden and has carried on those activities in the U.S. for over 20 years now. Come hear him speak at the Celebration Banquet.

All the usual HD events will be happening: the Robert E. Howard Museum will be open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday; you can tour the museum at your leisure or have docents tell you all about the house where REH lived and wrote. The Alla Ray Morris Pavilion, adjacent to the House, is available for the entire weekend as the main meeting place for all attendees.

 The Gift shop in the House is well-stocked with incredible REH items. The Cross Plains Public Library is open to show their collection of original REH typescripts and Weird Tales & pulp magazines. The REH Foundation Press will be set up to sell Howard books and we'll have tables for dealers of REH/related merchandise set up in the surrounding yard. Bus, Walking and Grounds tours will be made, panels will be given, a special souvenir postal cancellation stamp is available on Friday and a Hot Dog Lunch will satisfy your hunger Friday Noon. 

We'll have a Celebration Banquet on Friday night, where hundreds of REH items will be shown for the Silent Auction that takes place at the Banquet. Saturday night brings us the Sunset BBQ, where authentic Texas barbeque will make you glad you came!

We're planning on having REH gaming over the weekend too. Role-playing and board games will be presented (and a cornhole game in the yard!); stay tuned for more information on logistics for the gaming.

But best of all, the Howard Days weekend is all about REH Fellowship. You can meet Howard Fans from all over the world: France, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Japan - and of course, the good ol' USA - who gather in Cross Plains to celebrate the Life and Legacy of Robert E. Howard.

More detailed information is available if you click on the tabs at the top of this page. We're looking forward to seeing you in Cross Plains in just SEVEN WEEKS! We guarantee a great time!

Y'all come!

Three Months Until Howard Days!

With the cold of March still in the air, it's time to think warmer thoughts! And there's nothing better to warm yourself than the hot Texas sun of June and Robert E. HOWARD DAYS!

We hope you'll be able to join us June 10th & 11th at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas, for another exciting Howard Days, filled with fun, fine folks and fellowship! (And hopefully, not so much alliteration!)

2022 finds us with another dual themed event. We'll examine the REH INFLUENCE ON GAMING as well as celebrate the 90th Anniversaries of Conan the Cimmerian first story, as well as Worms of the Earth and the poem "Cimmeria", two of Howard's masterpieces. Fred Malmberg will be our Guest of Honor and we hope to have lots of surprise guests as well!

Registration is beginning soon. We've had to up the cost of the Banquet seat to $25.00 per person this year (the first price hike in NEARLY 20 YEARS!) You can register via mail at REH Days, Project Pride, POB 534, Cross Plains TX 76443 of via Pay Pal at Projpride@yahoo.com.

Please remember that all the activities at Howard Days are presented at no cost (FREE!) except for a seat at the Friday Banquet. Your money will help offset the cost of a Hot Dog Lunch and a BBQ dinner, so that's a great deal!

Pretty much all the information you'll need for Howard Days can be found by poking the little tabs at the top of this page. We've posted our basic schedule with activities and panels and will be updating this page on a regular basis as HD draws closer. We've also got a Howard Days Facebook page to ease with the information, so check that out as well.

Hope you can join us June 10-11 for our big Howard Family Reunion. Y'all Come!

Howard Days 2022 Guest of Honor is Fred Malmberg!

 Howard Days, Project Pride of Cross Plains and the Robert E. Howard Fountain are happy to announce that Fred Malmberg is the Guest of Honor at our 2022 event.

We hope you can join us at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas, this June 10th and 11th for the Best Two Days in Howard Fandom! With our dual theme this year of the REH Influence on Gaming and Anniversaries Galore: Conan, Cimmeria, Bran Mak Morn and the first Conan movie), you can expect a great two days chock full of events, tours, panels, signings, awards, readings and fellowship - and don't forget the great Texas grub!

Scheduling information is being updated and will be posted very soon, so stay tuned and make plans for a fun two days of Howard Fellowship!

Plus, you'll get to hang out with one of the more important people in the world of Robert E. Howard and Conan these days, Fred Malmberg! Hope to see you there!

Fred Malmberg, hailing from the icy north (Sweden), has been a fan of Robert E. Howard since his teens, and was notably the first publisher of Conan in the Swedish language. He played a major part in the Swedish game boom of the 1980's, utilizing intellectual property across games, publishing and entertainment. Since acquiring the rights to Conan in 2002, and the rest of the REH estate in 2006, Fred has worked internationally with the comics, game, toy, and entertainment industries, bringing Conan and Howard to a broader audience than likely ever before, in particular through computer games, Such as the Age of Conan and Conan Exiles games from licensee Funcom. Currently, he is serving as an Executive Producer of a Conan entertainment package at Netflix, and heads up the Heroic Signatures team in Los Angeles.

Happy Birthday, Ol' Two-Gun Bob!

 

Happy 116th birthday to Robert E. Howard, author, poet and an American and Texas original. We hope everyone reads a favorite Howard story or poem today while enjoying a libation of choice. Raise your glass to the incomparable Robert E. Howard!

