Here Comes Santa Claus To Gene Autry, OK, Parade

Santa Claus comes to Gene Autry, Oklahoma, for the town's first Christmas Parade, barbecue, singalong, and music program. The December 20 events benefit the Gene Autry Fire Department and the nationally renouned Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum.

In the spirit of its namesake, the town of Gene Autry, Oklahoma, will celebrate the season with its first Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 20, at 3 p.m. followed by a barbecue, Rudolph Roundup Singalong, and show.
Gene Autry, the original singing cowboy movie star, sang Here Comes Santa Claus" in 1948. The highlight of this parade is Santa Claus complete with sleigh, reindeer, and snow. The parade also features more than 20 other entries, and they are still coming in.
With a population of 92 the town might have more people in the parade than it has residents, but Gene Autry has drawn crowds of visitors before. The first time was in 1941 when the town of Berwyn, Oklahoma, changed its name to that of a neighboring ranch owner who was also Americas favorite entertainer. The day the name changed, November 16, more than 35,000 people dropped in to join the celebration.
More recently, on the last weekend in September the annual Gene Autry Oklahoma Film and Music Festival draws around 2000 visitors to the town.
The Christmas Parade will benefit the local fire department and the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum, which is dedicated to the singing cowboys of the silver screen. Its collection of singing cowboy memorabilia is widely known and draws several thousand visitors each year.
The parade route ends at Tumbleweed Hall, between the museum and the fire department, where the barbecue and Christmas singalong and show will commence.
Gene Autry, Oklahoma, is halfway between Oklahoma City and Dallas. To get there take I-35 to exit 40 and go east on Oklahoma highway 53 for seven miles.
For more information on Gene Autry, Oklahoma, the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum, and the Christmas Parade go to http://www.Cow-Boy.com/museum.htm on the Worldwide Web, or phone the Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum at 580-294-3047. For more information on Santa Claus, go to http://www.tfatgm.com

CONTACT INFORMATION
Contact Person
Flo Sweeten
Gene Autry Oklahoma Museum
580-294-3047
http://www.Cow-Boy.com/museum.htm