DALE EVANS BETTER AFTER HEART ATTACK.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

Western star Dale Evans, scheduled for citywide honors at a gala in April, is recovering from a heart attack, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The 86-year-old ``Queen of the Singing Cowboys'' and widow of Roy Rogers was in serious but stable condition Wednesday, two days after she was stricken at her Apple Valley home.

Evans is expected to be released over the weekend from Loma Linda University Medical Center if her condition remains stable, said Jane Hansen, a spokeswoman for the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum in Victorville.

``She's doing OK. She's sitting up and talking to her family,'' Hansen said. ``She's had a new pacemaker put in, and they're hoping to release her Saturday or Sunday.''

Evans and her husband, the late Roy Rogers, were the most famous Western duo to gallop across the silver screen in the 1950s. They co-wrote his theme song, ``Happy Trails to You,'' and were partners for decades in their other business enterprises.

Rogers, who appeared in more than 90 movies, including many with his famed palomino Trigger, died last year at 86.

Evans continues to make appearances around the country, Hansen said. Later this month, she had planned to join in the Cowboys, Heroes and Friends Week program in Branson, Mo., where her son and four grandchildren are scheduled to perform. Three of her granddaughters have a group that sings her old songs.

Evans is scheduled to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the gala to be held in April in conjunction with the Santa Clarita Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival.

Evans and Rogers was honored in the 1980s with a plaque on San Fernando Road as part of the Walk of Western Stars.