Abilene State Park Turns 75

Come to historic downtown Abilene for an evening of fun at this month’s ArtWalk: Preserving Heritage, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Begin the evening at the Center for Contemporary Arts for the National Arts Program awards presentation and reception at 6:30 p.m. Upstairs in the CCA conference room the Handbell Choir from Aldersgate UMC will put on a special performance. Stop by The Grace Museum for a free Make & Take Activity in the Education Center that will remind families of western roots, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Visit the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum. The Living History Program will be putting on a special “They Ate WHAT?!” presentation. Learn about the WWII Field Rations used by the Allied Forces. 6 p.m. The May 14th Meeting of the Abilene Swing Dance Society will take place from 8-11 p.m. in the Windsor Hotel Ballroom during ArtWalk. Beginning dance lessons for the first hour. Cost is $5 at the door. For more information, visit www.abileneswing.webs.com. Enjoy the sounds of jazz musician Duane Ramelot at Cockerell Galleries & Studios. Continue the fun into the evening with live music and drink specials at The Warehouse, N. 1st and Pine St., ages 21 and up, open until midnight with happy hour from 5-7 p.m.; and at The Beehive, 442 Cedar St., free hors d’oeuvres and happy hour from 5-7 p.m. Coordinated monthly by The Center for Contemporary Arts. Free to the public. For a full schedule of events, visit www.center-arts.com or call 325-677-8389.

Storytelling, steer and swimming through the years—all this and many more activities will be a part of the celebration for the 75th Birthday of the Abilene State Park, “A Gathering Place through the Years.” Saturday. Opening ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. The Abilene High School Eagle Band, which played at the dedication of the park in 1934, and the AHS ROTC unit will be in attendance to kick-off the ceremony. Local and state dignitaries will be recognized and a brief history of the park will be presented. Square dancers, local musical groups, martial arts, the Memory Men Barbershop Chorus and the Texas Tornadoes will entertain visitors throughout the day. Enjoy chuckwagon cooking, wagon hitching and horsemanship demonstrations and much more. A day of celebration for anyone who has enjoyed the Abilene State Park throughout the years for a reunion or summer trip. Admission to the park is free. For more information, contact Bera Johnson at 325-690-6355.

Join the Abilene Zookeepers for a day of continuous entertainment, children’s activities, music, lunch and much more at the “Zoolute to Dyess,” Saturday at the Abilene Zoo and Nelson Park. Free to all active and retired military with ID. For more information, call 325-673-9453 or visit www.abilenetx.com/zoo.

On Saturday evening, come out to the Taylor County Expo Center Coliseum and cheer on the Abilene Ruff Riders as they take on the Corpus Christi Hammerheads at 7 p.m.  Tickets range from $5 to $20. Purchase tickets online at www.abileneruffriders.com. For more information, call the Front Office at 325-3706997.

Spend some time in downtown Abilene this weekend. Don’t forget to stop by the Abilene Civic Center for the Texas Gun and Knife Show from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Cost is $5 per person. For more information, visit www.texasgunandknifeshows.com.

Continue the fun outdoors on Sunday. The spring weather is the perfect time to experience a Vintage Base Ball Exhibition Game at Buffalo Gap Historic Village, 133 N. William in Buffalo Gap. See the Buffalo Gap Chips, the Historic Village’s 1880s Vintage Base Ball team at their 2 p.m. game. Admission is $7 and free to members.

Buffalo Gap Historic Village will also be hosting Military Appreciation Day from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission to the Village is free to all active duty and retired military personnel with a military ID. For more information, call 325-572-3365 or visit www.buffalogap.com.

For more information on Abilene’s events and attractions, visit www.abilenevisitors.com or call 325-676-2556.


Shanna Smith is Heritage Tourism and special projects coordinator at the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau. Contact at shanna@abilene.com.