HOWARD DAYS IS 5 MONTHS AWAY!

    As snow and cold sweep across the nation, it's time to turn our thoughts to warmer climes - mainly: ROBERT E. HOWARD DAYS on June 7th & 8th in Cross Plains, Texas!

The wheels are in motion to provide you with another spectacular time at Howard Days. While we've got our standard programming well into the planning stage, there will be some new activity going on to entertain and enlighten you as to the World of Robert E. Howard!

Howard Days is not your regular convention of like-minded enthusiasts, it is more like a family reunion where folks gather to enjoy, support and carry on the Legacy of Ol' Two-Gun Bob Howard. Enjoy Howard Fellowship while relaxing in the shade of the adjacent Pavilion at the site of the REH Museum in lovely Cross Plains, Texas. Listen to Howard fans, scholars and enthusiasts as they speak of all phases of Howard's life and career, and enjoy spirited discussions about his writings and creations among Howard fans from all over the world. Enjoy the Museum Gift Shop and various dealers of Howard merchandise in the yard. 

Here is the basic schedule we follow during Howard Days, but there's plenty of time for additions and surprises that make HD such a unique event.

2024 Howard Days Schedule

Thursday June 6

2 - 4 pm: Robert E. Howard Museum & grounds open.

Friday June 7

9 am - 4 pm: Robert E. Howard Museum & grounds open.

9 am - 4 pm: Howard Days souvenir postal cancellation available

9 - 10:45 am: Bus Tour

1 am - 4 pm: Cross Plains Library open.

11 am - Noon: Panel

Noon: Hot Dog lunch in Pavilion

1:30 - 2:30 pm: Panel

2: 30 - 3:30 pm: The Glenn Lord Symposium

3:30: The Robert E. Howard Foundation Awards presentation

5:30: Celebration Banquet & Silent Auction

9 pm: Fists at the Ice House panel

Saturday June 8

9 am - 4 pm: Robert E. Howard Museum & grounds open.

9 - 10:45 am: Walking Tour of Cross Plains

1 am - 3 pm: Cross Plains Library open.

11 am - Noon: Panel

LUNCH

1:30 - 2:30 pm: Panel

2: 30 - 3:30 pm: Panel

4 pm: Tour of Howard house/grounds

5 pm: Sunset BBQ

Afterward: Porchlight Poetry

This is our "bare bones" scheduling. We are developing our panel topics now and will be posting them soon, so stay tuned. But this is enough for now and it's never too soon to start your planning to attend Howard Days! We already have friends coming from England, France, Norway and Japan!

Further general information is always available here by clicking on the various tabs, and will help you as you make your plans to come on down to Texas! Also check the Robert E. Howard Days Facebook page and the REH Foundation website.

And here's a little teaser for you: the Robert E. Howard Museum has acquired the original writing table that Bob Howard used when he wrote all of his marvelous stories and poems! Paul Herman has worked tirelessly to enable this to happen. The table is currently being restored to its' former glory and we plan to have an installation ceremony during Howard Days. Come witness this major event in Howard History, have your picture taken as you sit at the Table and feel the magic in the air. This is a very big deal and you can be part of it at Howard Days 2024!

Y'all come!

HOWARD DAYS DATE CHANGE! JUNE 7th & 8th

HOWARD DAYS 2024 will now take place on Friday & Saturday, June 7th & 8th at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas.

This change is being made to better accommodate the schedule of the main faction behind Howard Days, Project Pride of Cross Plains.

So, you can now safely mark your calendars for June 7th & 8th, 2024. We hope to see you for Howard Days, The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom!

HOWARD DAYS - The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom!

HOWARD DAYS starts next week! We are good to go; the town of Cross Plains is waiting for fans from all over the world to gather, Project Pride has planned for another amazing weekend and the Howard Fellowship will flow like the big family reunion that Howard Days has become.

We've written about a lot of the features, activities and happenings that occur at Howard Days and now it is time for the experience to begin. There are a number of "first-timers" coming to HD this year; rest assured you will be welcomed into the family with open arms!

The schedule is set (look under the EVENTS tab) and all the information you need is found here. For all the "newbies", when you make it the Museum you will find everyone is amazingly helpful with guiding you through your first Howard Days experience. We are all family, gathered to celebrate the life of our distant cousin or favorite uncle, Bob Howard!

