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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, During the summer of 2015, the outdoor musical drama |
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Texas in Palo Duro Canyon will celebrate its 50th anniversary and |
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once again inspire and entertain audiences from across the state |
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and the nation; and |
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WHEREAS, This annual stage spectacular was the brainchild of |
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Panhandle resident Margaret Pease Harper, a professor at West Texas |
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State College in Canyon; she conceived of the idea of building an |
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open-air amphitheater in majestic Palo Duro Canyon, and she |
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persuaded North Carolina playwright Paul Green to write a |
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large-scale pageant about the lives of Panhandle pioneers; and |
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WHEREAS, Pioneer Amphitheater was opened in 1962, and in the |
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summer of 1966, the first production of Texas was performed there; |
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the play's music, choreography, and direction were provided by |
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faculty members of West Texas State, and many of the show's original |
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cast members were students from the school; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, Texas is produced by the Texas Panhandle |
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Heritage Foundation, which works to preserve the history of the |
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Panhandle through theater; performed every evening Tuesday through |
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Sunday from June until mid-August, the show tells the story of |
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Calvin Armstrong, a young homesteader, and other characters include |
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a wealthy rancher, a comic gold prospector, cowboys, pioneer women, |
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and Quanah Parker, the last chief of the Comanche; and |
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WHEREAS, From its thrilling opening, as a rider on horseback |
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carries the Texas flag at top speed along the rim of the canyon, to |
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its stirring conclusion under the Western stars, the outdoor |
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musical Texas has delighted theatergoers for half a century, and it |
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is truly one of the Lone Star State's cultural treasures; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary and the 2015 |
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production of Texas and extend to the cast and crew sincere best |
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wishes for a successful season; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the cast and crew of Texas as an expression of high |
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regard by the Texas House of Representatives. |