Amarillo is alive with activity for visitors during the spring and summer of 2004. From baseball and bats (wooden and mammalian) to rodeos and fireworks, it�s all right here. For more information on any activity, check the Amarillo CVC web site at www.visitamarillotx.com or call 806-374-1497.

April

Dinosaurs are by far the most successful traveling educational exhibit of all time! And the Don Harrington Discovery Center & Space Theater presents Dinosaurs Alive! through May 9. This 6,500 sq. ft. exhibit includes 13 different robotic dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus Rex, Deinonychus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and others. For more information call 806-355-9547 or go online at www.dhdc.org.

The Broadway Spotlight Series presents the purr-fectly pleasing musical Cats on April 6-7. This famous Broadway classic will appear at the Amarillo Civic Center Auditorium. For more information and tickets call 806-378-3096 or view www.panhandletickets.com.

The Amarillo Symphony joins the Amarillo Civic Chorus and the West Texas A&M University Chorus, April 24, to perform a concert of outstanding choral works from the past three centuries. Also performed will be a work by a living, woman composer. (Can you guess?) For more information and tickets contact 806-376-8782 or visit www.amarillosymphony.org.

May

Wonderland Amusement Park hosts the spring conference of the American Coaster Enthusiasts. The Texas Tornado, Cyclone and Zyklon coasters will be featured on May 1. The amusement park is open weeknights and all day on weekends throughout the summer. For more information call 800-383-4712 or go online to www.wonderlandpark.com.

The 34th Annual Greater Southwest Music Festival, featuring over 10,000 music students and their teachers, is May 6-8. Contests include band, choir, jazz bands, show choir, and orchestras, as well as solo and ensemble competition. Performances will take place at the Amarillo Civic Center, St. Paul United Methodist Church, and Polk Street United Methodist Church. For more information call the GSWMF at 806-373-5903 or see www.gswmf.com.

The Amarillo Dusters blow into town from May through August for the inaugural season of intense indoor football. For information and tickets call 806-322-PASS or go online at www.amarillodusters.com.

The Amarillo Dillas continue the city�s long tradition of minor-league baseball from May through August. Last season the Dillas reached the Central Baseball League�s championship series. All the action is at the Amarillo National Dilla Villa. For information & tickets call 806-342-3455 or visit www.dillas.com. The Amarillo Little Theatre presents Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, May 6-8, 13-16 and 20-23. For information and tickets call 806-355-9991.

The Old Tascosa Cycling Classic cruises into town, including a series of races on downtown�s 100-year-old brick streets as well as over the area�s plains and canyons. Three hundred professional cyclists are expected to participate over May 15-16. For more information call 806-378-3036 or visit www.oldtascosaclassic.com.

Let the Good Times Roll, Phase 3- This popular exhibit at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum continues from May to September with a look at car companies of legend- Packard, Studebaker, Nash and more. For more information, call 806-655-2141 or go online at www.panhandleplains.org.

June

The American Quarter Horse Association celebrates Membership Appreciation Days June 1-13, 2004. The AQHA opens its doors to more than 300,000 members worldwide with an offer to come by for a visit. For specific planned activities for members and public alike, call 806-376-4811 or visit www.aqha.org.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park is home to Texas Legacies, starting its 2nd season on June 3. This year is the 39th season of outdoor drama in the magnificent outdoor setting of Palo Duro Canyon. The season lasts until Aug. 21. TEXAS Legacies is performed nightly, Monday through Saturday. Call toll-free 877-58TEXAS or visit www.epictexas.com.

Cowboy Roundup USA, featuring the World Championship Chuckwagon Cookoff, World�s Greatest Horseman Competition and two performances of the Coors Ranch Rodeo, celebrates the cowboy lifestyle for the 16th year in June 3-6. The Roundup also attracts top cowboy poets and singers. For more information call 806-372-4777 or visit www.cowboyroundupusa.org/.

On Sunday, June 6, Heavenly Country, a brand new western music show presented by the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation, begins its weekly run throughout the summer in Pioneer Amphitheater in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The show is every Sunday night through August 22. For information call toll-free 877-58TEXAS or visit www.epictexas.com.

Amarillo Little Theatre and the Big Texan Steak Ranch & Opry launch a Western melodrama on Friday and Saturday nights in the Big Texan Cowboy Palace. It is co-produced by the Amarillo Little Theatre, the city�s professional theater company. The melodrama runs from June 18-August 15. The Texan also reprises the Monday night Gospel Jamboree during the summer. And the Big Texan Opry is performed on Tuesday nights. For information all these performances, call 800-657-7177 or go online at www.bigtexan.com.

High Noon on the Square is each Wednesday in June and July at the Potter County Courthouse Square in downtown Amarillo. Each week features a different performing group and a different lunch offering. Or bring your own lunch. For more information contact Center City of Amarillo at 806-372-6744.

The Starlight Theater, every Tuesday night in June and July, features local group in live musical performances. Bring your blanket and chairs, a picnic or snack, and spread out on the lawn in front of the stage in Sam Houston Park. It�s free. For information call 806-378-3036. The Kwahadi Kiva Museum & Theater opens in June featuring an extensive museum and a dance performance theater. The museum will be open during the week and will be free; the dances are planned on the weekends and a fee will be charged. The Kiva is at 9141 I-40 East, across the highway from the new Texas Travel Information Center. Call 806-354-5013 or 353-1505 for information or go online to www.kwahadi.com.

July

Will Rogers Range Riders Rodeo shakes things up July 1-3. One of the top rodeos in the Texas Panhandle, it features area cowboys right off the ranch. For tickets and information call 806-355-2212.

The Amarillo Globe-News Fireworks light up the Amarillo sky on July 4. The display, choreographed to music on KGNC-FM, originates from Thompson Park but there are great viewing locations across the north side of the city. Starts at approximately 9:45 p.m.

The Amarillo Civic Center and Amarillo College present West Side Story July 9-11, featuring a cast of Amarillo and Texas Panhandle youth. It may be summer theater but it is anything but amateur. For information and tickets call 806-378-3096 or visit www.panhandletickets.com.

August

Polk St. Block Party, the city�s biggest block party, takes over three downtown blocks on August 21. Four different stages will feature 20 bands. Advance tickets are $7 or $10 at the gate. For more information, contact Center City of Amarillo at 806-372-6744.

September

Amarillo�s summer activities end with the annual Discover 2004 concert and fireworks display, on September 6. The day�s events benefit the Don Harrington Discovery Center & Space Theater. For more information call 806-355-9547 or visit www.dhdc.org.

The annual Boys Ranch Labor Day Rodeo features the residents of Boys Ranch in one off the best rodeos in the area. Also included is a top-notch barbecue. Performances are September 4-6. For information call 372-2341 or visit www.calfarleysboysranch.org.

The Amarillo Chamber of Commerce Good Times Barbecue Cookoff, the largest barbecue cookoff in the Panhandle, spreads over 3 downtown blocks, attracts over 90 cooking teams, and welcomes over 6,000 barbecue fanciers on September 9. For more information call 806-373-7800 or visit www.amarillo-chamber.org.

For the 79th time the Tri-State Fair open its grounds, from Sept. 17-25. One of the longest-running events in Amarillo, the Tri-State Fair features all the activities you expect at a top-notch county or regional fair, including a PRCA rodeo. For more information contact the Tri-State Fair at 806-376-7767.

General News

Amarillo travel packages will be available, starting in April, on-line. Build a custom visit to the heart of the Texas Panhandle, featuring many of the attractions and activities in this list. Go to www.visitamarillotx.com or call toll free 877-58TEXAS.

The Amarillo Museum of Art has re-opened after nine months of renovation to improve the galleries. The museum features small traveling exhibits as well as pieces from its collection. This surprising art oasis remains a great visitor value- admission is free. For more information call 806-371-5050 or visit www.amarilloart.org.

The Amarillo Zoo has expanded with many new exhibits, including Holly the tiger. It�s still a great bargain- it�s free! Located in Thompson Park next to Wonderland Amusement Park. Call 806-381-7911 for information.

Don�t forget your horse. Your steed can stay at the brand new Big Texan Horse Hotel (opening in April, 2004). Twenty stalls with close-circuit television let the owner monitor his or her steed from their room, 24 hours a day. But call ahead for reservations at 806-657-7177 or go online at www.bigtexan.com.

Elkins Ranch again features a variety of Jeep rides through Palo Duro Canyon as well as cowboy breakfasts or suppers. Jeep rides are offered year round, weather permitting and the season for meals start in April. Reservations are recommended. For more information call 806-488-2100 or go to www.theelkinsranch.com.

Mountain Biking- MSNBC.com named Palo Duro Canyon State Park one of the top three mountain biking venues in the U.S. Limited rentals are available in Amarillo and the state park. Just go early in the day during the summer and bring lots of water! Call the state park at 806-488-2227 for more information.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park remains one of Texas�s gems. Over 18,000 acres spread across one of the nation�s largest and most beautiful canyons. Camping, cabins, hiking, horse trails, mountain biking and outdoor splendor welcome all visitors. Call the park at 806-488-2227 or visit the web site at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/paloduro/.

Wildcat Bluff Nature Center is the place to be for programs on every thing from edible insects to horny toads and bats. This year the center features Libby�s Trail, a handicapped-accessible trail that brings Panhandle nature closer to all. Call 806-352-6007 or visit www.wildcatbluff.org for more information.

New Amarillo properties have blossomed in the past 6 months. More than 400 new motel and hotel rooms are being added, including many in new suite-style properties. For a list of new properties, call the Amarillo CVC at 800-692-1338 or check the accommodations page of the CVC website, www.visitamarillotx.com. #####

Media Contact: Eric Miller +1 806-374-1497 eric@amarillo-cvb.org