There is good ole fashioned fun to be had in the historic town of Willcox, Arizona at the upcoming Rex Allen Days on October 1 – 4. The Western music weekend is commemorating its 64th anniversary and will celebrate the life and times of the Arizona Cowboy, Rex Allen.
Kicking off the long weekend, Rex Allen Jr., a member of the Western Music Hall of Fame, will do what he does each year and visit the Senior Center on Oct. 1st at 10:30 AM, followed by Willcox Elementary School at 1 PM and then the Northern Cochise Community Nursing Home at 3 PM. This fine gentleman and dedicated artist will also be appearing at his annual “Question & Answer” session to be conducted in Windmill Park on Oct. 3rd at 5 PM where he will then sing his rendition of the National Anthem for the Rex Allen Days Rodeo. Rex Allen Jr. will take part in the annual Parade and will perform two shows on Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Willcox Historic Theater. Show times are 2:00 and 5:00 PM with all seats reserved. To order tickets to Rex’s shows, call 520-254-2101.
Rex Allen Jr. says, “Rex Allen Days features many of my dad’s favorite events like rodeos, a parade and of course music. We fit in everything we can! So if fans or friends see me out and taking part in the weekend activities, please by all means stop and say hello. This is my favorite weekend of the year and how lucky am I that I get to celebrate and honor my dad with friends that loved him, too!”
About Rex Allen Jr.
Allen was born in Chicago, IL Singing in his signature smooth, rich style he had hits with “Goodbye,” “I’m Gettin’ Good At Missing You (Soitare),” “Lonely Street,” “Two Less Lonely People,” “Lonely Street”, “With Love”, “If I Fell in Love With You”, “It’s Over,” “Drink it Down, Lady,” “Cup of Tea” (a duet with Margo Smith) and others. He is also the writer and performer of the alternate state anthem of Arizona, titled “I Love You Arizona.” Rex Jr. was a regular on The Statler Bros. Show on The Nashville Network in the 1990s, and he hosted, Yesteryear. Following in his father’s footsteps with his speaking voice, Rex Jr. was the narrator of Jim Carrey movie Me, Myself And Irene; and writer, director and actor in the stage show Gone Country, a Las Vegas hit of the late ’90s.
About Rex Allen
Rex was born 40 miles from Willcox, AZ and grew up playing guitar and singing at local functions and made his way to Chicago and performed on the National Barn Dance on WLS-AM. He soon found himself making successful records with a string of Country and Western hits in Hollywood for Mercury and Decca Records. Beginning in 1950, Allen starred as himself in 19 of Hollywood’s Western movies and was one of the top-ten box office draws of the day whose character was soon depicted in comic books, on screen Allen personified the clean cut, God-fearing American hero of the wild West who wore a white Stetson hat, loved his faithful horse Koko, and had a loyal buddy who shared his adventures. He gained the nickname, The Arizona Cowboy. Allen was gifted with a rich, pleasant voice, ideally suited for narration and was able to find considerable work as a narrator in a variety of films, especially for Walt Disney Pictures wildlife films and television shows. The work earned him the nickname, “The Voice of the West.” He even was provided the narration to 1973 animated film, “Charlotte’s Web.” Allen was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6821 Hollywood Boulevard. In 1983, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
About Rex Allen Days
Rex Allen Days has been around since 1951. The original event was planned as a benefit for the local hospital. Since then countless other charitable organizations have benefited from the proceeds of the weekend. The proceeds are also used to present scholarships to Willcox High School graduates. The first Rex Allen Days featured a rodeo, parade and an appearance by Rex. That format remains, but has been expanded to four days of fun – “Western Fun ~ Willcox Style”. The weekend starts out with the Annual Cowboy Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday night. Local “cowboys” are inducted into the truly unique group of people who helped contribute to Willcox’s history. Friday has a variety of events to choose’ including the Rodeo Queen Competition, appearances by Rex Allen Jr., and other entertainers at the elementary school and the NCCH Nursing Home. Afternoon/Evening brings events like gunfights, Antique tractor pulls, Cowboy Poetry entertainers, Rex Jr. Celebrity Panel Q & A, old Rex Allen movie showings and a special Wine & Cheese Benefit for the Rex Allen Museum. Saturday starts with a large parade that goes through Historic Downtown Willcox.
Rex Allen Jr. tour schedule
Oct. 1-3 Willcox, AZ – Rex Allen Days
Oct. 07 Green Valley, AZ – CPAC
Oct. 14 Visalia, CA – Mavericks
Oct. 24 Colorado Springs, CO – Stargazers Theatre
Nov. 05 Crossville, TN – Palace Theatre
# # #
Suggested Tweet:
.@RexAllenJunior to celebrate the life of his father at #RexAllenDays Oct. 1–4 in Willcox, Ariz.