Amarillo Starlight Theater 2017 Season
The Amarillo Parks and Recreation Department hosts a Summer outdoor music concert every Tuesday evening from 7pm-9pm in Sam Houston Park located at Western and Line Avenue. The weekly music series features different local talent and is open to the general public with no admission fee. So bring your lawn chairs, blankets, food and beverage (NO GLASS CONTAINERS ALLOWED) and be prepared to enjoy some of the best musical talents Amarillo has to offer.
Live Music in Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas has had a rich tradition of live music venues featuring local, regional and well-known music artists since the town was established in 1887. This page introduces some current Amarillo live music groups and the folks who make it all happen, plus info about bands of the past. I have provided links to recorded music video samples and fan pages where available.
Mary Tom Rasco Crain: Bio and Oral History Interview
Mary Tom was born Aug. 27, 1918, in Vernon to Verna Johnson and Sal Morgan,a prominent oil and gas attorney. The last of three children, she moved to Amarillo at age 7 and never wanted to leave.
Mary Tom graduated from Amarillo High School and Stephens College. She attended the University of Texas and graduated from the University of Wisconsin. She married David Rasco, in 1941; he preceded her in death in 1955. After his death, she worked as a journalist at the Amarillo Globe-News, where she wrote an advice column and a health and science column.
Read more: Mary Tom Rasco Crain: Bio and Oral History Interview
Homeless in Amarillo
I have been aware of and interacted with the homeless, street people and hobos in Amarillo since the mid-1960s. The hobos who used to camp out under and near the Line Street overpass over the former Rock Island Railroad line were among my favorites to talk to and learn from. Changes in railroad shipping practices since then have all but eliminated the notion of "catching a freighter" to travel cross-country.
The street people of Amarillo today have their own reasons for their state of affairs. Some actually choose to live in tents or makeshift shelters in the same location for years. This is the case with "Papa" Wayne, a Vietnam War vet I have known and interacted with for more than a decade.