Touring Turkey

Previously:

Jim Reeves Memorial  - -  Lightnin' Hopkins Statue  - -  Willie Nelson Statue

Bob Wills was known as the King of Western Swing and together with the Texas Playboys, he filled the airwaves and dance halls with hit after hit to the delight of country music fans everywhere.  His home town of Turkey, TX has a few mementos and memorials to honor its favorite son.  Since I found myself in the Panhandle recently, I had a chance to check some of them out.

You can find a replica (I assume) of the famous tour bus that took Wills and his band from town to town.  In looks lovingly restored and it's easy to find on display on the side of one of the town's main roads (it's a pretty small town and it's probably unlikely you'd be able to hide anything there...even if you wanted to).

Not too far from the bus is the Bob Wills Monument, a stone and steel commemoration of the man's life and work.  It's topped with a fiddle, his signature instrument and each side has inscriptions about his musical career, acting career and military service. 

I didn't have too much time to explore when I was passing through but was happy to see several decorative declarations of pride in a true Texas music icon.  Whenever I have time to get back there I'll look around for more!

The Cele Store

Behold the Cele Store!

It's located in the middle of nowhere in Manor, TX and has been featured in several films like a few of the Texas Chainsaw Massacres although since there have been several sequels and remakes, I'm not particularly sure which ones.

Its rustic exteriors and interiors make it perfect for period pieces like the Clint Eastwood/Kevin Costner film "A Perfect World":

And for the film "Secondhand Lions":

Both films also shot interiors at the store but when I visited it was closed so I couldn't take any inside shots. You'll just have to wait until I make my way out there again. Both films also happen to be very good and have the rarity of getting thumbs up on the blog!

So whenever you have some free time on your hands rent them both and have a Cele Store Double Feature!

Music Memories

When you think about monuments to Texas music legends, the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue or the Willie Nelson statue, both in Austin, might first spring to mind.  But let me introduce you to another Lone Star performer whose memorial is worth a stop on your next east Texas road trip:

Jim Reeves started his career as a minor league baseball player but an injury led to his pursuit of fortune and fame in the music industry.  And it worked.  So much so that his hometown of Carthage, TX (also the former home to country music legend Tex Ritter) has created an impressive memorial to his memory:

 

Check it out the next time you are in the area.  If you aren't familiar with Reeves' work then sit back and enjoy his effortless performance of "I Love You Because" on a Norwegian TV show in 1964: