Roy Rogers, Branson, and Festivities
Recently, I helped my dad photo catalog his collection of Roy Rogers memorabilia. Actually, I took the pictures some time ago, but I recently can across them again and re-started the project. My dad has been a fan of Roy Rogers since his childhood and all his life he collected little bits of this and that to remind him of the days he would spend a Saturday afternoon at the movie theater watching his cowboy hero.
Back in 1985 or 1986 my family took a two-week trip out to the west coast. We spent time driving around and seeing the Petrified Forest National Park, the Painted Desert, Joshua Tree National Park, the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Hoover Dam, and lots of other amazing attractions. We also took time out to visit the he Roy Rogers – Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, CA. The trip to the museum is one of my clearest memories of our vacation.
In 2003, the he Roy Rogers – Dale Evans Museum picked up and moved to Branson, Missouri. I have heard that while the museum retained much of its homey, personal feel, it also benefitted from the move. Now it is surrounded by hundreds of other exciting shows and attractions. I’ve been anxious to see the new museum and want to plan a trip out to see it, and the rest of Branson. My dad’s sister and wife and mother go often, so I would love to have them along as unofficial tour guides.
This is actually one of the better times of the year to visit Branson. Christmastime and the coming New Year celebration have inspired all sorts of charming light displays and special events. In particular, the packages at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing and Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel are about as festive as you can get. They have already hosted special theme packages for Thanksgiving and Christmas (“It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Santa’s Coming to Town” were their themes – how cute!), the New Years’ Eve package is still to come.
I just keep thinking how fitting it is that the Roy Rogers Museum is part of Branson now.
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