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Texas Tumbleweeds to highlight
Bee-Picayune staff Those who remember when Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys were on top of the country music scene with their Texas Swing will want to help celebrate the 80th birthday of the Rialto Theater on Oct. 18. For years the Texas Tumbleweeds group has been taking country music lovers back to those days with its original Texas country music. Members of the group have played with some of the best musicians over the years, including Bob Wills, the Light Crust Doughboys, Tex Ritter, Boxcar Willie, Claude Grey, Ray Price, Hank Thompson and others. They have entertained in such notable locations as Six Flags Over Texas and in Branson, Mo. Dr. John Hester, one of the organizers of the Oct. 18 event, said the band is scheduled to play its mix of music from 7 until 9:30 p.m. when the event kicks off at the Texas Grand. Texas Tumbleweeds plays traditional country music, Texas swing, Cajun and Western campfire music. It is a mix that is sure to keep everyone dancing or just tapping their feet and singing along. A short program is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. but the music will begin again at 10 p.m. with more modern country sounds provided by Country Breeze. That popular local group will provide more dance music until midnight. Hester said everyone is invited to take advantage of the excellent musical entertainment that night. There will be no charge for admission but the Hall-Rialto Preservation Association, organizers of the event, will be asking for a donation. Hester said a $10 per person gift to the association’s Rialto Theater restoration fund would be appreciated. From an artistic and historical point of view, Hester said the gift will be worth $10 and more. He said nine respected theater architects have visited the downtown theater in recent years and all have been elated by what they have found. “I’ve visited 15 theaters across Texas and this one is a jewel, I guarantee you,” Hester said. After the restoration work is completed, Hester said it will serve as a center for a variety of entertainment programs, like ballet folklorico performances, local plays, lectures and concerts, and it will serve as a center for programs held by the Joe Barnhart Bee County Library. Hester said theaters restored in other communities have been a great source of income and have brought thousands of visitors and tourists to those cities. |
