Memories of singing cowboys attract crowd to Autry Days

KENTON - John Buttram was just 6 years old when he first met Gene Autry. It was at a rodeo, and Buttram didn't think much of it. He has a different opinion today.

"He was a hero to the older generation and he should be a hero to the younger generation," he said.

Buttram, of Dallas, had many more encounters with Autry. His uncle Pat Buttram was Autry's sidekick.

It's how John Buttram obtained so many photographs of the two, along with other singing cowboys. He brought those photographs, many autographed, to this year's Gene Autry Days.

The two-day event, in its 15th year, concluded Sunday. The event pays homage to the likes of Autry, who visited Kenton 70 years ago.

Bonnie Wilson, of Anderson, Ind., has been coming for the past seven years, having collected nearly 100 pictures of her favorite singing cowboy. She became an Autry fan at age 10.

"We used to go see his movies and stay all day," she remembered. "I just fell in love with him."

Cowboy fanatics had plenty to choose from. Cap guns made by the old Kenton Hardware Co., holsters, movies, pictures, books, cowboy music, cowboy action figures, Gene Autry comic books, a Roy Rogers puzzle and even a Lone Ranger lunchbox were all for sale.

Ron Straessle, of Avilla, Ind., had a table full of guns and holsters, including a Marshall Matt Dillon holster, and the most popular, Gene Autry double holster sets, made in the early 1950s. He also had Kenton-made cap guns from 1939 to 1942.

Straessle has been collecting for many years, his favorite being the genuine six-shooters.

"You only got six shots and then you were out of bullets. Just like a real cowboy," he said, saying the event is full of nostalgia, with many people looking for the guns they played with as children.

While many at the celebration lived through the days of the singing cowboys, a few younger folks were introduced to them for the first time. Dewayne Weaver, of Kenton, brought his six children, who spent the afternoon getting dressed up like cowboys.

"They like the cowboys and Indians thing," he said, saying the family has a Roy Rogers DVD at home.

Eleven-year-old A. J. Sorgen, of Kenton, wouldn't dare miss Gene Autry Days. He's purchased many of his prize possessions, including a cap gun, from its vendors. When he's not buying, he likes to just browse the antique guns.

A.J. began watching old cowboy movies at a young age and quickly became hooked, especially on the Lone Ranger.

"I've gotten every single ‘Lone Ranger' movie, and then I've got a couple ‘Lone Ranger' comic books," he said.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto made appearances at the celebration. Tonto, also known as John Phipps, of Linden, Ind., spent Sunday helping people reminisce about the "good old days."

"They like to talk about the old clean shows that used to be on TV, shows that the whole family could watch," said Phipps, who began portraying Tonto as a tribute to his late mother, who was part Cherokee.