While he wasn’t born here, Fess Parker got here as fast as he could, or as fast as his family could, moving to San Angelo three months after his Aug. 16, 1924 birth in Fort Worth.
He attended Austin Elementary School and San Angelo High School, delivered the Standard-Times, played some football, and remained loyal and supportive of his true home town decades after his success in Hollywood, Disney films, television and other projects.
He attributed his success in life to the people, experiences and upbringing he enjoyed here though he always joked the town “could use a little more rain.”
To mark his success and honor his roots, Fort Concho is hosting the Third Annual Fess Parker “Fess-tival” on Saturday, Aug. 15, with special programs and activities in the morning and the evening at the site’s Quartermaster Building, East Avenue C at Burgess Street.
The Quartermaster Building served as the first home of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, a project Fess supported.
Indeed, he regularly visited San Angelo to see old friends, renew acquaintances and enjoy the many improvements in his hometown that more than tripled in size from his earliest years to the late 1980s when he made his last public visits. At his death in 2010 in California, he was a successful owner of a large winery, a land developer and businessman.
Former City Council member and current Fort Concho Museum Board member Larry Miller had the idea of hosting some type of celebration to mark Parker’s birth centennial in 2024. With such a good response, he decided that the event should be annual celebration.
‘Fess-tival’ schedule
Starting at 10 a.m., there will be coffee and breakfast refreshments at the Quartermaster Building, some displays and the opening remarks.
At 10:30 a.m., several period games and amusements will be offered including horseshoes and corn hole. Also, living historian Kim Tollard will demonstrate a variety of weapons used in the late 1700s and early 1800s, eras portrayed by Fess Parker in his roles as Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett.
At 11 a.m., the Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone “Look-A Like” contest takes place. Contestants can find the rules and instructions online at fortconcho.com. Judges will view the contestants in two youth divisions, ages 12 and under and 13-18. Prizes of $100, $75, $50 and a fort gift basket will be awarded for each division.
Starting at 7 p.m., the Walt Disney movie, “The Light in the Forest,” with Fess Parker, will be shown. Refreshments will be available along with a Fess Parker trivia quiz.
All events are free and open to all.
For more information, please call Fort Concho at 481-2646, Larry Miller at 718-8661, or Bob Bluthardt at 325-234-0316.
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: San Angelo to celebrate hometown star Fess Parker
Reporting by Robert F. Bluthardt, Site manager, Fort Concho National Historic Landmark / San Angelo Standard-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert F. Bluthardt, Site manager, Fort Concho National Historic Landmark | USA TODAY Network
