Johnny Mack Brown Western Festival brings Old West to Landmark Park

Horses, cowboys, trick roping, shooting demonstrations, wagon and pony rides and plenty of Western movies. What more could a youngster or those that are young at heart ask for in a day’s activities?

On Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., the Old West will come alive in the Wiregrass as Landmark Park, located on U.S. 431 North in Dothan, hosts the 2009 Johnny Mack Brown Western Festival presented by YellaWood® Pressure Treated Pine. The event celebrates the life and career of Dothan’s very own legendary athlete and Hollywood star, Johnny Mack Brown.
Jimmy Rane, CEO of Great Southern Wood Preserving and sponsor of the event, says the festival is a great way to celebrate the values of the Old West.

“Western movies adhered to the code of the Old West,” Rane said during a press conference held at Landmark Park last Thursday. “Children of today get to learn about that during this event.
“When I was a kid, I watched the old Western movies. The code of the West was that good triumphed over evil.”

While there are valuable lessons to be learned from the Old West, Rane says the day is also about entertainment.

“It’s a fun day,” Rane said. “There will be shootouts (presented by the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association), a chuck wagon display (provided by Howard and Hope Kent) and much more.”

That “much more” will include the largest display of Johnny Mack Brown memorabilia in the country and showings of many of his movies, Native American music, dance and exhibits, and a re-enactment of the 1889 Dothan Riot.

The central theme, of course, is a tribute to Johnny Mack Brown, a star athlete at Dothan High School and The University of Alabama, who went on to fame as an actor in 165 B-Western movies and television productions in the 1930s and 1940s.

“If anyone ever brought attention to Dothan, it was Johnny Mack Brown,” said William Holman, executive director of Landmark Park. “He was the star of the 1926 Rose Bowl, which led to a Hollywood career for him.

“He was a household name in the 1940s and 1950s. He was consistently in the top 10 in popularity. He was one of the Western movie stars who made and preserved the stories of the Old West.”

Saturday’s festival will also include a visit by two of Brown’s four children - daughters Cynthia (who lives in Arizona) and Sally (who lives in Norway).

On Friday, May 8, as a lead-in for the Johnny Mack Brown Western Festival, Landmark Park will hold a special event for school children.

“We will have most of the festival activities on Friday,” Holman said of the school-centered event. “It will meet many of the state education standards dealing with westward expansion.”

At 6:30 p.m. on May 8, the Stokes Activity Barn will host bluegrass music by Pure and Simple and a barbecue meal catered by the Blue Plate Restaurant. The Do-Sa-Dos of Dothan will get guests’ toes tapping to some old-fashioned square dancing.

The fee for the barn dance is $20 per person, and reservations are required. The fee is separate from regular park admission.

The entry fee for Saturday’s Johnny Mack Brown Western Festival is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $4 for children. Landmark Park members and children three and under are admitted free of charge.

For more information, contact the Landmark Park office at 7943452 or visit johnnymackbrownfestival.com.