Fort Worth Main Street Arts Festival April 14 - 17

Fort Worth's annual Main Street Arts Festival is the best such thing I have ever seen.

Music, art and food.

The festival is free. Exxcept, you do have to pay for food.

Follow Facebook's Traces of Texas For Lone Star State History

If you are a Texan, or an aficionado of Texas history, there is a Facebook Community page called Traces of Texas which you might want to check out and follow.

Traces of Texas posts extremely interesting historical photos, usually sent in by readers, with the photos sometimes being of a general interest sort, with others being photos showing ancestors from long ago living life in Texas.

The explanatory text is often colorful and as illustrative as the photos.

For example the following text describing the photo you see below the text.....

"Traces of Texas reader Guy Choate kindly shared this sensational photo of a group of bicyclists in San Angelo, circa 1900. The "San Angelo Wheelmen" were a bicycling club that formed during the bicycling craze that gripped early 20th century America. I don't know if there are words to describe how good this is. Look at the clothing being worn by the girls in front. And it's hot enough riding a bike in Texas in a t-shirt and spandex. Can you imagine doing so attired thusly? Wow. Every person in this photo is wearing a hat."

As a modern day mountain biker, who frequently gets flat tires, the above was quite interesting, causing curiosity as to what constituted bike tires way back in the early 1900s.

The Mountain & Canton First Monday Trade Days

Canton's First Monday Trade Days may be the biggest such event in the world. Well worth a visit.

Recently we received a blog comment about Canton and First Monday Trade Days which included so much good information it is worth repeating here....

If you haven't visited Canton Texas lately, either for the First Monday Trade Days or any time of the year, now is the time to revisit!

During market weekends or even during "off-market" times, you'll want to stay on The Mountain in Canton! Meandering footpaths and wooded trails lead to quaint and cozy bed and breakfasts nestled among the trees, where blue jays and other songbirds help start the day! And in the early summer evening let the fireflies light your way!

The Dockside Cottages is one of several B&B's that offer accommodations throughout the month. Rooms are crisp and clean, hosts are warm and hospitable, and the getaway will rejuvenate your soul! Rates start as low as $95 per room, per night.

If planning an special event, be sure to check out the newest private event venue in the region, Boot Hill, opening on The Mountain in Canton, Texas, March 5, 2016 at 5:30PM. The soft opening will be during First Monday Trade Days with a fun night of Karaoke starting at 8:00PM.

For hosting your own private event, you can book the entire place (complete with full catering kitchen) at Boot Hill, or book the big outdoor decks for an enchanting event under the tall oaks and cedars!

You can find more information about Boot Hill on Facebook at Boot Hill Entertainment & Private Event Venue - and the new website will be coming soon to www.BootHillPlace.com

The Dockside Cottages is also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheDocksideCottages/

Call or text them at 214-463-8463 

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An overnight stay on The Mountain in Canton would be fun. We saw The Mountain on the last visit to Canton.

A map to help you find your way to Canton and The Mountain and First Monday Trade Days.

Amarillo's Big Texan Steak Ranch Free Steak Dinner

If you've driven through Amarillo on Interstate 40 you've likely noticed the Big Texan Steak House. It is hard to  miss. The Big Texan Steak Ranch opened way back in 1960 on what was then known as Route 66, also known as the Main Street of America and the Mother Road.

The Big Texan Steak Ranch is known the world over for its Free 72 oz. Steak Dinner, the Texas King Meal. Free if you can eat the whole dinner, a dollar per ounce if you can not.

The Big Texan Steak Ranch website is informative. There we learn how the Free Steak Dinner came to be....

Cowboys from across the area came to the Big Texan for a good steak, and Bob had noticed more than once that everyone enjoyed the friendly carnivorous competition between the cowboys. One Friday night, Bob pulled the local guys together to see who could eat the most. He charged them five dollars apiece to participate with the pot awarded to the winner at the end of the contest. The rules were simple: don’t leave the table until you’re finished, and if you lost your dinner you lost the contest.

After quickly devouring a couple of steaks, one hungry hand asked for a salad and a shrimp cocktail. A couple of steaks later, he asked for a baked potato and a dinner roll. After eating those sides, he asked for his fifth, one-pound steak. When the cowboy finished, he had consumed 72-oz. of good Texas beef along with the rest of the dinner. Bob vowed that night that anyone else who could match that limit would get his or her dinner free, if they could do it within the one-hour time limit.

