OJAC to host Family Round Up
By Kathy Thomson
The Old Jail Art Center is hosting a Family Festival “Round Up” this Saturday, and everyone is invited to attend the free event and to visit the other exhibits on display at the fine art museum.
Located one block east of the Courthouse, the local museum does not charge admission and is open to the public from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Fandangle performance nights.
The Old Jail comprises 17,000 square feet and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
In various galleries, the museum has exhibits that include artifacts from the Sallie Reynolds Matthews family, three temporary exhibitions, and items from the museum’s permanent collection.
Family Festival
The OJAC’s Family Festival – Fandangle Round Up will be this Saturday, June 29 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m and features free crafts, games, food, and music.
“This annual family festival highlights West Texas cowboy culture with activities, music, crafts, and games inspired by the history of our area,” said education assistant Molly Merck. “Enjoy stick horse barrel racing, roping demos, a dress-up photo booth, and virtual scavenger hunt. Create your own cattle-brand key-chain, fort flag, and rattlesnake mobile.”
Participants will also be able to make their own stick horses and take them home.
The Family Festival is free and open to the general public.
Sallie Reynolds
Matthews Collection
This year the Fandangle script is based upon Sallie Matthews’ book Interwoven, and the OJAC has a collection that honors both the author and her youngest child, Watkins (Watt) Reynolds Matthews.
The collection of furniture, books, and artifacts centers on the headquarters of the Matthews’ historic Lambshead Ranch and other area ranches.
“We have the Tonkawa dolls, Glenn Reynolds’ watch, and Watt’s hat and saddle all out in the gallery,” said archivist Molly Sauder. “There are several copies of different editions of Interwoven, of course, along with Sallie Rey-nolds Matthews’ wedding band and some Princeton University mementos from when Watt was attending in 1921.”
The Old Jail has hardcover copies of the fourth edition of Interwoven, which was printed in 1982, for purchase for $33. History and Fandangle enthusiasts can also select Lambshead Before Interwoven by Frances Mayhugh Holden, A People’s Theater, Albany Texas, a three book set of Interwoven Family Memories, or a DVD that includes Making a Difference: The Story of Robert E. Nail and the Fort Griffin Fandangle.
Other Exhibits
Rene Trevino: A New Codex, Bale Creek Allen: My America, and Cell Series: Nick Bontrager, along with various displays featuring items from the museum’s own American and Europian, Asian, and Pre Columbian collections, are also available for the public to view.
The first few editions of “Spoken: Ardon B. Judd, Jr. Oral History Project” can be seen at the museum’s Stasney Center.
The Old Jail Art Center is always free to the public during normal hours.
