Cross Plains Project Pride

02/04/2026

REH's words can often make a timeless impact!

TWO MEN

Two men stood in the gates of day, and one man said with a kindling eye, “The red drums rattle, the banners sway: they are bearing the Lord Christ forth to die!

“Here they must pass with our Lord thorn crowned; here stand we with the dagger bared. Ere the red sun sinks He shall walk unbound, or we shall the salt of His doom have shared.”

Spake the other, “Nay, it is sad indeed that He should hang on the bloody tree, but the Law hath ordered that this man bleed… shall its word be argued by such as we?

“The judge and the jury sit in state, and the people shout that the man must die, and who shall question the right of His fate, or the justice thereof? Sure not I.

“He dies today and shall be forgot; such had not been His fate, I say, had He been wise and thrown His lot with the great wise men who rule this day.

“Roman, gold-lender, Pharisee, godly men who names shall turn
for a thousand years on land and sea, when His dust forgot to the dust returns.

“He might have done good, this dreamy man, had He chosen to go where the leaders go, But He sat with beggar and publican, and - He must be wrong, for the priests say so.

“He dies today, for the great Lord God doeth all things as they should be done, Though the black blood deluge the blazing sod, and a million gibbets blot the sun.

“The Law is right and must ever be right, and so I shall crawl and lap at its boots. That I may build me a villa white and boast a score of costly suits.

Our rulers are great and godly men; this man is dreamy and strange and dim. Greater than God is Opinion - then I shall not risk my future for Him.”

Two men stood in the morning fog, and one turned back to sell and buy, and sing smooth hymns in the synagogue, while one went forth with his Lord to die.

*********
Roman, usurer, Pharisee, turned to dust with the dust of years,
Men remember their infamy only because they caused Him tears.

13/03/2026

It’s totally unbelievable that our own Robert E. Howard has generated approximately $125,000 that has flowed through our local facility!! Living in the little white house at the western edge of town from 1919 until his death in 1936, Howard pounded out hundreds of short stories and poems in his 6 X 12-foot bedroom/office. With very limited local resources, he relied on a few books he could find elsewhere and his imagination that knew no end. His primary target for publication was the pulp magazines that were the cheap resource for thousands of readers. Compare these to the quality and feel of the comic books so many of us read as youngsters.

The local now world-famous writer was, and is, quite unique in that he wrote in several different genres. Think Danielle Steele and her romance novels, Louis L’Amour and his westerns and all the detective stories penned by Agatha Christie. But not Howard with his own detective and western tales along with several fantasy characters, a boxing protagonist, some detective stories, a Texan and his adventures in Afghanistan, and over 800 poems ranging from religious to comedy, to fantasy. And let’s not forget his best-known character – CONAN.

Fast forward to 2006 when Frederick Malmberg who was the head of Paradox Entertainment in Sweden, the company that owned the rights to Howard’s works, came up with the idea of forming the Robert E. Howard Foundation as a nonprofit to support REH. The Foundation Press was formed to get Howard into print, with the book sales funding the Foundation. Done and done and the fun began. The Foundation’s goal was to publish all of Howard’s stories and poetry in their original text and with a great deal of hard research and editing, they have done exactly that.
But how to get those limited and numbered hardback editions with their beautiful artwork to their audience? In 2007 they had a plan and went to work. Initially Paul Herman handled the sales and shipping, but as he was still working full time and this project was too time-consuming, he shortly recruited Tom and Arlene Stephenson to become the shipping department for the Foundation. Bringing a load of books out, he showed them how to number and package the books and the system for paying the local Post Office. When Tom passed in 2017, Arlene became the one-woman shipping department and continued the job at the kitchen table where it all started locally.

Again, we fast forward to March 2026, and the run is coming to an end. Time to look at what all this has done for the local post office. Melody McWilliams was the Officer in Charge from 2008 until 2011 and Bobbie Matthews worked with her as the clerk most of that time. Brent Gray came on the scene as Postmaster in 2011 and he and Bobbie have been handling all the shipping of these books since. Bobbie remembers when Tom would have to make several trips out to the car to bring in 20-25 books that were ready for shipping.

Out of the total first edition run of 6600 volumes, approximately 5800 have been shipped locally, generating approximately $125,000 at the Post Office. Books have been sent to virtually every state and at least 15 overseas countries. It is not uncommon to pay $75-80 to send one book to England or Australia with the postage to European countries being somewhat less.

These First Edition are now collector’s items, rarely showing up for resale anywhere, and when they do it’s in the hundreds of dollars per copy. That would mean that books now valued at over $1M have passed through our local facility. Not too shabby for a Cross Plains graduate writing back in the twenties and thirties!!

