Sunday, the last day of the festival was rainy and cool. At times the torrential rains actually had small rivers flowing under the tents and we found ourselves walking through a half-inch of water. But it was hard to complain when they need the rain so badly in that part of the country. We all managed to have a good time anyway, and Randy even got Robert to sign the t-shirt I gave her WHILE SHE WAS WEARING IT! 

All good things must end, and so too the Festival of the West finally came to an end on Sunday afternoon. More hugs and kisses and thanks to all who attended for a wonderful time.

• The first key ingredient of this fun is that Robert and Marilynn were extremely gracious to the fans throughout the festival. One small example is that Robert was very quick to greet me, calling me by my name, the first morning of the festival, even though the only time we had ever met before was in Tombstone last year.
• Saturday's dinner was the special big event. Robert and Marilynn intentionally changed seats a couple of times to give everyone an opportunity to talk with both of them. As a memento of the dinner, Marilynn gave everyone a cowboy boot key chain.  Alicia brought Vermont maple syrup for everyone and decorated T-shirts. (Anyone who has seen me at one of these festivals knows that I like T-shirts.) The evening ended with much happy hugging.
• Another joyful aspect is how much the fans treated each other like long-lost friends, even if they had never met before. There was much eating breakfast together, sharing rides, eating supper together, and just hanging around together chatting.  I especially enjoyed being able to visit with Alicia and with new friends Fran and Mel.  The whole gang was as friendly and helpful a group as anyone could ever hope to meet.  More good-bye hugs Sunday and Monday.  (Does this mean that high-quality entertainers attract high-quality fans?)
• Even the weather was memorable and closely followed the forecast reported by Joyce, our Phoenix area contact.  Thursday was sunny; part of the time I was a little warm wearing a T-shirt and slacks. Friday and Saturday felt cooler; the sky got cloudier and cloudier.  Sunday was colder and rainy, starting with drizzle, but with several episodes of heavy driving rain in the late morning and afternoon.  Several parts of the floor of the big tents became small creeks, with water flowing through them.  According to some sources, Phoenix had more rain Sunday than all of last year.

The Festival of the West was very interesting with many singing groups and soloists, many vendors selling fascinating western items, many riding and shooting events, and even  staged gunfights, but the very best part was meeting some of the stars of yesteryear in the celebrity corner and hearing them talk in the panel discussions. Robert Horton was asked questions in several of them and had interesting memories and incidents to share. I was particularly pleased to see the panel discussion about how Wagon Train was made with both Robert Horton and Robert Fuller answering questions. They are both great guys and very cordial with each other.

Here are some things I learned from these discussions:

1) John Ford's "The Wagon Master" was the concept on which "Wagon Train" was based.

2) Robert Horton was an extra in a 1951 film called "The Tanks are Coming."

3) Frank McGrath, who played Charlie Wooster, the cook, was also a stuntman. He did some of the stunt work for Robert Horton in the films The Pony Soldier and Apache War Smoke, long before Wagon Train.

4) Terry Wilson (Bill Hawks) was also a stuntman, and both he and Frank were the only two characters who were in the series for the entire eight-year run.

5) Denny Miller was a former "Tarzan."

6) At the height of the TV Westerns in the early 1960's, there were 32 westerns in "Prime Time!"

7) Both Robert Horton and Robert Fuller only received residuals for the first 5 reruns of the show, and nothing after that.

Report From Elizabeth