Many people, especially those raised and living in Detroit, NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, etc... have no idea of the freedom of living in a small town in Texas.    We may have one murder every few years (I can't remember when the last one we had here was), and you don't always remember to lock the doors on your truck or even your house when you go to bed - and that doesn't bother you much.

If you have never experienced small town Texas, you may want to check out a video called TUNA TEXAS as it's a play with only 2 characters playing all of the people in a small fictitious town in west Texas.   Now - we live in East Texas that is different in geography, but the way people are here in Texas is pretty much the same in the small towns.

For instance, this morning on the Ranch (that's a local radio station), they were talking about the Hog Festival coming up this weekend in Ben Wheeler, Texas (about 30 miles from me) and the big parade they'll be having this weekend.  


No - Not THAT kind of hog.

This kind of Hog!


They described all of the preparations being made at the Morris Feed Store for Saturday when they crown Miss Hog 2009, which is a local beauty contest.   Now - can you imagine looking at someone's resume where they proudly listed themselves as winning the Miss Hog 2009 pagent?   They talked about the greased pig run they'll have this weekend (Saturday afternoon) and the Corn on the Cob eating contest as well.   More than likely, the mayor of Ben Wheeler will get up and make his usual announcements and on Saturday night, there will be the street dance where you see some of the best Two-Stepping that you've ever seen.



I know that you city slickers up in NYC would rather go spend $300 to see a Broadway Play of a bunch of people you don't even know by name get up and perform, while you sit there drinking fancy drinks - but until you've been to a real live Hog Festival or a Bluegrass Festival in Texas - you haven't REALLY lived.   I'll tell you something else.   At just about any Hog Festival or Bluegrass festival, a woman can get up and go the ladies room and not worry about anyone touching her purse sitting in her seat while she's gone.   Can you say that about some of the shows you go to in those big cities?   I doubt it.   Of course, we know that same woman in Texas probably has a 38 in a holster under her shirt too - and that could be the difference.



if you haven't ever seen Tuna Texas - check out the DVD or video and I promise you that if you even HAVE any relatives living in a small town in Texas - you will recognize some of them in the way these 2 men play those characters.  on top of that - if you haven't ever visited a Hog festival or Bluegrass Festival - you get up off your butt and come on down to East Texas this weekend.     Oh yeah - on Saturday night, I won't be at the Hog Festival as my dad, 2 of my sons and my grandson will be with me at the Lone Star Dirt Track watching the last stock car races this year at our track.  That beats any ole Broadway play any day of the week!