And while we're celebrating anniversaries, Robert E. Howard Days (June 10-11) will feature the 90th birthday of Howard's Conan the Cimmerian and the writing of two of his masterpieces: Worms of the Earth and "Cimmeria", the poem that inspired Conan.

We'll also be marking the 40th anniversary of the first movie, Conan the Barbarian.

Details of this and more happenings at Howard Days are forthcoming and will be found here and on Facebook. Hope to see you there!

HOWARD DAYS 2022 is June 10th & 11th!

 

As the cold winds begin to blow here in December, our thoughts turn to the warmer (usually MUCH warmer) days when we meet up at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas, to celebrate our annual gathering.

Robert E. Howard Days returns on June 10th and 11th, 2022. This is just our initial notice and will be short. However, if you're looking for a delayed gift for Christmas, why not treat yourself or a loved one to a trip to the REH Museum, the world's best destination for fans of Ol' Two-Gun Bob Howard?

The theme for HD 2022 is Howard's Influence on Gaming (think Role-Playing games, board and table-top games, card games and video games). Plans are being developed to present a program that will appeal to both brand-new and veteran gamers. Our Guest of Honor, Frederik Malmberg, is a life-long gamer and currently is head of Heroic Signatures, a subsidiary of FunCom, the folks who run the CONAN EXILES video game.

And if that's not enough, y'all come and help us celebrate the 90th birthday of Conan the Cimmerian! There will be cake!!!

We'll have more announcements and information coming around New Year's, but we wanted to tease you just a little here.

So start making plans to come to Texas in June. All the regular happenings and programming seen here under those little tabs above will still be happening, so treat yourself to a good Helping of Howard in 2022. 

It was a GREAT Howard Days!

While it has taken us nearly a week to recover from Howard Days 2021, we are happy to announce that our 2021 version was a spectacular event!

Attendance was very high, maybe unexpectedly so, but not nearly as high as the enjoyment of the attendees. After missing 2020 due to we-all-know-what, Howard fans came out in force to celebrate the Life and Legacy of Ol' Two-Gun Bob Howard! We owe a debt of gratitude (as we do every year) to the wonderful work of the folks of Project Pride of Cross Plains. They are the backbone and inspiration for all of us coming to Howard Days! Thank you!

Roy Thomas made for a near-perfect Guest of Honor: so very personable and open, his panels were engaging and entertaining, and his presence was no doubt a factor in the increased attendance.

The Robert E. Howard Museum shone in the hot Texas sun, a beacon for Howard fans from 26 states (and France - thanks, Dr. Louinet). We'll look for more foreign attendees next year, of course, and really celebrate our international family reunion. 

One of the highlights of this Howard Days was the unveiling of an on-site plaque monument devoted to REH, provide by the Texas State Historical Commission. The legitimacy of the Robert E. Howard legacy continues to grow.

The Bus, Walking and Grounds Tours were all well-received and pre-eminent Howard Scholar Rusty Burke did his usual masterful job conducting them. The Pavilion was packed both days and folks enjoyed many hot dogs and much tender brisket to go along with the fine Howardian Fellowship that Howard Days is famous for. The brilliant postal cancellation image graced many a postage stamp, the Cross Plains Library hosted many a fan gazing at original Howard typescripts, the REH Foundation Press set-up in the yard, along with several dealers, was buzzing with activity both days. And the Gift Shop in the Museum was darn near empty at the end of the festivities.

The Silent Auction at the Celebration Banquet brought in near record dough for Project Pride and we are happy to report no knife fights broke out during the frenzied bidding! Overall, between the Banquet, Silent Auction, Gift Shop and generous donations, Project Pride made up for the HD's missing year!

A big shout out goes to Mark Finn (author of the REH bio  BLOOD and THUNDER) for his wonderful job as both moderator of the REH in Comics panel and for his going solo on our perennial favorite Fists at the Icehouse panel. And he also read the English portion of "Cimmeria" at Porchlight Poetry!

All in all, Howard Days 2021 was a much needed event for all who attended. A big Thank You goes out to you all! We're certain that now that the healing has begun, we can look forward to better times ahead.

And we can guarantee that Howard Days 2022 will be here before we know it! Conan the Cimmerian turns 90 in '22, so we'll have to be on alert for what this iconic literary figure created by the incomparable Robert E. Howard will bring to Howard Days 2022! Y'all come!

Howard Days Starts Thursday June 10!

 While Howard Days "officially" starts on Friday, June 11th - there are activities at the Museum and in Cross Plains on Thursday the 10th.

The Robert E. Howard Museum is open to all on Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. and the adjacent Alla Ray Morris Pavilion is open to attendees all day that Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

There are no docents on hand on Thursday, but the Gift Shop will be open. You may tour the house and grounds at your leisure and there will certainly be enough folks on hand to answer any questions you may have. There is no cost for any activities for the entire weekend (only if you have a Banquet reservation is there a cost) so feel free (pun intended) to enjoy yourself at the Museum!

And help support the Senior Center in Cross Plains by attending the Thursday Fish Fry fundraiser from 5 to 7. Eight bucks gets you some delicious fish fry, all the fixings, drinks and desert!

