The third annual Legend & Legacies is Tuesday and will feature a fish fry and auction of historical photograph reproductions of Big Spring from the early 20th century.
“We'll have the auction and the dinner in the pavilion area, but for those worried about being in the heat for a long period of time, we will offer interior sitting,” said Museum Director Nancy Raney. “It's going to be a very causal affair. Of course, the museum will be open for touring during this time.”
The fund-raiser will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Gerald Marie Wallace Pavilion with tickets available for $25 per person at the museum. The price includes dinner, beer, margaritas or other drinks. To purchase tickets, call 267-8255.
“Please let us know if you would like to sit in the gallery or in the pavilion when you R.S.V.P.,” Raney added.
Photograph reproductions from such locally-known artists Frank Brandon and Tot and Pearl Bradshaw will be up for purchase to the highest bidder during the event.
“They are local photographs from the early 20th Century — replicas that we have in the collection,” Raney said. “They are attractive 20” by 30” photographs set in a black frame and will blend in to most home decor.”
Among the collection is a photograph by Brandon of Rufus Slaughter and Tom Mix – a Western Cowboy film star from the silent movie era. The photograph was identified by Joe Pickle, former long-time Big Spring Herald editor and publisher, as one taken during Mix's last swing through west Texas where he had been a cowboy before he became a movie star. Though subsequent research, Museum Curator Tammy Schrecengost believes this is an authentic photo which was donated to the museum by Dean and Joanne Forrest, museum members.
Other photos include a collage of Runnels High School created by the high school journalism department in the 1950s for the yearbook and later donated to the museum, a photo of the Texas & Pacific Depot, one of a scene of downtown Big Spring in the 1930s and an ariel view of Big Spring in the 1950s.
Raney said money raised from the event supports the museum's daily operations and special event programing.
“The event brings the citizen's of the area together for an evening of fun while the proceeds help sustain the cultural and historical impact the museum strives to achieve,” she said.
The Heritage Museum is a non-profit entity organized in 1970 with a mission to collect and preserve items of cultural and historical significance to Big Spring and West Texas for research and educational purposes.
“It's 13,000-square-feet of space is dedicated to educational and multicultural programs that benefit the citizens of Howard County,” Raney said.
The Heritage Museum also maintains and staffs the Potton House, a historical house listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Operational hours for the museum, located at 510 Scurry St., are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
