Melissa,
Gene rode Champ right out onto the stage and us kids went nuts. It was kind of like, maybe, Harry Potter being there in person.----Actually, Champ was hilarious. Gene got him to rise up on his back legs, got him to lie down and roll over, got him to pray--or so Gene said.

Then Gene walked over to the microphone---while Champion lay a huge pile of "stuff" on the stage. But Gene never noticed! He just grabbed the mike and said, "Well, now that Champ has done his show, I guess it's time for me to do mine!" ---- We all expected Mr. Autry to drop his pants and do what champ had done. The mothers were covering up the kid's eyes---and some guy came out with a shovel to remove the stuff. ------- Then Gene sang "Riding Down The Canyon" -- I can see it vividly in my mind. I couldn't've been more than ten or 12...

Art