gone country

Git yer boots and hat, yer big silver belt buckle and turquoise jewelry, yer fancy yoke shirt with the pearl snaps cuz it's Go Texan Day! Time to let your inner cowboy cowgirl cowperson shine!

Today is the day the trail rides come in and there's a big campout in Memorial Park. Tomorrow is the rodeo parade and the start of the Fat Live Stock Show and Rodeo. Back when I was in high school this was still a pretty big deal. Even in the city high schools had FFA programs (that's Future Farmers Of America for all you hard core urban dwellers). And it was the only day of the year that we girls could wear pants to school.

I kid you not.

They didn't used to let girls wear pants to school. Or sandals either. Or boys either. I mean, boys wearing sandals not girls wearing boys cause I'm thinking they still don't allow that. In fact this one kid got kicked out for wearing sandals to school...with socks. I'm pretty sure it was the sandals they objected to, not that he was wearing them with socks, which I don't get why some people think that is so uncool. I wear socks with my sandals.

Hey! I heard that!

Divided the whole school and there was a near riot with the jocks getting the fire hoses and threatening to hose down us that supported the kid. Oh and his hair was too long too. It probably touched his ears.

Anyway.

What was I saying?

Oh yeah, Go Texan Day and the Rodeo. They had musical acts during the rodeo when I was a kid but they tended to be TV stars like Roy Rogers along with the ridin' and ropin' and calf scramble and greased pig and the bucking broncos and bull ridin' and the chuck wagon race. You know, the usual. And the carnival and the livestock show with all the farm animals from rabbits and chickens to pigs and cows that got judged and auctioned off. Animals that kids had raised all year through the FFA programs.

Now there's a big vendor show too and music acts about 3/4^th of the way through. Country music. Which I happen to like. Some. There was a point back when I started listening to country music that that was the only place you could hear some rock and roll. Country kinda got rocky. I'll listen to just about anything now. Except jazz. Jazz I just don't get. Especially the kind where it sounds like they're all playing different tunes.

So where was I Wednesday night? At the jazz concert put on by the junior college here. My sister works part time for the junior college so she makes me go to all these things. Really though, the kids need the support and encouragement. And it's the only entertainment in town. And it's free.

It sounded more like big band stuff to me though what with all the trumpets, trombones and saxophones. Especially since they played Misty. I didn't realize Misty was jazz.

So.

Where was I?

Oh yeah. Go Texan Day and the Rodeo. Well, I guess times have changed. They don't have FFA programs in the city high schools anymore and girls can wear pants and sandals anytime they want (just no boys) and they have music at the rodeo. This year they are having, among others, the likes of Alan Jackson, Clay Walker, Lady Antebellum, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Rascal Flats, KISS.

Wait. What?

KISS? At the rodeo? When did KISS go country?

Man, am I out of the loop!