Places to go and things to see by Gypsy Bev

Posts tagged ‘Fuzzy’

Happy Trails Lead to Roy Rogers Festival

Every August western fans hit the trail to Portsmouth, Ohio to honor an old favorite, Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys, and his wife, Dale Evans, Queen of the West. 2015 made the 32nd year the Roy Rogers Festival has been held there.

Roy and Dale's youngest daughter, Dodie, and her husband, John Patterson.

Roy and Dale’s youngest daughter, Dodie, and her husband, Jon Patterson.

Meeting Dodie Rogers Patterson, the daughter of Roy Rogers, had to be a highlight of the day for many. Her husband, Jon, provided entertainment as well. Dodie is the youngest of Roy and Dale’s nine multi-cultural children. She is of the Choctaw tribe, which also ran in Roy’s blood.

It was a pleasant surprise to find hometown dealer, Dave Scott, with Roy Rogers memorabilia.

It was a pleasant surprise to find hometown dealer, Dave Scott, with Roy memorabilia.

Activities centered around the dealers’ room where items could be viewed and purchased from many sellers. In the afternoon, there was a question and answer session with the stars that provided an inside look at their lives and what they had overcome. Being a star is not always as glamorous as it may seem.

Steve Connors, son o Chuck Connors from the Rifleman, certainly had the image of his father.

Steve Connors, son o Chuck Connors from the Rifleman, certainly had the image of his father.

Many stars were in attendance, and several of them had also been at a recent Hopalong Cassidy Festival. Fuzzy took a fall but came back stronger than he was before.  Steve Connors, son of Chuck Connors, who was The Rifleman and Johnny Crawford, who also starred in that show as a young lad, both had a great sense of humor.

Roy Rogers home on Duck Creek near Portsmouth.

Roy Rogers home on Duck Creek near Portsmouth.

The boyhood home of Roy Rogers was located at Duck Creek about twelve miles from Portsmouth. There is an Ohio Historical Marker at his home as well as a marble marker. Roy lived here until he was a teenager at which time they moved to California.

Roy Rogers painting on the Portsmouth Flood Wall.

Roy Rogers painting on the Portsmouth Flood Wall.

The Portsmouth Floodwall by Robert Dafford  contains 2,200 feet of artwork, the largest by any single artist. This mural along the Ohio River displays a 160′ section called “King of the Cowboys”, dedicated to Roy Rogers, a legend in his time.

Roy and Dale were the most loved western couple of all time and were proud of the US flag and our country. As Roy and Dale would sing, “Happy trails to you, ’til we meet again.”

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Museums, Ohio

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Hopalong Cassidy Festival in Cambridge Comes to an End

Vendors from all over the United States displayed their western wares.

Vendors from all over the United States displayed their western wares.

Hoppy and his horse greeted visitors to the 25th Hopalong Cassidy Festival.

Hoppy and his horse greeted visitors to the 25th Hopalong Cassidy Festival.

“Have a Hoppy Day!”

Old friends and familiar faces congregated May 1-3, 2015  to honor the last Hopalong Cassidy Festival. Started in 1991, this year marked the 25th Anniversary and the final year for the festival. But the enthusiasm did not end even though participants knew the end was in sight.

William “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd grew up in the Cambridge area where he attended Park School and the Second Presbyterian Church. The Silver Anniversary of the festival celebration took place at Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center near Cambridge, Ohio.

This little cowgirl enjoyed the day.

This little cowgirl enjoyed the day.

Laura Bates, founder, has been the driving force of the Hopalong Cassidy Festival all 25 years. Laura became good friends with Grace, Hoppy’s wife, and Laura’s knowledge and collection of Hoppy memorabilia grew and grew. When Laura speaks of those dedicated followers who attended year after year, she fondly calls them “faithful buckaroos”.

Getting a festival together requires lots of hard work. Making the connections with nearly a hundred vendors in itself would take a lot of time. Add to that the necessity to connect with old western stars and you can see how overwhelming the task would be. Besides, the general public today does not have the intense interest about those old westerns as those who grew up watching them.

Look-a-likes John Wayne, enjoy visiting with the crowd.

Look-a-likes John Wayne, Lash LaRue, and Bob Steele enjoy visiting with the crowd.

Old friends, who dressed as look-a-likes, enjoyed posing together. John Wayne, Lash LaRue, and Bob Steele definitely looked their part. Most people were selling pictures, but some were giving them away. Vendors set up tables selling all kinds of Western and cowboy items.

LaRue and his wife got married in the same church where Hoppy used to attend in Cambridge.

Francis Reeves and his wife got married in the same church Hoppy attended in Cambridge.

Most participants come across as common ordinary folks, who enjoyed talking about their life and connection to Hopalong Cassidy. One interesting gentleman, Francis Reeves, had won six Hoppy look-alike contests over the years. His initial contact came through Fred Scott, who sent a card to him telling him about the festival.

Twenty years ago Francis married his wife in Cambridge at the Second Presbyterian Church, the same church Hoppy attended. At 85 years old, Francis is still muscle bound and full of energy. When asked about the end of the festival, Francis remarked, “Everything comes to an end.” He looks forward to better things ahead.

Scruffy and Laura Bates give a final farewell.

Fuzzy and Laura Bates, founder, give a final farewell.

25th Anniversary tee shirt designed to honor Laura Bates.

25th Anniversary tee shirt designed to honor Laura Bates.

Fuzzy of American Westerns designed the logo for the festival. This year he designed a special tee shirt for the 25th anniversary. He included a picture of Laura Bates on that tee, as a special surprise to her. But like many, Fuzzy travels around the country with his acts and displays, covering seventeen different states.

Hoppy plans for the future include a bronze statue of Hopalong Cassidy in Cambridge, Ohio. The Hopalong Cassidy Museum will still contain Laura’s collection and she will probably stop by and charm visitors with her stories.

Everyone remained in good spirits even when the festival came to a close. One cowgirl said she would continue at other festivals in this part of the country.”I’ve been horsing around all my life,” she quipped, “and not ready to stop.”

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Festivals, Ohio

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