Friday evening's entertainment, a play with music written by Joan Ross Sorkin and available to premier ticket holders only, is (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story which premiered off-Broadway in 2007. Jefferson's production, directed by Karl Frederickson, will feature Jefferson resident Zillary Easter in the role of Hattie McDaniel who won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Mammy in David O. Selznick's 1939 Academy Award-winning motion picture. Sorkin will attend the production which will be held in the historic Jefferson Playhouse. An autograph session will follow.

Fans who are premier ticket holders will celebrate Breakfast with Cammie King in the historic Excelsior House on Saturday morning, April 24. At 1 p.m. that afternoon, King will recount her GWTW memories during A Visit with Bonnie Blue Butler in Jefferson's new Visitor Center, 305 E. Austin Street. An exhibit of Bonnie Blue Butler-related memorabilia from George Terrell's one-of-a-kind collection will be on display.

The Visitor Center will open to the public at 12 noon and space is available for a sales/exhibit room before and after King's program. As a premier ticket holder, you may reserve one eight-foot table for $10. Set-up will begin at 11 a.m.

The historic riverport of Jefferson came to prominence because of a massive, natural logjam on the Red River. It was over 100 miles long and acted as a dam that affected waterways in Louisiana and northeast Texas. The logjam formed Caddo Lake, and raised the level of the Big Cypress River to Jefferson, making navigation possible for steamboats traveling from New Orleans. From the settlement of Jefferson in the 1840s until the last steamboat departed in 1903, the city was an important center for commerce. During the Civil War era, Jefferson was a significant asset to the Confederacy in the manufacture and shipping of gunpowder, leather, and cotton, and it became a bustling metropolis of about 30,000 residents.

Beginning in the early 1800s until the birth of the next century, the steamboat, or riverboat, was America's most luxurious mode of travel. All the way from Pittsburgh to Omaha, from St. Paul to Jefferson and New Orleans, fine ladies and gentlemen, mysterious damsels and slick riverboat dandies rode the decks of the grand floating palaces still so memorable today.

One of the steamboats that arrived in Jefferson during its heyday as the farthest inland port was the Dixie. To celebrate that part of Jefferson's past, a dinner theater and costume gala on Saturday evening will showcase the highly acclaimed Minden Community Chorus under the direction of Dr. Dan Gibbs. The Chorus, from nearby Minden, Louisiana, will present The Dixie Belle Showboat Returns to Jefferson, a vaudeville variety show reminiscent of Margaret Mitchell's Old South. This extravaganza will be held in the Jefferson High School Commons. Local resident Andy Looney will be The Cap'n of The Dixie Belle. Special guest performers include Nathan Carlisle, a member of the world-renowned Metropolitan Opera Chorus in New York City; "Mr. Banjo" Buddy Griffin from Houston, and Louis Nabors, Professor of Voice at The University of Louisiana at Monroe who will close the show with his stirring rendition of Ol' Man River.

Dinner will be catered by Upper Crust Catering owners of Buck Creek Lodge in Haynesville, Louisiana. In addition to wedding receptions and other special events, the company is renowned for catering the Mardi Gras Ball at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and dinners for the U. S. Senate in the Capitol Building.

The costume contest will feature a promenade of Gone With the Wind-attired guests. Special recognition will be awarded to winners of the best Scarlett-look-alike, best Rhett-look-alike, most original costume, most authentic costume, and audience favorite. Costumes are highly encouraged, but not required.

Seventy-five (75) premier tickets are available for the weekend and include guaranteed priority seating at all events -- (mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story on Friday night, Breakfast with Cammie King at the Excelsior House on Saturday morning, A Visit with Bonnie Blue Butler at the Visitor Center that afternoon, and The Dixie Belle Showboat Returns to Jefferson on Saturday evening -- and a special souvenir package.

DUE TO CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, REGISTRATIONS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. In the event it is necessary for a registrant to cancel, the souvenir package including event tickets and programs will be mailed to the person canceling after the event weekend.

Each premier ticket holder must complete a Tara in Texas II application. The event is designed for those 10 and older and registrations are non-transferable.

Scarlett O'Hardy's Gone With the Wind Museum is offering the following Tara in Texas II options for non-premier ticket holders:

(mis)Understanding Mammy: The Hattie McDaniel Story

PREVIEW PERFORMANCE

Thursday, April 22, 2010 The Jefferson Playhouse 7 p.m.

A limited number of reserved seats will be available for this preview performance.

Saturday, April 24, 2010 Visitor Center 1 p.m.

Admission includes non-reserved seating for Cammie King's delightful program followed by an autograph session, and the sales/exhibit room before and after the program.

Saturday, April 24, 2010 Jefferson High School Commons 6 p.m

Admission includes reserved seating for the vaudeville dinner theater and costume gala with dinner catered by Upper Crust Catering. The vaudeville show will be presented by the Minden Community Chorus and special guests. Gone With the Wind-inspired costumes are highly encouraged, but not required. Winners of the costume contest will be recognized.

Jefferson is located on Highway 59, one hour south of I-30 at Texarkana, Texas/Arkansas, and 20 minutes north of I-20 at Marshall, Texas. The Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) is less than an hours drive. Driving time from Dallas is about three hours; add an extra hour from the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) airport

Situated on the Big Cypress Bayou between picturesque cypress tree-filled Caddo Lake to the east and Lake O the Pines, Jefferson, the Bed & Breakfast Capital of Texas, has a population of 2,200. Homes and buildings dating from the 1840s are still obvious today. Antique and gift shops line the downtown brick streets, and the historic riverport is the perfect walk-around town. April traditionally brings beautiful azaleas and comfortable spring temperatures. You will hear the whistle of a steamboat during your visit!

Like Scarlett, I shall cry into my pillow every night if you dont join me for Tara in Texas II!

With thanks and all good wishes,

Bobbie Hardy

Scarlett OHardys Gone With the Wind Museum, Inc.