March 14, 2003
Valuable day down at Festival of the West yesterday. Worked in office until around noon. Production created a mock issue with Vera McGinnis (a famous rodeo cowgirl) on the cover. Got down to Westworld at about 12:30. Ted really went all out on our compound. Big tents with our name on them! Big pole signage, display cases from Gilbert Ortega to showcase a historic display of guns from the collection of Al Freiss (sp?), Cowboy Coffee from Bob Sigman (ex-head of Republic Pictures). Sue and Larry and Dave Daiss were there. Everyone working hard.

It was Senior Day, so the crowd skewed to the geezer end (people two years ahead of me in high school).

I put the fake True West issue (we glued the fake cover to an old issue of TW) in a four pocket rack with three real issues. I wanted to see who would pick the Cowgirl cover and then ask them why they picked it. Great responses. Of course it ran the gamut, but based on my casual focus group conclusions I predict Vera is going to sell.

Ted flew in a cardsharp from Iowa named Eric and he did card tricks and magic outside the tent. He is a real showman and really sucks them in.

Allen Fossenkemper and his barbershop quartet, The O.K. Chorale will also perform this weekend. We are shooting a celebrity photo on Saturday with Buck Taylor and possibly Ernest Borgneine and Danny Ackroyd. That is going to be fun.

Got about 11 subs. Need 60 to pay for the painting promotion. We framed my original cover art of Butch & Sundance and are going to have a drawing on Sunday to give it away.

Worked the booth until around six, bought Ted dinner at one of the chuckwagon’s ($20 cash). Got home around seven.

“Whoever cares to learn will always find a teacher.”
—Old Vaquero Saying