Every corner of Pilot Point's historic downtown was filled with activities for the annual Bonnie & Clyde Days on Saturday.
The morning began with the inaugural Take the Money and Run! 5K or 1-Mile Fun Walk, which celebrated the day Hollywood came to Pilot Point and spread awareness that October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
“We were able to take the proceeds from the 1-Mile Fun Walk and donate to a nonprofit organization, Denton County Friends of the Family—in the hopes of making a difference in the lives of those experiencing domestic violence," Executive Director Pilot Point Chamber Evon Lusk said. "We made a difference together."
The event drew 97 participants and received strong support from Chamber members, Lusk said.
“Creating sustainable events takes work, and I just want to thank all of our sponsors, participants, community partners, and volunteers for ensuring the success of this event,” Lusk said via text, adding that they are excited for next year.
Bonnie & Clyde Days picked back up in the evening with a reenactment of the bank-robbery scene as it was filmed for the 1967 Bonnie and Clyde movie outside the FMB Legacy, previously named the Farmers & Merchants Bank.
Crowds formed around the bank to watch.
Couple Brittany and Nathan Fowlkes played real-life duo Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow for the reenactments.
Their son Ryder Fowlkes played the newsboy in his first acting role.
“It's kind of an honor to play such legends, although they were terrible human beings,” Nathan said. “But it's an interesting story, especially the movie being shot here back in 1967 with Warren Beatty. … Doing anything outside of Hollywood was a big deal, and so to bring it to small town, Pilot Point, Texas, to shoot a big movie and us getting to recreate that today was really cool.”
Between the shows, people could take a look inside the FMB Legacy building.
For the first time, the Western Heights Cemetery Association had a booth sharing history about Clyde Barrow's resting place.
“We've got Clyde there, and his parents and two of his brothers are buried there,” President of the Western Heights Cemetery Association Randy Osteen said. “We also have 31 veterans all the way from the Civil War up to World War II. And a lot of local pioneers and people who basically paved the way for West Dallas in particular. It's a little two-acre cemetery, but a lot of history there.”
Board member Steve Erickson explained that Bonnie Parker is buried at a different cemetery; however, there are continuous efforts to move her to a spot next to Clyde.
“Her niece is still alive … she's 90 years old,” Erickson said. “She has a letter from Bonnie saying that Bonnie wanted to be buried next to Clyde. She wasn't buried next to Clyde originally because Bonnie's mother didn't want her buried next to Clyde. Clyde was kind of a bad influence.”
The Western Heights Cemetery Association is a volunteer-run nonprofit formed last year to maintain cleanliness, upkeep and monument restoration at the cemetery.
They also work to create a natural habitat in the cemetery to attract pollinators and help the environment.
“Clyde is a really important historic figure to this area,” Board member Eric Duncan said. “ And being able to come up here and meet people who are interested in Clyde and who might be interested in our cemetery and coming down and visiting, that was really important to us to get up here and get in front of a bunch of people.”
Classic vehicles were lined in front of the Pilot Point Coffee House.
Just a few feet away, General Manager at Mustang Special Utility District Chris Boyd brought his classic 1931 Willys Six Model 97 Deluxe Roadster to his first Bonnie and Clyde event.
“It has the original engine in it, transmission. Everything in here is original,” Boyd said.
Later that evening, Boyd gave the lead singer in Reputation - a Tribute to Taylor a grand entrance in his classic car.
“It's fun for people to see these old ones and get them out,” Boyd said. “So for a 95-year-old [car], it's kind of neat to keep it going and all that.”
Other activities included a pie-eating contest, a Taylor Swift look-alike contest, live music throughout the day, pro wrestling and a Ninja Warrior course for children.
“With Bonnie and Clyde being sort of our mainstay and our flagship event, we wanted to give it some fresh blood, if you will, and so we really wanted to focus on entertainment because that's the day Hollywood came to town,” Main Street Manager Jennifer Neal said. “So that's what we're doing.”
Neal works closely with Director of Parks Jason Poncio; together they formed an event committee of local business owners, long-standing residents and other invested individuals to discuss downtown events.
Planning Bonnie & Clyde was one of their biggest events.
“I am just so thankful for all the support that we've gotten from our Main Street Board, our Municipal Development District, the City of Pilot Point, the Public Works, and Parks Workers,” Neal said. “I mean, we could not have done it without them. They are the foundation of how all of this happens.”
Photos by Paisley McGee/The Post-Signal
