Last week I visited one of my best friends from high school who now attends Auburn University. I have lived in Texas for 3 months but nothing could have prepared me for this trip. Roughly two months ago me and three of my friends decided we would make a 4-day trip to good ol' Alabama and attend our first rodeo show. Professor Keppel if you are reading this then I know what you're thinking. No, this was not an educational trip.
This was a rodeo qualifier for young adults to compete trying to become professionals. The events went on throughout the day beginning at 11 a.m. and finishing up at 4 p.m. During that time I watched young boys attempt to hold on for dear life while they were thrown off wild bulls. We also watched brave women dress goats in bathing suits, milk them, and drink the milk all just for front row seats to the Alan Jackson concert at the end of the night.
How does this relate to my topic you ask? Beer plays a huge role in my post for today. In the morning we planned on leaving and heading to the rodeo at 8 a.m. but did not arrive until noon due to all of the traffic. We were at a dead stop in the middle of the road sitting in the back of a truck along with hundreds of other people in their trucks waiting in line for the rodeo. Traffic was backed up for miles down the road. There were people playing corn hole, bonging beers, and playing dizzy bat while other cars drove by. I have never seen anything like this before in my life. If you didn't have someone in your group with an American flag you were not welcome.
We had purchased a parking pass to secure a spot for us at the rodeo. However, as we made our way down the road we began to see cars and trucks full of people turning around. There were police officers every couple miles trying to control the traffic and chaos going on throughout the day. One officer informed us that they had overbooked parking at the rodeo and that we had to turn around and take a shuttle. I hopped off the truck to inform the other trucks lined up behind us. That did not settle well with them at all. I literally watched countless shirtless men approach the police officer threatening him saying they would drive their trucks through the barbwire fences because they paid for their spot.
Wondering how this conflict was solved? A lot of angry people ended up throwing full beer cans at police officers screaming to let them in. This is not a joke. I have never experienced such determination to get in to an event. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences I have had in my lifetime. I hope that they are better prepared for next year's rodeo. Advice for today; Beer can and WILL be used as a weapon when necessary.
If you think I was exaggerating about the traffic, here is your proof!
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