Rex Trailer died

[fbhjr]

When I was young, there was a cowboy show on in Boston on weekend mornings
called “BoomTown” hosted by a Boston cowboy named Rex Trailer.
I remember watching the show almost every weekend in the winter back in the
60’s and early 70’s. (In the summer I was off at my aunt’s cottage and
rarely saw it.)

Honestly I really don’t remember much about the show. I know there was
singing and cowboy stuff. My mother promised me that she would get me on
the show (they probably had a hundred kids each week on the show) as she
knew someone friends with the producer. But, it never happened. (Knowing
my mother and her promises, there is every chance in the world she never
even tried.)

What I remember is that at vacation times Rex Trailer took groups of kids
off to Disney in California. At one point it was up to 4 planes worth each
vacation.
I remember wanting to go on one of those trips very much.
Many of the kids in our neighborhood did go, including the bully who used
to pick on me frequently. I remember how unfair I thought it was he got to
go and I did not.

But, I never got to go on one. Eventually they opened Disney Florida and
they started going their instead. My parents said they thought I should go
to the first Disney park before going to the one in Florida. (I suspect
the real reason is they could not reconcile sending my brother on a trip
without them watching him for a week. And, there was no way they’d give me
something like that without giving it to my brother too. (I eventually got
to Disney CA after high school when I paid my own way out there. But,
that’s another story.)

I never met Rex Trailer. I had several chances. He was a regular guest at
the comic book shop my wife and I frequent. But, I never went the times he
was there. Too closely linked to childhood dreams not attained, or
attained too much later to count.

It’s strange too that I heard about it from an Illinois paper. I’m still
put off a bit from that dream the other day and was checking the Rockford
paper to see if my sister’s name popped up and Rex’s did instead.
Strange how things work out.

But, despite my weird mixed up feelings on the subject, he entertained a
whole lot of kids and made lots of them happy. That’s a good thing. Too
bad he’s gone.

Comments

[jenny_evergreen]

Did you say Rockford, IL?! My dad's family all live up there; I did too for a while, though I live about 45 minutes south now!

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

My sister went to Rockford college (class of 1969) and stayed after graduation.
As far as I know, she's still there. Her name is still in the phone book.
But. We have not spoken in many years.

[jenny_evergreen]

Ah. *nod* I imagine, down the road, it will be similar with my sister. Right now, we see each other often, but we really only see each other because of my mother.

[fbhjr.livejournal.com]

If you're interested the story is here:
http://fbhjr.livejournal.com/593948.html