Here is a 90% accurate revised schedule, as up to date as we can make it. With any event like this, unforeseen factors may occur, so let's roll with it and have some fun at Howard Days.

We sure hope to see you there.

2021 HOWARD DAYS SCHEDULE

“Celebrating 51 Years of REH in Comics”

 

THURSDAY JUNE 10

2:00 – 4:00 pm: The Robert E. Howard House and Museum is open to the public. There are no docents on duty but the Gift Shop will be open and the grounds and Pavilion are available to all.

5:00 – 7:00 pm: Fish Fry at the Cross Plains Senior Center.

The Pavilion will be open and available all day until late night on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

 

FRIDAY JUNE 11

8:30 am until gone: Coffee and donuts at the Pavilion, compliments of Project Pride

9 am – 4 pm: Robert E. Howard House Museum and Grounds open to the public. The adjacent Alla Ray Morris Pavilion will be open all day until late night.

9 am – 4 pm: REH Postal Cancellation Souvenir-Cross Plains Post Office. FRIDAY ONLY.

9:15 am – 12 Noon: Bus Tour of Cross Plains & Surrounding Areas. FRIDAY ONLY.

10 am to 4 pm: REH Foundation Press canopy and Dealers Area open on grounds east of Museum.

10 am – 4 pm: Cross Plains Public Library open. Original Robert E. Howard typescripts along with original Weird Tales magazines will be on display.

NOON: Hot Dog Lunch hosted by Project Pride at the Pavilion. Donations are welcome!

12:45 p.m.:  Historical Marker Presentation at the REH Museum.

1:30 pm: PANEL: REH in the Comics. This overview panel will discuss the history of Howard characters and stories presented in a comic book format. Mark Finn moderates Roy Thomas, Fred Blosser, Patrice Louinet, Jay Zetterberg.  AT FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Following this panel: Presentation of the 2020-2021 Robert E. Howard Foundation Awards.

3:00-4:00 pm PANEL: Roy Thomas Autograph Session. AT THE PAVILION.

5:30 – 6:30 pm: Silent Auction items available for viewing & bidding at Banquet site

6:30 pm: Robert E. Howard Celebration Banquet & Silent Auction at the Family Life Center of the Baptist Church on Main Street. Guest of Honor Speaker: Roy Thomas.

9:00 pm PANEL: Fists at the Ice House. Our perennial favorite panel about Howard’s boxing (and most prolific) writings. Panelists Mark Finn, Patrice Louinet

Afterward there will be Howard Fellowship at the Pavilion.  All are welcome and adult beverages are allowed.

 

SATURDAY JUNE 12

9 am – 4 pm: Robert E. Howard House Museum open to the public. The adjacent Alla Ray Morris Pavilion will be open all day until late night.

9:15 am – 10:30 am: Cross Plains Walking Tour, conducted by Rusty Burke. Meet at the Ice House (Reed Construction) on Main Street and walk in the steps of Bob Howard.

10 am – 3 pm: Cross Plains Public Library open. Original Robert E. Howard typescripts along with original Weird Tales magazines will be on display.

10 am to 4 pm: REH Foundation Press canopy and Dealers Area open on grounds east of Museum.

11:00 am – 12:30 pm PANEL: The Roy Thomas Interview. Come hear an engaging chat and a Q&A session with our Guest of Honor. AT FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH.

1:00-2:00 pm PANEL: Roy Thomas Autograph Session. AT THE PAVILION.

2:30 pm PANEL: What’s Up with REH? This is our wrap-up panel, devoted to All Things Going On with Robert E. Howard in 2021. AT THE PAVILION

4:00 pm: Tour of REH House Grounds. Rusty Burke will lead a tour around the outside of the Howard Museum.

5:00 pm: Sunset BBQ at the Pavilion. Come and enjoy a real Texas chuck-wagon barbeque!

After BBQ: Porchlight Poetry: Listen to a multi-language reading of Howard’s poem “Cimmeria” + more REH poetry read aloud from the Museum porch. We have a microphone this year!

Afterward there will be Howard Fellowship at the Pavilion.  All are welcome and adult beverages are allowed.

NOTE: There will be special announcements, surprise guests and extemporaneous events:”pop-up” panels, readings, book signings and REH related happenings throughout Friday and Saturday at the Pavilion. Howard Fellowship at its finest!

REGARDING ROY THOMAS’ AUTOGRAPH SESSIONS:

- Roy will be signing ONLY on Friday 3 to 4 pm and Saturday 1 to 2 pm at the Pavilion

- Limit 10 items to sign at a time. You may get in line more than once.

- You are requested to make a donation to Hero Initiative (www.heroinitiative.org) each time you                         

  go through the line.

- No personalization autographs - Roy's signature only

- An "exclusive 'official' Marvel Roy Thomas Appreciation print” will be available for $20: Roy will

   personalize these. (A portion of proceeds will be donated to Project Pride.)

 

REGARDING DEALERS TABLES: There will be 8 tables available in the yard, FCFS, one per dealer @ $25.00 for the weekend. NO DEALERS IN THE PAVILION. Thank you.