We got up really early this morning as we were driving into town to see the Frontier Days Parade. Now remember, we are used to parades and crowds from home. We got to the parade route about 1 1/2 hours before the parade started and then found out the area we were sitting in was at the end of the parade. The parade was suppose to start at 9:30 AM but was a few minutes late. They signal the start of the parade by shooting off a cannon! Anyway, eventually the parade got around to us. It was fun but not quite what we expected. There were the normal things -
Marching Bands -
Horses and Carriages Lots and lots of horses -
Old Cars -
Old tractors, trains, and bikes
And of course the local service groups -
All in all it was a fun parade. It lasted over 2 hours. There were some gaps where nothing was coming for a couple of blocks and some where everyone was bunched together but it was good. There was a high school group called the Strolling Strings who were playing some good fiddle music. We really enjoyed them but I didn't get a picture. They will hold the parade two more times this next week but I don't think we will go to it again. One thing you notice, when the American flag goes by, especially with a group connected to the military, everyone stands, takes their hats off and either salutes or puts their hand over their heart. Good to see that old fashioned thing still happening.
After we left the parade we headed back to base. They are having a buffalo roast in the club (first time we have seen the club open!) So we decided this would be our main meal today. It is a buffet and all your can eat. Selections included corn, beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, cole slaw, potato salad, rolls, and roast buffalo or roast beef. There was also drinks and cookies and pudding for dessert. We both had the buffalo and it was pretty good. All this for $12.50 each. We didn't have seconds.
Now we are back at the rig and going to rest before we head over to Frontier Days and the Alan Jackson show tonight. I hope it doesn't rain. The skies are getting dark and the wind is picking up. We left the rig around 4:30 to head over to the off-site parking. The wind was really blowing and the temps dropped a lot. Bill wore his big jacket but I toughed it out in just a jean shirt over my clothes. I would regret that later tonight. We got on the bus and headed over. As soon as we got to the grounds it started sprinkling heavily so we headed over to the exhibit hall. It was really a sales hall with booths selling clothes, jewelry, furniture, art, etc. When we were in here it really started raining so it got a bit crowded as people packed in. We saw a couple of things I think I am going to buy when we come back on Monday.
Once the rain stopped we headed out to check things out. We bought a funnel cake, can't go to a festival without a funnel cake, and shared that. Then we walked around the carnival area -
As we walked around I decided we needed to eat something with protein in it before heading into the concert. I picked a place that was grilling things and we split a garlic chicken kabob - It was huge!
After a bit we finally headed into the arena to find our seats. I wasn't thrilled with them as they were off to the right of the stage. The only advantage was that they were covered in case it rained again.
The opening act was Randy Houser. He is a new comer to country music and has had a hit or two. He wrote songs for many big names before recording himself. Some of his songs are "Boots On" and "How Country Feels".
We weren't thrilled with his performance. It seemed more like he was yelling instead of singing. We also got tired of him yelling "how ya doing Cheyenne".
After a wait of about 30 minutes after Randy finished it was time for the headliner - Alan Jackson! He came out and played and sang many of his hits. He has a pure voice and doesn't use a lot of loud music. We really enjoyed his performance. We just wish we were closer to the stage.
The wind picked up after the sun went down and I got cold. Bill was comfortable in his flight jacket. He did let me use his gloves and that helped. After the show we headed back to get on the bus to head out to the parking lot. We didn't have too long of a wait to board a bus and we were off. Once back on base and at the rig we went to bed. All in all it was a good day. I hope you enjoy the pictures. Remember, you can double click on the slideshow to go to Picasa and enlarge the pictures
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