What a great museum. We got super lucky and had a wonderful docent. He shared his personal experiences in the area and with the music. He was very knowledgeable about Bob Wills and his history. He painted an amazing picture of Bob Wills as a musician and person. Thank you for sharing. read more

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Historical look at a simpler time - led by the upbeat and groundbreaking western swing music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. If you don't believe me - just listen to Waylon Jennings sing "Bob Wills Is Still the King". We had a local "cowboy-docent" meet-us at the museum. Don was a wealth of anecdotes, stories of the band and shared a bunch of stuff we didnt know including Bob's influence on Willie Nelson, Waylon, Lee Roy Parnell and even Paul McCartney. The museum itself is just what you would expect - tons of pictures, record albums, some costumes and some more modern stuff recognizing the Bob Wills Days festival each year in Turkey, Tx. The museum is in a local municipal building so that you can also visit the senior center, get flu-shots at the medical clinical or get hitched by the justice of the peace - all in the same hallway. :). Lastly - don't miss the old high-school next door - as its clearly haunted... read more

This isn't so much a review of the foundation as it is a brief report on what Turkey has to offer for a Bob Wills fan. I love the music of Bob Wills and was thrilled to route our recent spring break trip through Turkey to pay tribute to the man. Turkey is a pretty quiet town as you'd likely expect but entering the town from the Dallas direction via TX-86 was scenic (especially after the very long and very unscenic Highway 287). The signpost entering Turkey that advertises Bob Wills can be found from this direction, an expected sign that made me happy. What made me even happier was the old tour bus that the Texas Playboys used, sitting next to a beautifully restored Phillips 66 and across the street from the great Galvan's Tex-Mex restaurant. I'd seen this bus in old photos but had no idea it would be on display - after wolfing down some excellent enchiladas at Galvan's (served to us by a lady wearing a "Bob Wills Day" shirt) we went over to check it and the gas station out. The museum was next - it's housed in Turkey's lovely old high school which has been shut down since 1973. The hallways still have class photos which was also pretty neat to look at after visiting the small museum. Apparently there's a docent who can tell you some stories and show a video but he wasn't around when we were there. Without that, the museum is a couple of small rooms and perhaps 15 minutes of your time. There is a small set of things for sale if you're interested but not very much. We headed out of town after this towards Quitaque but stopped briefly to admire Turkey's old vintage cinema (advertising old westerns that the Playboys appeared in) as well as a memorial at the edge of town commemorating Wills. All in all we were in the town for about 90 minutes (including the great lunch), not a big time commitment but a memorable stop. We drove out of town with Bob's "Ah-hah!" blasting from the stereo. read more

Wills Bob Foundation - The old Texas Playboys tour bus. - Festivals Near Me - Turkey, Texas

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Very cool and interesting for any fan of some good ole country music and especially any Bob Wills fan. Learned a lot that I didn't know before. Only down side was that I wanted to buy some merchandise but their card reader wouldn't work. So I would say just make sure to bring cash. Also cash to donate to keep the place up and going. read more

My sister and I take adventures every so often. We wanted to do a Texas road trip! There are so many places we found I can review, but this was our final destination. We started in Austin, and ended up in Turkey TX. This was an adventure to remember. When we arrived in Turkey, it was similar to the old dusty, no side walk type of 1930's cowboy movies. It was really a trip coming from LA. I had culture shock! Kind of like walking into the Twilight Zone black and white films. The festival it's self was very cool, the close down the whole town. My experience there maybe different from others that have been before. I had no idea what to expect. We drove up, and wow tons of trailers, people from all over were there, playing their fiddles and getting into the spirit, we could chose any trailer to visit before the dance. The music is western swing. I love it actually. Being who I am the only problem I had was how racist some of the people there were. I shouldn't have been surprised, ever heard of Turkey TX.? We ate at a dinner near by and meet this sweet old man named Bob, who had all kinds of stories to tell about how back in the day there were orphan train jumpers, and he was one of them, we got an ear full, It was my favorite part thus far. He made a reference to a certain race in a way that isn't use today. He seemed like he didn't know better, and that was my first sign of what was to come. We got to the dance, it was a load of fun! My sister and I were the youngest of the whole group of people there, and a young cute Japanese couple, dressed to the nines western swing style, they were awesome and flew there just for the festival. After working up a sweat, I sad down and had a drink, and this old drunk very white man came up to me and wanted to explain how much everything has changed, using blatantly racist words, I had to leave after that. I got in my car and cried. I can be a cry baby, I was cool being in the car. My sister dance the night away, I stayed in the car, I was so bothered. I forget that some people don't change. It reminded me how lucky I was to be raised where I was. The festival is awesome in it's self, all the people the western swing and some of the original Texas Playboys were still playing. I was torn so I gave it a 3. I love the music, had a hard time with some of the attendees. If you ever go out that way and end up in Turkey, check out all the cool things in that small town, the cows are crazy there, don't get to close! Visit every trailer if you can. There is always some interesting things going on at each one. read more

Wills Bob Foundation - Festivals Near Me - Turkey, Texas

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Well, Bob put Texas on the map. Merel Haggared and Waylon came along because he showed how fun Texas could be to everyone. I knew Bob Wills Jr. In Conroe Texas. Was he or wasn't he. Who knows? I took him at his word and got a real insight into those times that molded "Our" country western scene. Everyone back then had a "unique" one of a kind slant on life. We need to find out about more of those times and the old crowd is rapidly fading from view. Like John Wayne and Ward Bond, this crew played night and day and then speed away on down a narrow, narrow road that became our super highway. Thanks! Mike Craig read more