ROY AND DALE'S LEGACY FINDS NEW HOME
A major American treasure, the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum, is moving east. It seems that when the late Roy Rogers and Dale Evans -- the King and Queen of the West -- decided to open a museum, they bought a tract of land adjacent to I-15, the main connector between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, in Victorville, Calif. They assumed the site would be perfect, considering the hundreds of thousands of people who pass by there. In the museum the Rogerses assembled all the mementos from their careers ... a mounted Trigger, Buttermilk, even Pat Brady's jeep was there. Even the old Dodge that brought the family west from Cincinnati. The museum was chock full of Rogers-style stuff -- including all the incredible merchandising tie-ins from the 1950s TV and radio shows. It was so popular that a major addition was made to it a decade ago. Then the bottom dropped out. First, Roy, then Dale died. The baby boomers that made up the "Happy Trails Generation" were finding other things to do. Additionally, more and more people were speeding through Victorville, not stopping at the museum.
So, what to do? Sell off the contents? Turn the property into another shopping mall? Well, in what must be one of the most sensible business decisions of recent years, son Dusty (Roy Jr.) tells media that the whole deal will be moving to a site in Branson, Mo., with the re-opening scheduled for the spring of next year. The museum will include a brand-new theater. Branson and Roy and Dale would seem to be a perfect match.
FOLK MUSIC EXPERT ALAN LOMAX DIES
For decades the name Alan Lomax was synonymous with folk music in America. With his father, John Avery Lomax, he helped set up the Archive of Folksong at the Library of Congress in Washington. Now, according to country.com, Lomax has died. On his pioneering radio show the younger Lomax introduced America to the likes of Woodie Guthrie, Leadbelly, Aunt Molly
Jackson, Josh White, Burl Ives and Pete Seeger. He and his father published the quintessential compilation of folksongs, in sheet music form, the "American Ballads and Folksongs" book. He also prepared "Negro Folk Songs as Sung by Leadbelly" and "Cowboy Songs." The Lomax tradition continues; a nephew (John Lomax III) is well-known in Nashville, working as a country music journalist and manager of several country acts. Alan Lomax was 87.
PALTROW AND THE PARKING PROBLEM
Some say that if you have enough money you can do anything you want. Maybe that's why the majority of vehicles you see flouting parking regulations are expensive cars. Now, according to the New York
Post, a major movie star has decided that the Big Apple's parking regulations are just too much for her to worry about. The newspaper says Gwyneth
Paltrow doesn't worry about finding a parking space ... she often parks on the sidewalk. To make matters worse, her habit of parking her Mercedes SUV on the sidewalk in front of a deli across from her house means that everyone has to walk in the street to get around the giant vehicle. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the star tells the newspaper that parking on the sidewalk is not something his client does every day. That's the ticket!
RAVE REVIEWS FOR NEW STUART LITTLE FILM
Most major reviewers can't say enough about the work produced by the actors and animators responsible for the latest Stuart Little film. And Nathan Lane seems to be getting a large portion of the positive
reviews. For example, the Houston Chronicle's online edition is effusive in praise of Lane as the actor who voiced the feisty cat Snowbell. In addition to being a fitting sequel to the 1999 original film, the newest in the Stuart Little franchise sparkles with special effects and a great score. But it's the acting of Michael J. Fox (again as the mouse), Lane and Melanie Griffith who bring the story real life and energy.
EAGLES REUNION TOUR REVIVING THE BOYS
There seems to be new life in the old group the Eagles. The band, now in the midst of a 31st anniversary reunion tour is, according to country.com, on the cusp of resurgence. Formed three decades ago in Southern California, the guys had been
off the road for some time, even though its recordings remain a mainstay of American radio. Don Henley recently commented that they knew they had to tour again when they realized that fan interest has never waned. By the way, its "Greatest Hits" album set records, selling over 26 million copies. The Eagles' first big hit, "Take it Easy," was released 30 years ago.
RAPPER SIGNS ON AS TREAT SALESMAN
Popular rapper and now TV star ("Law and Order: Special Victims Unit") ICE-T has parlayed his success and part of his name into a new career as a frozen
concoction salesman. According to columnist Richard Johnson, "T" is now representing a line of frozen products called Posse Pops, ice cream bars targeted to an urban audience. The prime target for the treats seems to be inner-city kids. According to Johnson, the pops are the brainchild of a former Ben and Jerry's bigwig, Rick Brown. There is a positive side to this; the wrappers for the treats will contain anti-drug, safe sex and other "good" messages.
UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 376
The other week we asked what your favorite non-chocolate candy treat was. Today, inspired by the Posse Pops story, here is today's question: "What is your favorite ice cream treat ... either pre-made or something you mix yourself?" Put ICE CREAM in the subject line and send to [email protected] via the
Internet.
RESULTS OF QUESTION NO. 371 (PHOTO)
Last week we asked about your favorite photo. As expected, more than half of those responding mentioned an aging photo of a lost parent, mom or dad or both. Some said they treasured a picture of themselves, as a child, next to the departed loved ones. IMTU says he has a great shot of himself with all 10 of his siblings. Now he's the only one left. TsIsBgs has a photo of her grandmother, the only thing she managed to salvage from her house during a flood. (Makes you wonder how many classic photos are lost in disasters). Lyle T says that he has a photo of five generations of his family. Emily R is among those who has an extensive collection of photo albums, but remarks that many of the shots from
her grandparents' generation and before are unmarked and she has no idea who the people are. Emily, that's a common problem. Diane D (my sister) reminds me of a photograph of the both of us, standing in front of the door to our house. She is about 3 and I'm 10 or 11. Diane, do you have it, or do I? Personally, I found a photograph in my grandmother's house, after she died. It's of a very young, very thin girl, dressed in black, with a child standing on a chair beside her. I was shocked to find that the girl was my grandmother, years before I knew her as the hefty Indiana farm wife. The little child was my dad. TOMORROW: More from last week. GBA.
