34
volunteers each year for the event
that has featured Loretta Lynn, George
Jones, Ray Price and Hank's children and
grandchildren. The 39th festival is June
1-2 with Tony Jackson headlining.
Gaston moved to Georgiana to work for
Alabama Power in 1951, taking "an early
retirement" 35 years later. She's been
keeping up with attendance, handling gift
shop inventory, maintaining the displays
and greeting busloads of students and fans
at the museum for 19 years. She says she
started counting items in the museum years
ago and just gave up after getting to 600.
In the room to the left after entering,
one of Williams' suits, a shirt, tie and
hat are displayed in a glass case. Another
case across the room contains one of Hank's
Gibson guitars. In the opposite corner
stands a stage light from the Louisiana
Hayride. Two wooden record racks hold many
of his album covers, 45s and 78s, and
there are framed copies of Williams' first
recordings on the Sterling label.
Hand-embroidered quilt about the life and times of Williams
was donated to the museum.
Hanks' second cousin Whittle sits on bench he stood on as a child, next to piano from church they attended.
