Waiting...waiting…and more waiting. Cowboy Band members and Six White Horses Riders gathered at the HSU Band Hall at 3:30 Friday morning to load hundreds of pounds of musical instruments and personal luggage for the bus trip to Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport. Most had played an evening engagement at the Stamford Rodeo, and were working on little or no sleep.

Road trips are always fun, but the chatter quickly gave way to snores as everyone pulled out blankets and pillows. Everyone seemed to catch a much needed nap, and students can sleep hard; especially the guy who toppled over and drooled on my shirt.

Imagine 60 groggy people trying to get through airport check-in and security. I don’t think we appreciate the enormity of the logistical challenge placed on the trip coordinator, Dr. Wayne Dorothy, Cowboy Band director, as he checked in students, oversized instruments, dealt with ticket requests that hadn’t properly processed by the airline, waited patiently as 30 late departing passengers were placed in the middle of our group (because their plane was on hold), and counted heads on the other side. After all of his meticulous planning, wouldn’t you know that Dr. Dorothy’s luggage was the only baggage that didn’t make it to Boston?

Airport security was tight as one student had to produce a suspicious bar of soap, another a dangerous looking curling iron….and there was the swarm of special agents as one of my camera lenses looked especially threatening.

Sleep was the order of the day. Students can sleep anywhere. The horse riders found a soft piece of carpet (below) and others just leaned against each other and snored; loudly.

Flight was a new experience for rider Starla Bailiff. She was a little unsure of her decision to travel as the aircraft made a bumpy approach to Atlanta in a wicked cross-wind, and the grimace she made when the plane plopped down and deployed reverse thrusters is a photo I wish I’d taken. But the approach to Boston, with the gentle ocean, scenic lighthouses, and sailing ships brought out the cameras and “ooh how beautifuls.”

Everyone pitched in when baggage needed to be moved. "Royalty" was no exception. The reigning “Miss Abilene,” Bridgette Holmes, who recently competed in the Miss Texas pageant, frequently hauled more than her body weight (seen below making the last of three trips to the bus with luggage).

Everyone did finally arrive at a stopping place, and showers seemed the most popular activity. Even the horse riders, whose next stop was washing the grime off of the six and one-half white horses, felt better about the task after a refreshing clean-up. Mini Me just felt good, period. He sends this Texas Howdy to everyone back home.

One quick note confirmed today. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry’s office has been helping, behind the scenes, with accommodations for the Six White Horses. His office has been very gracious with offers for assistance, and called Debbie Jones again today to see if anything was needed.

The rubber meets the road Saturday morning as the Six White Horses and Cowboy Band lead the entire Lion’s Club International Parade down Boylston Street. We’ll all be there for the special honor. Check in Saturday….

Posted by Dave Coffield · June 30, 2006 11:20 PM · Comments (2)

With the Six White Horses passing through Lexington, Virginia, the Cowboy Band received final instructions for its performance tonight in Stamford (below), and the early 4:00 a.m. departure from Abilene for Boston.

Most of the Cowboy Band members are not taking summer courses, so they’ve been coming in from all over the nation for the Boston trip. Three of the riders and several band members will, in fact, link up with the group at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. Members of both groups agree that pride and commitment brings them in from their summer activities to represent HSU and the State of Texas in Saturday’s parade.

The Texas delegation leads the parade, with representatives from 49 states and 99 nations following. After Texas, the remaining groups follow in alphabetical order. The Six White Horses and Cowboy Band step off promptly at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, followed closely by Angola, Argentina, Bahrain, and Belarus; and the HSU groups will already be focusing on the next convention engagement by the time Thailand, Vatican City, Vermont, and Zambia begin their portion of the parade some 3 hours later.

Posted by Dave Coffield · June 29, 2006 05:00 PM · Comments (0)

As the HSU Cowboy Band goes through final rehearsals for Boston, the Six White Horses are already on the road. “This is the farthest we’ve taken the horses by trailer,” says Debbie Jones, program director, “we’re going to stay on the road and keep stops to a minimum. They’re like little kids, they behave better when they’re moving.”

Logistics for the three-day trip are formidable. In addition to 300 pounds of food, and all the hay, and bedding, Jones and road crew had to load saddles, blankets, bridles, boots, halters, lead ropes, tie-downs, breast harnesses, saddle pads, brushes, curry combs, clippers, hoof picks, flags, flag poles, street banners, rasps, snippers, syringes, antibiotics, tetanus antitoxin, feed buckets, water buckets, needles, liniment, towels, wound dressings, leg wraps, extra curb chains, cinches, buckles, reins, shovels, brooms, flashlights, emergency flares, and, oh yes, six white horses and the little miniature horse, Mini Me.

Jones and her drivers left Abilene at 9:00 p.m. last night and have just passed through Memphis, Tennessee. “We’ve had the horses out once for exercise and will probably stable the horses overnight in Bristol,” says Jones, “The weather will be chilly, so yes, the horses will wear their striped pajamas.”

Posted by Dave Coffield · June 28, 2006 12:02 PM · Comments (3)

When Hardin-Simmons University begins packing 46 Stetson hats, 38 musical instruments, 38 pairs of chaps, and 300 pounds of horse feed plus hay, it can only mean one thing; the Six White Horses and Cowboy Band are hitting the road.

We invite you to visit this blog often to share the adventures of two of the most recognizable representatives of West Texas heritage as they travel to Boston, Massachusetts for the Lions Club International convention and parade.

Although the groups have performed at 7 presidential inaugurations and innumerable Macy’s parades, and at locations as distant as Japan and the Nice Winter Festival in France, this is their first trip to Boston, the birthplace of our nation.

Celebrity magnets since the beginning, the groups have attracted the support of humorist Will Rogers, British hero Lord Mountbatten, Lyndon B. Johnson, John Wayne, Billy Graham, and Jimmy Stewart, among many others. Both Bing Crosby and Bob Hope have donated horses to the Six White Horses program.

The Six White Horses and Cowboy Band were invited to lead the Texas delegation as Texan Jimmy Ross, the first president of Lions Club International from our state in 25 years, presides over the annual convention. Over 12,000 Lions Club members are expected to arrive in Boston for the event, which begins with a 9:30 a.m. parade on 1 Jul and ends with the final plenary session on July 4th.

Check back often for updates. The horses left for their 3-day road trip last night, and the Cowboy Band has one more performance (the Stamford Rodeo and Parade) before boarding the plane in Dallas at 9:58 a.m. on 30 Jun. Cultures will collide as the Cowboy Band "Cow-Steps" through New England. Will Boston ever be the same?

Posted by Dave Coffield · June 28, 2006 09:00 AM · Comments (0)