Lincoln Historic Site

Billy the Kid Web Site Launched

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2009

MEDIA CONTACT


Tourism Department Launches Billy the Kid Web Site in conjunction with Old Lincoln Days

 Wild West aficionados will travel far and near to escape reality during the annual Old Lincoln Days and the Billy the Kid Pageant in Lincoln, New Mexico, August 7-9, 2009.

 Armchair Billy the Kid aficionados need not feel excluded, however, thanks to the launching of new Billy the Kid pages on the New Mexico Tourism Department web site, www.newmexico.org/billythekid.

 “Welcome to the ultimate Billy the Kid web site,” said Michael Cerletti, Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department.  “It's a travel experience unlike any other in New Mexico. Whether you're following the Kid, the Lincoln County War, or Pat Garrett, retrace the hoof prints and walk where they walked. Visit the many places that were familiar to them. Their stories come alive, right before your eyes.”

 The three sections in Billy the Kid include Billy the Kid, Billy the Kid Travel Territory, and Billy the Kid Resources.

 Billy the Kid offers the fascinating history of Billy’s famous photo, the tintype of the only indisputable image of the Kid that resurfaced in 1986. Learn what was found upon closer examination. In the same section are histories of Billy the Kid and the Lincoln County War, Billy the Kid: His Life and Legend, and a Who's Who of Friends, Foes and Acquaintances.

Billy the Kid Travel Territory provides everything you'll need to visit this travel destination. You can use the Billy the Kid Territory Travel Itinerary as a springboard to create a one-of-a-kind personal visit. Work out quick, self-guided day trips within your New Mexico vacation, or assemble a multiday, self-guided overnight visit. Billy the Kid Travel Territory also offers travel maps featuring historic points of interest, walking tours of Lincoln and Fort Sumner, and driving tours of Billy the Kid's Lincoln County and Billy the Kid's De Baca County. Billy the Kid Territory's annual events, which are mid-June to mid-October, will enhance your visit and make it memorable.  Finally, Lincoln County is where motorists can enjoy a day-long, loop tour on the Billy the Kid National Scenic & Historic Highway.

 

Billy the Kid Resources provides an annotated list of recommended Billy the Kid books and Hollywood films and television documentaries. Billy the Kid Territory's also includes a list of convention and visitor bureaus, chambers of commerce, and relevant tourism groups to aid in your quest for knowledge and adventure.

 And there is no better place or time to explore and enjoy Billy the Kid Territory than by visiting Lincoln during Old Lincoln Days and the Billy the Kid Pageant August 7-9.  

 Each day is filled with music, food, fun and celebration, and each day’s activities is climaxed with a recreation of The Kid's famous escape in 1881, when he broke loose from the upper room of the two-story whitewashed Lincoln County Courthouse after killing the two deputies charged to guard him. Nine weeks later, Billy the Kid was killed by Sheriff Garrett in Fort Sumner, and, as they say, a legend was born.

 “It continues to amaze me the incredible attraction people around the world have with the image, the legend of Billy the Kid,” Sec. Cerletti said. “Old Lincoln Days and the Billy the Kid Pageant help keep that legend alive, with memories to last a lifetime.”

 The schedule of events includes:

 

August 7, 2009: "The Last Escape of Billy the Kid" at the pageant grounds, 8:30 p.m.; and shops and museums, concessions, and living history demonstrations ongoing throughout the town, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. August 8, 2009: "The Last Escape of Billy the Kid" at the pageant grounds, 8:30 p.m.; and shops and museums, concessions, and living history demonstrations ongoing throughout the town, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. August 9, 2009: "The Last Escape of Billy the Kid" at the pageant grounds, 3 p.m.; shops and museums, concessions, and living history demonstrations ongoing throughout the town, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; and the Old Lincoln Days Parade, 11 a.m.

 

For more information on Old Lincoln Days and the Billy the Kid Pageant, visit www.billythekidpageant.org/.

For more information regarding www.newmexico.org, contact Martin Leger, 505-827-8036 or martin.leger@state.nm.us

 



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