The very last copy of the last book will be included in a special package of Howard related pieces being put together by Heroic Signatures to be raffled off to support the restoration of the local museum that is in need of some massive repairs. The package will be shipped to the winner from Cross Plains — of course!! What an absolute perfect home for the last book of an amazing run!

Another side-story to all this is that Bill Cavalier designed the cover of this last Foundation book to be shipped from Cross Plains. “Pictures in the Fire” features Robert as a youngster, a young adult and a mature writer. Bill was also part of that first intrepid group organized by Rusty Burke that came to Cross Plains in 1986 and evolved into what is now the annual Robert E. Howard Days that draws over 100 folks from 25-30 states and anywhere from 3-9 foreign countries.

What a story that started 120 years ago when Robert E. Howard was born. Is it any wonder that Rusty likes to say that “Cross Plains is the hometown of my heart.”

03/03/2026

The Texas Quote of the Day: “I’ll try to give you some idea of the country I live in. All I can say is . . . Texas is just too big for me to grasp.”
----- Robert E. Howard, author of Conan the Barbarian and misc. other pulp fiction titles, in a letter, 1932.
Shown here: Robert E. Howard ---- who was born in Peaster, Texas and raised in Cross Plains, Texas ---- and his two neighbors, Leroy Butler and Leroy’s sister, Faustine, dressed as pirates. Robert E. Howard is on the right. Courtesy Damon Sasser.

25/02/2026

25/02/2026

With less than four months until Howard Days, the wheels are in gear and turning quickly to present "REH Throughout the Years" at the Robert E. Howard Museum in Cross Plains, Texas on June 12 & 13! For this year's event, we have quite a few anniversaries to celebrate and we hope you're making plans to get on down to Texas and partake of the festivities!

First and foremost is celebrating Bob Howard's 120th Birthday! While there won't be any party hats or favors, there will be cake and ice cream! Come to the Friday Hot Dog Lunch and say Happy Birthday, Bob! Sorry, but 120 candles will violate the ongoing burn ban in Cross Plains!

40 years ago, Rusty Burke led an intrepid band of 10 members of REHupa on a trip to get serious about the Legacy of Robert E. Howard. By this small group visiting Howard's home town, the people of Cross Plains realized that they had something that should be shared with the world, so they turned that first visit into a now world wide event to honor their hometown claim to fame, Robert E. Howard. The 40th Anniversary of Howard Days Guest of Honor is its founder, Rusty Burke! And his sidekick (then and now) is "Indy" Bill Cavalier, our "Special Guest".

The award-winning film about Bob Howard and Novalyne Ellis is 30 years old now. Howard Days will present a special screening of The Whole Wide World, with screenwriter Michael Scott Myers and cast member Ben Mouton on hand, along with a special panel that (fingers crossed) may include additional cast members! Stay tuned for more information on this.

Founded in 2006, the Robert E. Howard Foundation established an energetic literary, civic and publishing mission to help preserve Howard's work and legacy. Coupling with Project Pride of Cross Plains to help sponsor Howard Days, the REH Foundation is at the vanguard of all things Robert E. Howard! For 20 years, the Foundation's mission goals have moved forward in the name of Robert E. Howard. Check it out at www.rehfoundation.org.

And while you're over there, you'll notice that the REH Museum is in need of your help. Over 100 years of existence has caused major wear and tear on the entire structure, and the REH Foundation is taking donations for badly needed restoration. Read all about it at the website and please make a tax-deductible donation!

Other anniversaries come to mind as we celebrate Howard Days 2026. It's the 60th anniversary of CONAN THE ADVENTURER from Lancer Paperbacks. This seminal book revived Howard's career in 1966 with its iconic Frank Frazetta cover, and the Conan and other Howard story volumes that followed began the Howard Boom that lasted into the late 1970's!

The aforementioned REHupa (the Robert E. Howard United Press Association) is now into its 54th year of existence. REHupa is an apa (amateur press association) dedicated to REH and produces a quarterly fanzine Mailing of contributions from members. It was REHupans who made that first journey to Cross Plains to bring on the creation of Howard Days. REHupa is still a big part of the entire weekend, as current and former members are now the official Ambassadors of Howard Days.

Of course, the Cross Plains Public Library, in operation since 1979, has played an equal part in the origins and longevity of Howard Days. When Rusty Burke found Billie Ruth Loving and Joan McCowen there in 1985 and expressed his interest in Robert E. Howard, these fine ladies stepped up to help him create Howard Days.

The CP Library now houses an extensive REH collection: 29 original REH manuscripts, several dozen Weird Tales and other pulp magazines with REH stories along with first edition and rare books that are on display at Howard Days. Plus you can buy copies of the manuscripts if you like!

So, quite the combination of people and circumstances generated the creation of Robert E. Howard Days: Rusty, REHupa, the Cross Plains Library, Billie Ruth and Joan - and the interest of fans from all over the world that has grown and carried on until today.

