Rumors and Other News!
Well, this edition of Wagon Wheels and Western Tales is chocked full of news for you to chew on. So, let's not sit too long at the fire, my rear end gets a little sore and the coffee starts tasting a little too good.
ROY ROGERS MUSEUM TO MOVE
As many of you are aware, the Rogers family has decided to move the Roy Rogers Museum to Branson, Missouri. Instead of paraphrasing several different articles, I will include the official release from the family.
For Immediate Release
VICTORVILLE, CA - The Roy Rogers - Dale Evans Museum will leave the High Desert next year to relocate to Branson, Missouri, Roy "Dusty" Rogers, Jr., announced Monday.
The decision Friday night by the museum's board of directors was not made lightly, and was driven by a need to find an economically viable home for the museum, Rogers said. Although the landmark has been located in Victorville for more than two decades, attendance has continued to decline since the deaths of its founders -"King of the Cowboys" Roy Rogers and "Queen of the West" Dale Evans.
"Sometimes you have to make changes in order to preserve what's important to you," Rogers stated. "In our case, it's the preservation of the traditions and ideals that Mom and Dad dedicated their lives to. We owe it to our parents to continue their legacy. I'm not going to ride a pony down until there are no legs on it."
Roy Rogers was a singing cowboy who yodeled his way to fame when he began making Western films for Republic Pictures in 1937. He married his co-star, Dale Evans, in 1947, and through fame earned in feature films, radio shows, live appearances all over the world and an immensely popular television series, the two became icons of the Western culture as well as symbols of traditional family values.
The senior Rogers initially opened the museum in Apple Valley, California, in 1967. It was moved to Victorville in 1976.
Rogers called the planned move bittersweet.
"We're excited to be able to continue Mom and Dad's legacy," he stated. "But we love it in the High Desert, and we're going to miss our friends and family here. We're very grateful to the people of the High Desert for the affection they showed Mom and Dad, and for their support over the years."
The museum's board and the Rogers family believe Branson, the vacation destination for 8.2 million visitors last year, espouses a family-friendly theme that provides an ideal environment in which to preserve and continue
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