Howard Days is all about supporting the life and legacy of the incomparable Robert E. Howard. We gather in his name, discuss his life and works, marvel at the world-wide interest shown to his little town, appreciate the originality of his creating two genres of literature (sword & sorcery and the weird western) and writing in a good number of other areas - including nearly 800 poems; we speculate on what could have been had he not passed so young and generally we are amazed at what he created from dry Texas dust while pounding on a finger-numbing Underwood No. 5 typewriter!

More importantly, remember that Robert E. Howard has, through his amazing talent, brought so many diverse people from all corners of the world together in fellowship. We understand what he did, we appreciate that he left us so many words and we enjoy the friendships made by reading his work.

The speculators among us imagine a world where Howard didn't leave us so soon. How nice it would have been if Ol' Two-Gun was around long enough to know and realize the impact he had on many lives. He deserves every accolade we can muster. We certainly hope that his shade is there next week, wandering the grounds and knowing the warmth of fellowship in his name.

We look forward to seeing everyone in Cross Plains to enjoy Robert E. Howard Days. And if you decide on a last minute trip, y'all come! Texas is a really big state, there's always room at Howard Days!

HOWARD DAYS IS NEXT WEEK!

While Howard Days next week "officially" is held on Friday and Saturday, the 28 & 29th, please don't forget about Thursday the 27th!

A number of folks like to come to Cross Plains a day or two early to soak in that small-town charm, so Project Pride and the city provide several things to do.

The Robert E. Howard Museum is OPEN on Thursday from 2 to 4 pm. While there are no docents on duty, you are free to tour all the rooms of the house, marvel at the treasures contained therein and visit the well-appointed Gift Shop. You may also walk around the yard and enjoy the convenience of the adjacent Alla Ray Morris Pavilion, the central meeting place for Howard Days. Feel free to enjoy a picnic lunch in the yard if you like as you partake of some early Howard Fellowship.

There are several excellent restaurants in Cross Plains that will be most happy to see you! Jean's Feed Barn, Mexico City, Country Donuts and Backwoods Beer Barn are close to the Museum and the Backwoods Grill and Cottonwood Coffee Shop, along with Subway, Dairy Queen and Bubba's BBQ are all uptown waiting for you.

Across from the Museum is Woody's Car & Baseball Museum and is a real treat for visitors. Texas 36 Apparel is on the corner of Main Street and Highway 36 for real Texas duds and Higginbotham's (across from the Library) is as close as we'll see to an authentic Texas general store. (We like to get a pocket knife there every year!)

This year on Thursday evening there will be a Senior Center Dinner & Dance at Treadway Park, which is just west of the Howard Museum. For $7.00 you can support the Cross Plains Senior Center while enjoying beans, cornbread, tea and desserts! Bring your dancing boots for a rousing Texas time!

So show up early and stay late, as the Pavilion will be available to all on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Come and enjoy the Fellowship that being a fan of Robert E. Howard can provide!

TWO WEEKS UNTIL HOWARD DAYS!

It won't be long now! All the waitin' and anticipatin' becomes an event in two weeks on April 28th & 29th at HOWARD DAYS at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains Texas!

Here are some more features to tell you about to make your visit even more enjoyable:

• If you've never been to Howard Days and are wondering what it's all about, check out all the You Tube videos for Robert E. Howard Days. Professional cinematographer Ben Friberg (now working out of The Texas Center) has been filming Howard Days (panels, tours, speeches etc.) for over 10 years now and he graciously posts them on You Tube. Watching these will give you a very good idea of what Howard Days is like.
• This year finds us Celebrating 100 Years of Weird Tales magazine. WT was Howard's first and most steadfast of the various pulps that he wrote for, so help us celebrate their Centenary at Howard Days. The panels this year are slanted towards "The Unique Magazine" and our Guest of Honor, John Betancourt was Publisher and Editor of a later incarnation of Weird Tales. John will deliver his keynote speech at the Friday night Celebration Banquet and join in panel discussions.
• Added to our list of Books Debuting at Howard Days are two tomes from the REH Foundation Press: The Collected Letters of REH volumes 2 and 3! Along with Vol. 1, they will be available under the REH Foundation canopy in the yard at Howard Days, along with a number of other REH Press publications, which includes the debuting REH Photo Album.
• One of the books being released at HD is FORBIDDEN MAGIC & Other Poems & Miscellanea in Weird Tales, where Dennis McHaney has collected all 38 poems that Howard had printed in Weird Tales, along with Chapter Heading poems and REH letters to the Eyrie.
• We mention this because Aurelia Wilder will host special readings exclusively from this book on Friday evening at the Pavilion.
• Ms. Wilder will also host Porchlight Poetry on Saturday after the Bar-be-que. This year, because of our Weird Tales themes, we will read REH poetry and supplement our presentations with poetry from other Weird Tales poets, most notably H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith.

