The Gene Autry Days are held annually in Kenton, OH, a small town about 80 miles northwest of Columbus. My mother-in-law-to-be is a huge fan of Gene Autry, a cowboy icon from the 1930s to the 1950s, and had been looking forward to this weekend for a while. We were so happy that she found this event in a western magazine and that we were able to bring her here and spend the day. She lost herself in the vendor areas when we got to the fairgrounds, and really enjoyed looking at all the Gene Autry memorabilia and other old western toys. Once inside, she said to Bill, “Okay, I’m going to look around, if you see anything I might be interested in, call me on my cell phone.” I had to smile at that comment coming from a lady in her early 70s.
Speaking of early 70s, with the exception of a few kids that were in the Cowpoke Lookalike contest, Bill and I had to be the youngest ones in attendance. Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy and the other icons of that era were the heroes of many kids almost 60 – 70 years ago, many who were now most likely great grandparents. The center of this event were the Gene Autry cap guns, which were manufactured at the Kenton Hardware Factory in the 1930s through when the factory closed in 1951. Toys were made from wood and metal then, long before plastic toys became the norm.
One particular piece that caught my eye as we were browsing was an old, rusted metal toy ambulance that still had most of it’s white paint. A good amount of the lettering was gone on one side, but it looked like it once read Wyandotte, a town in Michigan about 45 minutes from where we live. The style of the ambulance was that of a car from the 1950s, and I imagined it’s first owner, and the number of dirt driveways and sandboxes through which it once rolled. Old relics like this one tell a story, for me they evoke the curiosity of their past. Where did this come from? What kind of times has it seen? How did it arrive here? Who owned this item and where are they today?
The lineup for Saturday and Sunday included the vendor tables, a Lookalike Contest, the Ohio State Championship Fast Draw Match, and live entertainment from several country western singers, including Johnny Western, who toured with Gene Autry, Johnny Cash, and also performed the theme song for Have Gun Will Travel, a popular TV show of the 1950s. After visiting each table in the indoor vendor areas, (thankfully air conditioned on this 90 degree day!) we gathered near the stage when the singers were ready to perform. Next up was 88 year old Paul Belanger, who sang like he had the lungs of a 20 year old. He did a song by George Jones called Treasure of Love. One of the verses was, “I’ve got a pocket full of pennies, and a heart full of gold..” Bill is an Ashland, Kentucky native, so his southern twang translated it fine. My city girl ears heard, “I’ve got a pocket full of panties, and a heart full of gold..” I told Bill what I thought I heard, and we really tried to keep our laughter discreet. I personally laughed myself to tears, and each time I looked over at Bill, we busted up again. Every time I looked up at that sweet old man, pushing 90, with his cowboy hat, skinny little legs, and big belly, and couldn’t help but wonder if he was still a skirt chaser.
We walked around for a while longer and I took several more photos of Bill and his mom, in her glory, looking through all the items and memories that bring her such joy including the boxes of Gene Autry comic books that she collects. As a girl, she and her brother had several of the Gene Autry cap guns, and played in the hills near their home in Ashland, KY. I can only imagine the memories that came back of playing outdoors when life was so much simpler. Thinking about it brought to mind the sound of crickets, a soft breeze blowing through the trees, running barefoot in the grass. I also wondered, as we walked around the vendor tables looking at all the old toys, if any of those items had once belonged to a boy or girl that were now the silver haired gems that were with us today in this room.
After stopping in downtown Kenton to visit beautifully painted Gene Autry mural, we finished our day with dinner together after our drive back to Michigan, reminiscing about our finds. Seeing Bill’s mom smile made our whole weekend, and I look forward to many more happy days.