Day Trips & Beyond: April Monthly Planner
Woody Guthrie Center, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, and more
By Gerald E. McLeod, 11:30AM, Wed. Mar. 30, 2016
The wildflowers are blooming and there's a lot going on in April.
The Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Okla., celebrates its third anniversary April 28-May 1 with free concerts and special events.
The Guthrie materials were acquired and moved to Tulsa by the George Kaiser Foundation which has also purchased the archives of Phil Ochs and Bob Dylan. Previously housed in New York, the Oklahoma-born Guthrie’s archives include handwritten song lyrics, instruments, and rarely seen family photos.
This is a great time to visit Tulsa’s Brady Arts District while the center is also hosting “Pride & Joy: The Texas Blues of Stevie Ray Vaughan.” Guest curated by his brother, Jimmie Vaughan, the exhibit features several of SRV’s guitars, handwritten lyrics, and personal effects.
For more on the center and the anniversary celebration, go to www.woodyguthriecenter.org.
A selection of rarely seen watercolors painted by Georgia O’Keeffe during her time in Canyon, Texas, (1916-1918) will be on view at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, N.M., April 29-Oct. 30.
While teaching art at West Texas State Normal College (now West Texas A&M University), O’Keeffe created 51 watercolors that included landscapes, abstractions, and nudes that brought her early critical acclaim. Twenty-eight of the works will be on view in the exhibit.
For more information, www.okeeffemuseum.org.
Travel Notes:
The National Blues Museum in St. Louis, Mo., officially opens on April 2. Using interactive technology, the artifact-rich exhibits present milestones on the musical road of blues legends and obscure journeymen who influenced generations of musicians. For more information, go to www.nationalbluesmuseum.org.
National Park Week means free admission to the 410 national parks, April 16-24. Help the National Park Service celebrate their 100th anniversary this year by checking out an unfamiliar park or visiting an old favorite. To learn more about activities around the country, go to www.findyourpark.com.
The National Videogame Museum opens on Sat., April 2, in Frisco. With more than 100,000 videogame consoles, games, and artifacts from past and present, it is one of the largest collections of gaming history in the world. Among the artifacts are several one-of-a-kind items that provide an unparalleled look at gaming. The museum is inside the Frisco Discovery Center and is open daily. For more information, go to www.nvmusa.org.
Other April events:
Swing on the Square April 1-3, San Marcos, www.smtxswingfest.com
WorldFest: Houston International Film Festival April 8-17, Houston, www.worldfest.org
Ranch Day April 9, Lubbock, www.nrhc.ttu.edu
Scarborough Renaissance Festival April 9-May 30, Waxahachie, www.srfestival.com
Old Settler's Music Festival April 14-17, Driftwood, www.oldsettlersmusicfest.org
Galveston Food and Wine Festival April 14-17, Galveston, www.galvestonfoodandwinefestival.com
Fiesta San Antonio April 14-24, San Antonio, www.fiesta-sa.org
Art Car Parade April 9, Houston, www.thehoustonartcarparade.com
Big Bend Open Road Race April 20-23, Fort Stockton, www.bborr.com
Regional Cavalry Competition April 20-24, San Angelo, www.fortconcho.com
Chuck Wagon Races April 22-24, Palestine, www.1836chuckwagonrace.com
Houston Children’s Festival April 23-24, Houston, www.houstonchildrensfestival.com
Bob Wills Day April 28-30, Turkey, www.bobwillsday.com
Katy Jazz Festival April 29-30, Katy, www.katyjazzfestival.com
Texas SandFest April 29-May 1, Port Aransas, www.texassandfest.org
Gerald McLeod has been traveling around Texas and beyond for his "Day Trips" column for the past 24 years. Keep up to date with his journeys on his archive page. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of "Day Trips," is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 40312, South Austin, TX 78704.
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Woody Guthrie Center, Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, National Blues Museum, National Park Week, National Videogame Museum