So, with Howard Days just on the horizon, we're looking forward to seeing everyone come and help celebrate the Life and Legacy of the incomparable Robert E. Howard!

Howard Days Feature: Well, Lots of Features, Actually!

As we round the bend headed for Howard Days on April 28th & 29th, we'd like to remind you of a number of happenings at The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom. The event will be here in a little over two weeks now and we want you to maximize your enjoyment factor as you help us celebrate the Life & Legacy of Robert E. Howard!

• To start, you don't have to register with money to enjoy Howard Days. All the events, panels, tours and admissions to the Museum are FREE. We ask for a $25 fee if you would like a seat at the Friday Banquet and to help pay for the Hot Dog Lunch plus snacks and drinks. And even if you don't come to the Banquet, your $25 helps out Project Pride, the fine folks who welcome us to Howard Days every year. You can PayPal your dough to Projpride@yahoo.com.
• There are still seats available at the Banquet but not for much longer. Don't delay in making your reservation as on-site availability can be tricky!
• The Dealer's Area (tables in the yard around the Pavilion) are nearly all taken, so if you'd like a table to display your REH and related items, send $25 to Projpride@yahoo.com. There may be on-site availability but why risk it?
• Bobby Derie will be in the Dealer's Area with his latest book: The Robert E. Howard Trivia Book. This is a fun and challenging little tome to test your knowledge about All Things Howard! And perhaps coolest of all: it's FREE!
• Rogue Blades Entertainment will also present HITHER CAME CONAN, their latest tome of essays from the Black Gate website, all about the 21 Conan stories penned by REH. A number of the authors will be present at HD, so get your copy autographed!
• The Friday panel (4-5 pm) at the Cottonwood Coffee Shop on Main Street is something we're trying out this year. It's an informal round-table discussion + Q&A of "Howard's Women". Janice Schange will host some prominent women in Howard Fandom: Aurelia Wilder, Libby Sharpe and Stephanie Childress + others. Views of REH examined by women should prove to be most interesting.
• The Cross Plains Review will be open to the public on Friday from 9-12. Come look at the way newspapering used to be done in the days of REH!

Well, this should hold you for now! We'll be back later in the week with more features for Howard Days. We've got a diverse and interesting schedule of events for everyone to partake in, all under the umbrella of Howard Fellowship!

Howard Days Feature: The Cross Plains Public Library

 

Without question, the Cross Plains Public Library is the most important entity in the 37 year history of Howard Days. The vision that the Library has afforded REH fans from all over the world is immeasurable and because of it, Howard Days on April 28th & 29th will provide us with The Best Two Days in Howard Fandom!

In 1985, Howard fans Rusty Burke and Vern Clark made the journey to Cross Plains in search of a connection with the spirit of REH. Lady Luck smiled upon them when they met Billie Ruth Loving and Joan McCowan at the Library that day. With these two wonderful ladies' help, the seed was planted and bloomed into a world wide event focused on Cross Plains, Texas, where REH lived and wrote and enthralled the world with his words.

While both Ms. Loving and Ms. McCowan have left us, their legacy lives on today as the world-class Cross Plains Library. Since 1985 it has doubled in size, won numerous awards and become a mecca for Howard Fans all over the world.

The Cross Plains Public Library boasts a sizeable collection of original Robert E. Howard typescripts, several dozen issues of Weird Tales and REH pulp magazines and an impressive Howard section of books, magazines, fanzines and artwork. These are always on display for Howard Days and copies of the original typescripts are available for a modest fee.

In addition to all the REH permeating the air at the Library, this year will once again feature Hyborian Age role-playing gaming during Howard Days. Jeb Boyt will generously provide two sessions of the Sword & Sorcery 5E RPG for gamers who would like to sit in. Friday he's running a scenario from 12 to 4 and Saturday from 11 to 3. Stop in an roll up a character or to observe and say hello.

While you are in Cross Plains, please visit and enjoy all the Cross Plains Library has to offer Howard Fans. Be sure to register at the front desk (visitor numbers are important to them), make a donation to help them with continued upkeep - and maybe say "Thanks" for what they've done for Howard fans everywhere.