"Gene Autry's 99th Birthday Festival October 6,7,8, 2006, at the Southfork Ranch in Plano, Texas...Autry was born on a small ranch in Tioga, Texas in 1907....Autry's longtime friend, Char Brown, explained, 'We held his birthday celebration in Tioga for the last 5 years, but this year the party has gotten too big for Tioga.(note: pop.725)...'there are so many things going on at this year's festival we had to move it.'...3 days of the National PoloCrosse Finals with over 80 teams from all over the USA...Richard Reese, from Colorado Springs, is bringing several hand painted tipis to serve as background for 4 different tribes of Native-American singers and dancers and the 1870s Horse Cavalry from Fort Hood will be performing military drills from that era. The San Antonio Charro team will present highlights from a Mexican rodeo, featuring Sergio Avila, a champion fancy roper from Mexico City, along with young girls wearing traditional Adelita costumes from the 1917 Mexican Revolution.....Horse whsperer, Jody Cunningham, will work his 'magic' with horses....Ten local ranches will be represented at a Chuck Wagon cook-off giving visitors a true taste of Texas cooking....Cowboys of Color....will present highlights from western rodeos featuring the Buffalo Soldiers and Timmy brooke, a bulldogger in the Bill Picket tradition....Rattlesnake wrangler, John Hollister...Comanche artist, Bob Moline....Dennis Eagle Horse, a Lakota Sioux spiritual leader...What is a party without music...Headlining the opening gala is...Ray Price and ...Gary P. Nunn...(note: Sat. & Sun. will include Ray Wylie Hubbard, Gary P. Nunn....Hank Thompson and the Brazos Valley Boys....James Hand...Sons of the San Joaquin and Don Edwards...."   
The above is an excerpted list of the festivities. My fingers are tired. Go to guichntex@yahoo.com for more info. or the Tioga Museum and Heritage Association 940-437-1110.          Tw