The day is starting out cloudy and wet, but warm at 64 degrees. I checked the weather and the light rain that is falling is supposed to clear out by noon. So it is off to Bandera again.
The Bandera Cattle Company (http://www.banderacattlecompany.com/) offered us a history lesson on the cattle drive and what life was like “back in the day”. Today’s reenactment was about how the cowboys on these cattle drives were greeted by the towns folk of the communities they passed through, and how their rowdy attitude brought much of their troubles upon themselves.
After the show we head off to find some food and entertainment.
Our first stop was the Chickin Coop. Originally this honky-tonk was named Bandera Saloon but everyone in town thought it looked like a chicken coop. When the business was sold, the new owners changed its name.
After we ordered I started looking around the place and noticed that the ceiling was covered with burlap and galvanized steel. John said “Yep, looks like a chicken coop from the inside too.”
Bob and Linda with their back-up band entertain the patrons every Saturday afternoon. It was fun watching the locals stream in and the fun bantering that went on between the crowd and the performers.
Our next stop was Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar formerly know as the Fox Hole. It is the oldest continuously operating honky-tonk in Texas, established in 1901. It is under the General Store. The red door in the picture below is the entrance and “store front” of the Silver Dollar.
We descended a very dark stairway into the bar and we were greeted by the sounds of Arkey Blue and the Blue Cowboys. We found a seat and enjoyed the atmosphere and music; Arkey and his band were pretty darn good.
The most….interesting? fixture in this establishment, though I did not get to see it, was in the men’s bathroom. As John was going in, two men were coming out and commented that he was a brave man. He couldn’t imagine what they meant.
It didn’t take him long to figure it out. Rather than normal urinals they had a trough and he said it was disgusting. The woman’s bathroom was….normal and not disgusting.
After all that bar/honky-tonk hoppin’ we were all worn out and headed home.
