On Monday, May 18, at 6:30 p.m., the Oklahoma History Center will host a release party for a new album by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys. The evening will include a documentary film on the making of the album, the public's first opportunity to purchase the album and a concert and dance by the critically acclaimed Jason Roberts Band. You can RSVP for the event by phone at 405-522-5202 or by email at nharvey@okhistory.org.

The evening culminates the end of a years-long project that has included the Oklahoma Historical Society and the OKPOP Museum creating a new record label, 46 Star Records, to release the limited edition, 180 gram collector's vinyl recording titled "Let's Play, Boys!: Rediscovered Songs from Bob Wills' Personal Transcriptions."

The original transcriptions came from Bob Wills' personal collection and were recorded in January 1949. Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys recorded songs for a radio series sponsored by the Crosley Automobile Company. Not a lot is known about the specifics of these particular recording sessions.

During the 1960s more than 100 sixteen-inch aluminum acetates were given to former Playboys drummer Casey Dickens for safe keeping by Bob and his wife, Betty Wills. Drawing from influences such as folk, blues, Dixieland, traditional Mexican and jazz, the music represents the Western swing style Bob is so famous for helping to create.

In 2010 Dickens gave the Bob Wills Master Transcription Collection to the Bob Wills Heritage Foundation. The following year the foundation donated the collection to the OKPOP Museum. The OHS then hired Grammy-nominated musician/engineer Steve Ripley to digitally restore and remaster these songs.

46 Star Records, a new endeavor of the Oklahoma Historical Society, will produce and release albums related to the history and culture of the Sooner State. "Let's Play, Boys!" is its inaugural release. In conjunction with OKPOP, 46 Star Records will release more historically important records from Oklahoma artists and other historical recordings from the OHS collections.

"The OKPOP will be presented in a 40,000-square-foot building dedicated to the creative spirit of Oklahoma's people and the influence of Oklahoma artists on popular culture around the world," said Dr. Bob Blackburn, executive director of OHS. "Bob Wills embodies the spirit, art and influence of these Oklahoma artists."

The Oklahoma Historical Society Research Center will present a series of Lunch and Learns, lunchtime programs on various topics pertaining to family history research. Lunch and Learns are held on the fourth Wednesday of the month from May to August.

The program for May 27 will explore "Finding Your Civil War Ancestors," with genealogist Mahlon Erickson. On June 24 William D. Welge, director of the OHS American Indian Culture and Preservation Office, will speak about American Indian history in his presentation, "Those Who Stayed: American Indians Who Remained on Ancestral Land." On July 22 Dr. Debra Osborne Spindle, OHS librarian, will teach researchers the value of obituaries in genealogical research in "Mining Obituaries for Family Research." The final program on August 26 will explore letters, records and historical documents in "Secrets of the OHS Manuscript Collections," with Mallory Covington, OHS manuscripts archivist.

Research Center Lunch and Learns are held in the Oklahoma History Center classrooms from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Registration is $10 per person and lunch is included. Seating is limited and preregistration is required. Call 405-522-5225 to register by phone or visit www.okhistory.org/researchcalendar for details and a printable registration form.

The Oklahoma Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office announces that registration is open for "Tradition and Transition: Oklahoma's 27th Annual Statewide Preservation Conference," June 3-5, 2015, in downtown Bartlesville. Conference registration and sessions will be held at the Bartlesville Community Center, 300 SE Adams Blvd. Register online at http://www.downtownbartlesvilleinc.org, or request a conference program and registration brochure from Melvena Heisch at 405-522-4484 or mheisch@okhistory.org. You can view the information online at http://www.okhistory.org/shpo/conference.htm.

The basic registration fee is $40 per person if registered by May 23. Optional ticketed events include tours, the SHPO's annual awards banquet, and Preservation Oklahoma, Inc.'s annual meeting and luncheon.

Sixty Oklahoma preservation leaders and guest speakers from across the country will participate in the conference, which offers three concurrent tracks of sessions and several special events.

The conference provides a special opportunity for design professionals. Conference sessions qualify for HSW hours needed to fulfill requirements of the State of Oklahoma's Board of Governors of Licensed Architects, Landscape Architects, and Interior Designers.

Joining the Oklahoma Historical Society, State Historic Preservation Office as conference cosponsors are the Oklahoma Main Street Center, Oklahoma Department of Commerce; Preservation Oklahoma, Inc.; Bartlesville Area History Museum; Bartlesville Chamber of Commerce; Bartlesville Convention and Visitors Bureau; Bartlesville Redevelopment Trust Authority; City of Bartlesville; Price Tower Arts Center; and Washington County Historical Society.