OPENING OF THE HOLLYWOOD MUSEUM’S “HAPPY TRAILS CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF ROY ROGERS & DALE EVANS” EXHIBIT

As a kid who watched Roy and Dale in syndication every Saturday morning, (and thought those shows were all new!,) I’m glad that I worked hard on my crazy end-of-November schedule to be there for the opening of the Hollywood Museum’s exhibit celebrating the couple.

I especially love the title of the exhibit because, when I was in the last two years of high school and even the first year of college, my best friend and I spoke on the phone every night, and ended the calls by…singing Happy Trails! Every night for three years!!! (No wonder we finally stopped being friends, after her having to listen to my awful singing for that long!) That song still means a great deal to me. And even seeing the name gives me warm feelings.

As to the opening night festivities at the Museum, I was glad to see people dressed-up for it, either in cowboy/cowgirl garb or just shiny attire, in general. I even broke-out some of my late mother’s turquoise jewelry (which is very “western,”) that I had never worn before, along with an interesting pair of southwestern earrings (one of a cactus, the other of a cowboy boot,) that Mr. X had bought me in his beloved Santa Fe. And my friend and I both rocked fringed outerwear.

As usual, the servers were darling, especially the duo of bartenders on their famous elevator. The buffet this time consisted of fabulous appetizers, including hot dogs in blankets, mac & cheese bites, and biscuits and gravy. Even though I’m a total carnivore, I really appreciate, on behalf of my veggie pals, that they always offer options. For example, there was a choice of either beef or bean mini-tacos. That is so thoughtful of their caterers! The desserts, for everybody, were a trio of delicious cookies.

The mingling began outside the Museum, on the step-and-repeat, and continued into their “party” elevator, which holds about thirty peeps, all the while serving beverages! So by the time we hit the served-buffet upstairs where the exhibit is, we were all pals!

After we ate, my friend and I perused the new Roy Rogers and Dale Evans exhibit. Let’s just say that it was a wonderful blast from my past! There is sooooo much to see in it!

We’re lucky to have it here now; there used to be a full Roy Rogers museum, first in Apple Valley, then in Victorville, and finally in Branson Missouri until the end of 2009. So now we SoCal denizens, and visitors to this area, have this rare opportunity to view all the couple’s iconic memorabilia!

For some reason, (I forgot to ask what it was—I was too busy snacking!,) my friend was especially enamored with Roy’s saddle! She was hoping to see the stuffed Trigger, but he was bought by a TV station in Nebraska over a decade ago, along with Roy’s dog, Bullet. (That’s fine with me—taxidermy is not my thing!) And I just realized that I have no idea what became of the deceased Buttermilk, my favorite equine ever. (But I still can’t drink the beverage he was named after.)

Members of the Rogers family were in attendance at the Hollywood Museum’s Opening Night of their patriarch and matriarch’s exhibit but it was so crowded, that I could never get over to them to say howdy. I wish I had gotten to talk with them—I have sooo many questions.

But even without meeting the offspring of Roy and Dale, this was a terrific event. And a heartwarming exhibit. I hope all you western entertainment fans get to see it, with the info below. And you do not even have to sing Happy Trails on the way out. Unless you want to! (The exhibit inspired me to want to sing it all evening, but I decided to spare the rest of the guests my dulcet—to me only—tones.)

Happy Trails Celebrating the Legacy of Roy Rogers & Dale Evans
The Hollywood Museum  1660 Highland Ave. Hollywood
323-464-7776  www.TheHollywoodMuseum.com