Today, people take for granted the women’s dance drill teams that perform at the halftime of football and other sporting events. However, on September 14, 1940, those gathering to watch the Kilgore College football looked on in amazement at halftime as 48 girls dressed in red blouses, blue skirts, white boots, and hats marched onto the field, Firecrackers lit up the night sky while these young ladies entertained the crowds with high kicks and precision dance routines. No one had seen anything like it.
A few months before, Dr. B. E. Masters, the president of Kilgore College, hired Miss Gussie Nell Davis to create some entertainment to keep people in their seats at halftime instead of causing trouble. He also wanted to increase the enrollment of women at the college. That night in September 1940 began the illustrative history of the Kilgore Rangerettes.
Visiting the Museum
The current hours for this free museum are Wednesday- Friday from 10-3. If you can, I would either visit as a group or call and see if you can find a group to join to take a tour. Group tours include talking to a current Rangerette, which makes the visit much more fun and informative. You can find current hours and information here.
First Floor
The first floor of this small museum consists of memorabilia, a focused wall about the three directors, and information about the current line.
You can sit down inside a small theater and watch a short film about the history of the Rangerettes from the 1940’s until the 90’s, featuring tons of clips of actual Rangerette performances.
Photography from the second floor is prohibited, so I have no shots. There you can see a timeline display with highlights from the years. From their annual appearance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade to performing at inaugurations, or in foreign countries, the Rangerettes set very high standards of behavior and dress. These ladies have to be ready to be perfectly dressed and in uniform at a moment’s notice. When I visited, I had fun finding a friend who was a Rangerette in the early nineties in the chronological poster-type display.
Again, this is a very small museum, so it isn’t for everyone. If you love dance or have a child who loves dance or drill team, then you might find it interesting. Again, being able to talk with an actual Rangerette about their experience will make a big difference in your experience.