Let's brandish our Bowies and blaze our pistolas as we honor the Life, Work and Legacy of the incomparable Bob Howard by celebrating 40 Years of Howard Days!

24/02/2026

01/02/2026

Looking forward to seeing y'all in sunny warm June

June 12th & 13th are the "official" dates for Howard Days 2026, but the gathering for Howard Fellowship always begins a day or three early. Plans for this year's event are full steam ahead and while some discussion is still to be had, rest assured all the "regular" Howard Days events are in place.

31/01/2026

Membership Drive is now underway. Time to renew your annual membership or join for the first time to support all that we do for Cross Plains and the World of REH. You can just send the fee (with contact information) via Venmo or PayPal at [email protected] or mail a check to Project Pride, PO Box 534, Cross Plains, 76443. Membership levels: Individual - $3.00, Family - $5.00, Lifetime - $50.00, Business/Organization - $10.00

22/01/2026

08/01/2026

Brothers Mariusz and Lukasz Jarenko, originally from Poland, visited the museum on a very cold day in Cross Plains, but it didn’t dampen their spirits in the least. Mariusz is the Howard fan of the two and he fondly recalls having read their father’s treasured collection of Conan stories while growing up in Poland. That enthusiasm and appreciation for Howard’s creativity was passed down from father to son. Even today, Mariusz continues to add more REH stories to his vast collection.

Both brothers have lived in many places worldwide. Mariusz most recently worked in Saudi Arabia in the field of Natural Products & Food Chemistry Research but is presently back in Poland working on a specialized certification in Scientific Consultation. He was able to make a quick visit to the US to see his brother, Lukasz, who is a Cancer Researcher working with the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Lukasz also understands his brother’s passion for Howard’s work, so they decided to carve out a few days to reach Cross Plains to drink in all the museum has to offer. One of the many items which truly moved Mariusz was when he found the Polish translation of Robert E. Howard’s most famous poem, Cimmeria. It is included in a special notebook containing the well-known poem printed in multiple languages which have been read aloud during our annual Howard gatherings through the years. These translations—plus meeting our visitors year ‘round from afar—are positive and constant reminders of how wide-spread Howard fandom extends.

After the brothers enjoyed their thorough tour with many observations and lively discussion, Mariusz purchased several new Howard books from the gift shop. Lukasz then made sure he knew the directions to Greenleaf Cemetery in Brownwood so they could visit the Howard family plot before heading back to Galveston. The Jarenko brothers hope to return to Cross Plains for future Howard events whenever travel and work schedules permit.

05/01/2026

Brian Moeller stopped on his way to his home in Ft. Worth after a relaxing time hiking around the canyons in the Lubbock area to check out the museum. It had been several years since he had attended the annual REH Days and wondered if there was anything different in the museum. Needless to say, he was quite surprised to see that Howard’s very own writing table had found its way back to its original room. As his own man-cave is well stocked with books of Howard’s stories and he didn’t find anything new that he wanted to add to his collection, he just left a nice donation instead.
The stressful job that Moeller left behind for a few days is working in the Aeronautics Division of Lockheed Martin in Ft. Worth. This is a major defense contractor, deeply involved in national security and space exploration. With his engineering degree, he works in the aerospace division, building the F35 fighter jets. As these jets are sold to Taiwan, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and the Ukraine, Moeller does a lot of traveling to work on the contractual details. Considering the high level of security connected with these transactions, external communications of all kinds are shut down during the entire visit.
Mark Rodenberger, son of long-time Cross Plains residents Charles and Lou Rodenberger, had the same kind of job with the same company and often talked about the exact same level of external communications control.
It’s no wonder Moeller needed to clear his head out among the canyon trails in northwest Texas!

05/01/2026

Shane Bokhary of Houston had spent a few days in Fredericksburg absorbing all the holiday festivities and deciding that since it was just a few hours on up to Cross Plains, made arrangements to check an item off of his bucket list— the Robert E. Howard Museum. Like a lot of our recent visitors, Shane is very knowledgeable about the history of Howard’s writings, his fascination with the pre-civilization of the world, and his connections to several other writers of that time. Although he was familiar with Howard’s correspondence with H.P. Lovecraft and his fantasy stories of that time, he was unaware of the two “Means to a Freedom” books which are a collection of the correspondence between the two writers. Finding those books was another thing added to his bucket list.
Bokhary works in the stem cell research division at the M.D. Anderson Center. Although he is fascinated and totally immersed in that area and recognizes the value of their findings to the treatment of all aspects of cancer, he feels discouraged because of the extremely high cost of the application of the findings to the average cancer patients
Finding several books that he did not already have, Shane left to find a late lunch before heading back south.