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January 3, 2010
WOLF CREEK HERITAGE MUSEUM NOTES by Virginia Scott MUSEUM HAPPENINGS Happy New Year! Another year has arrived and I hope everyone has their new calendars. Our first exhibit for the year is our annual student art exhibit and we will be taking the first two weeks of January arranging the exhibit throughout the museum. As always the students have provided us with interesting, creative, and artistic pieces to enjoy. Please plan to come by and see this years show. As you have read in this column before, we are members of the Texas Plains Trail Region in the Texas Historical Commission's Heritage Tourism Program. Our region is comprised of Fifty-Two counties and this year we are having a stamp cancelation is every county every week. The first is in Armstrong county, county seat of Claude on Jan 6 (yesterday as you read this) but you can obtain the cancelation even now. Next is Bailey in Muleshoe on the 13th, Borden in Gail on the 20th, and Briscoe in Silverton on the 27th. I will try to list each month so if you are a stamp cancelation collector or a county historian, you can order from the postmaster. Our region is full of fun with activities for all 52 weeks. As with all new years, we have to look back at the previous year and summarize our accomplishments and activities. That will be our task this month as well as preparing for our annual membership renewal. We hope to complete our fundraising for our new building this year and complete our books. Another busy year ahead. Dorothy and Ann are on their winter retreats down south so we are holding down the fort until their return. HISTORICAL MUSINGS The internet day by day online service for Jan 2 and 4 reported that Tex Ritter died in 1974 on Jan 2 in Nashville, Tennessee. He was born in Murval, Texas and attended the University of Texas where he was influenced by Frank Lomax and J. Frank Dobie. He won an Oscar for "High Noon" song written for the movie in 1952. He was in 85 movies and had a television show entitled "Ranch Party" for 1959 to 1962. In 1964 he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. His youngest son, John, was a television and movie actor best known for his popular TV series "Three's Company". In 1923 on Jan 4th, radio station WBAP in Fort Worth established the basic format for country music variety show broadcasting. This format subsequently taken over by Nashville's "Grand Ole Opry" and Chicago's "National Barn Dance" with a program that featured a fiddler, a square-dance caller, and a Confederate veteran Capt. M.J. Bonner. The familiar program of wisecracks, music both mournful and jolly, and country costumes became immensely popular all across the nation. WBAP established by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram under Amon G. Carter in 1922, was looking for its programming forte. Under call letters derived from the words "We Bring A Program" the station was an innovator in Texas radio. In addition to its "hayride" program, it featured the Light Crust Doughboys, legendary fiddler Eck Robertson, crossover musician Al Stricklin (who began as a jazz pianist and joined the Bob Wills Fiddle Band), and other county stars.. But it also had its own "serious" studio orchestra. WBAP broke the ground for a flourishing music industry. These shows continued through the 30's and 40's with Bob Wills Fiddle Band and many local towns hosting their own shows. A tradition that Frankie McWhorter promoted and others like our Lipscomb Outlaws continue today. Start your new year with your own country music favorite. |
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