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Rex Allen Days has been around since 1951. The original event was planned as a benefit for the local hospital. Since then countless other charitable organizations have benefited from the proceeds of the weekend. The proceeds are also used to present scholarships to Willcox High School graduates.

We all love to remember Rex Allen, the singing cowboy, and his horse ‘KoKo’. Rex’s career and life would be the perfect plot for a movie. He grew up in Willcox, living with ‘Aunt Ruth’ after his mother died. He learned to play the guitar and sing, but in his heart he wanted to be a rodeo cowboy. Rex eventually took to the rodeo circuit, but it wasn’t long before he realized there were fewer lumps and more good times strumming the guitar and wooing his colleagues with his wonderful voice.

Those first Rex Allen Days featured a rodeo, parade and appearance by Rex. That format remains, but has been expanded to four days of fun – ‘Western Fun, Willcox Style’.

But Rex Allen Days is a whole lot more. Many years ago Pedro Gonzales Gonzales, who co-starred in countless movies, joined the cast and became a mainstay.

There is a professional rodeo that begins on Saturday and continues on Sunday. The rodeo features all those events that keep western lore lovers coming back year after year. There are bull riders, bronc riders, steer wrestlers, ropers and barrel racers. The rodeo organizers are really touting the pre-rodeo events for kids – stick horse barrel racing, dummy roping, mutton bustin’ and steer riding – these events are a crowd favorite!

The weekend also features a gigantic parade through Historic Downtown Willcox, featuring numerous mounted entries, Rex Allen Jr., The local high school band and other dignitaries and celebrities.

Each year everyone is invited to join Rex Allen Jr. his sons Cody and Logan Allen and many talented guest stars in two special concerts on Saturday at 4PM and 7:30PM at the Willcox High School Auditorium. This is a tradition from the early Rex Allen Days and has always been the highlight of the weekend. This show will delight audiences of all ages. You will find wonderful songs, both old and new, comedy, musical genious in the form of a frying pan xylophone and just good old fashioned fun at this concert that will take you back to the "Stage Show" of yesteryear.

But like a broken record, there is still a whole lot more…

There is the Annual Cowboy Hall of Fame banquet on Thursday night, with local cowboys being inducted into the truly unique group of people who helped contribute to Willcox’s history. There is a softball tournament, and Keiller Park is the place to go for loads of fun with it's country fair on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with delicious food and shopping, the carnival, entertainment throughout the weekend, and the Annual Orlando B. Willcox Turtle Race. A well-attended Car Show was inaugurated in 2007.

If you love having a good time and are willing to ‘let your hair down and have some real fun, then Willcox is the place you’ll always want to be on the first weekend of October for Rex Allen Days’
Western Fun – Willcox Style!

Regretfully Rex Allen and Pedro Gonzales Gonzales have passed away. We hope you will join us this year for a weekend of fun and western entertainment as we celebrate in honor of these great men.

 Rex Allen Days Inc - 2009©
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