“It’s an open house that has grown into an occasion. Every state and county political candidate is invited to speak at a political rally. Star Amusements will present a complete carnival with rides, games of skill and concessions. The carnival will open Thursday night, April 22, through Sunday, April 25. I’ve filled a five-gallon jug with 20s, 10s, fives and ones. It will be given away at 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 25, to someone in attendance. The event is sponsored by Lucas Oil Products and area wide merchants. All countywide and statewide political candidates wishing to speak at the rally should call 1-800-536-0148,” said Williams who last fall formed the Gene Williams Land Company to continue the work of restoring a large part of his hometown, also the hometown of Johnny Cash.

            In 2007, Williams donated $50,000 to the City of Dyess, Ark., to purchase the 1934 Dyess Colony Administration Building and start its renovation. Working closely with the Dyess Colony Redevelopment  Project and the National Register District, Williams has purchased several houses in the city limits of Dyess and several empty lots on the town’s main circle and downtown and has begun clean up and renovation. Some of the homes are among the historical buildings that were part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program that built Dyess Colony, Ark.

            “This initial renovation has made quite an impact on the face of Dyess. I’ve been delighted with the feedback from visiting tourists who make their way to Dyess to see Johnny Cash’s hometown,” Williams said.

          The town, the heart of which is designated a National Register District, has seen interest build over the years as people seek information about the town, its history and its famous former residents. A sign on Hwy. 14 directs the way to Dyess, “the boyhood home of Johnny Cash and Gene Williams.” Another sign on the city’s community center and former school property welcomes visitors to the boyhood hometown of Johnny and Tommy Cash and Gene Williams. Roads have been named after Cash and Williams. Since the release of the movie about Johnny Cash, “Walk the Line,” people from across the nation and around the world have found their way to the town. They drive around the town circle, stop at city hall and now the Gene Williams Land Company, where Williams, if he is there, will share accounts of not only his experiences with the legendary Cash, but also of his own country music career.

            That career began in Memphis as a DJ on KWAM and extended to having the largest syndicated country music television show not affiliated with Nashville, making two motion pictures about country music and working with such greats as Johnny Cash, the Carter Family, the Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins, Charlie Walker, Charlie Louvin, Del Reeves, Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Minnie Pearl, Jack Greene, the late Bill Carlisle, Ronnie Sessions, Little Jimmy Dickens and more.