On the Big Texas Steak Ranch website you will find The 72 OZ Steak Rules....

1. Meal consists of: Shrimp Cocktail, Baked Potato, Salad, with Roll, Butter, and of course the 72 oz. Steak
2. Entire meal must be completed in one hour. If any of the meal is not consumed (swallowed)…YOU LOSE!
3. Before the time starts, you will be allowed to cut into the steak, and take one bite. If the steak tastes good and is cooked to your satisfaction, we will start the time upon your acceptable approval. The time will not stop, and the contest is on, so make SURE before you say “yes.”
4. Once you have started you are not allowed to stand up, leave your table, or have anyone else TOUCH the meal.
5. You will be disqualified if anyone assists you in cutting, preparing or eating of your meal. This is YOUR contest.
6. You don’t have to eat the fat, but we will judge this.
7. Should you become ill, the contest is over… YOU LOSE! (Please use the container provided as necessary.)
8. You are required to pay the full amount up front; if you win we will refund 100%.
9. You must sit at a table that we assign.
10. If you do not win the steak challenge, you are welcome to take the leftovers with you.
11. No consumption or sharing of the leftovers is allowed in the restaurant once the contest is over.
12. If you fail to complete the challenge, you must pay the full $72 dollars.

Wikipedia has an article about The Big Texan Steak Ranch in which we learn the current record for eating the entire Texas King meal belongs to 125 pound competitive eater named Molly Schuyler. who first took the record when shecleaned her plate in 4 minutes 58 seconds and then completed a second Texas King meal in 14 minutes 57 seconds. A year later Molly returned to the Big Texan Steak Ranch and broke her own record by 40 seconds.

How could a 125 pound woman eat that much steak so quickly? 72 ounces is 4.5 pounds. And on top of all that beef there's the shrimp cocktail, baked potato and a buttered roll.

I probably won't be stopping at the Big Texan Steak Ranch for the Texas King meal the next time I pass through Amarillo.

Unless I am really really hungry....

2016 Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo & Parade

The 2016 edition of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo opens January 15 and runs through February 6.

The Fort Worth Stock Show’s “All Western Parade” is scheduled (weather permitting) for Saturday, January 16, 2016 at 11 a.m. in Downtown Fort Worth.

An all-western parade means humans, horses and wagons – with no motorized vehicles allowed in the parade.

You are allowed to use a motorized vehicle to get yourself to Downtown Fort Worth for the parade.

The Big Boots Of Big Tex Are Ready To Walk The 2015 State Fair of Texas

Those are the big boots of Big Tex, looking mighty fine at the 2007 edition of the State Fair of Texas,

The 2015 edition of the State Fair of Texas is opening in Fair Park in Dallas on September 25, closing on October 18.

Big Tex is a giant, talking, animatronic cowboy in Dickey jeans and Justin boots.

Fernie's Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly won the Big Tex Choice Award this year, out tasting the other finalists who came up with concoctions like Chicken Fried Lobster with Champagne Gravy, Deep Fried Alligator's Egg Nest, Fried Beer-Battered Buffalo, Pretzel-Crusted Pollo Queso and Smoky Bacon Margarita.

The Smoky Bacon Margarita won the coveted Big Tex Choice Most Creative Award. You will need to prove you are 21 to order a Smoky Bacon Margarita.

Below is video of an Eyes on Texas look at the 2007 State Fair of Texas. In the video you will see and hear Big Tex, among many other things.....

Big Tex Best Taste Choice Award Goes To Fernie's Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly

Well, we were sure Chicken Fried Lobster with Champagne Gravy or Deep Fried Alligator's Egg Nest, one or the other, would be the surefire winner of the State Fair of Texas Big Tex Choice Award for Best Taste.

Instead the coveted Best Taste Award went to Fernie's Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly by Christi Erpillo

One would have thought the Holy Moly Roly part of the name would have been enough to leave  a bad taste in the mouth of the taste testers.

You have to be 21 years old, or older, to sample the winner of the Big Tex Choice Most Creative Award because that award went to the Smoky Bacon Margarita created by Isaac Rousso who somehow was able to infuse a frozen lime-based Margarita with smoky bacon.

Seems a bit odd to give a State Fair Food Award to an alcohol concoction that fairgoing kids can not imbibe in.

You can read the descriptive details of all the Deep Fried Finalists, and the one non-Deep Fried Finalist, in our previous blog post about the 2015 Big Tex Choice Awards Finalists.