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Texas Redneck Games move to Alto this weekend
Matthew Girard
Jacksonville Progress
ALTO — The 2006 edition of the Texas Redneck Games are packing up and headed south this weekend to the Shiloh Ridge Off-Road Park in Alto.
In previous years, the Redneck Games were held at the Rabbit Creek ATV-RV Park in Kilgore, but owner of Rabbit Creek and creator of the Redneck games, Oscar Still, said he moved the games to Shiloh Ridge because the event had out-grown his park.
“As many people that are coming to it now, I’ve got to have more room,” said Still, who expects 8,000 to 10,000 people at this year’s games. “Shiloh Ridge park is a large venue, and they’ve got a bigger camp ground. That’s the reason I moved it down there.”
The Texas Redneck Games, which take place on Saturday, will be in conjunction with Shiloh Ridge’s third annual Texas Truck “Off-Road Shootout,” which will be on Sunday.
Saturday’s Redneck games include a “Starter Toss,” “Mudpit Belly Buster” contest, a “Spam-eating” contest, and other “Redneck” related games.
There are no entry fees for the games, but contestants should enter at 8 a.m. on Saturday, with the games beginning at 10 a.m.
Still said he started the games because he thought it would be fun.
“I just started it a couple of years ago on a whim,” Still said. “I just thought it would be a fun thing to try, and it’s really turned into a big deal.”
Sunday’s Texas Truck “Off-Road Shootout” will feature an “X-treme Truck Hill Challenge” at 10 a.m., the “Tuff Truck Track” at 1 p.m., and the “Tuff Truck Tug-O-War” contest at 4 p.m.
The registration fee for the “Off-Road Shootout” is $20 per truck, per event with a 100 percent payback to first, second, and third place. Registration for the events will be at 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
Along with the games and off-road challenges, the event will also feature entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. Kyle Hunt will perform at 8 p.m., followed by Bob-O and The Mojo’s at 10:30 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday night, Mark Cooke and Cooke County Line will start the evening entertainment at 6 p.m., followed by B’Ann Grant at 8 p.m. and Kevin Fowler at 10:30 p.m.
Gate admission for the weekend is $20 per person, $15/ATV and $15/ORV. RV hookups are available by reservation only.
Still said if people are looking to have a good time, Shiloh Ridge is the place to be this weekend.
“It’s just a fun event,” Still said. “It’s just a blast.”
For more information about the Texas Redneck Games or the Texas Truck “Off-Road” Shootout, call (903) 984-8257. For more information about Shiloh Ridge, call (800) 432-3965.
- Daily Progress, Jacksonville, TX
Lone Star ladies step into the limelight
12:29 PM CDT on Thursday, July 20, 2006
By MARIO TARRADELL / The Dallas Morning News
Female singers and songwriters are not plentiful in Texas' male-dominated country and roots music scene. On one hand, there are Pat Green, Jack Ingram, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Robert Earl Keen and Bruce Robison, and on the other, there are the Dixie Chicks and Trish Murphy.
Two years ago, Wimberley's Bonnie Bishop stomped onto the map with two CDs showcasing her brand of roadhouse R&B, folk-infused country and blues. Now we have two more women ready to add a feminine touch to Lone Star music: Dallas' B'Ann and Austin's Christina Roberts. Both have debut discs, B'Ann's No Place Like Home and Ms. Roberts' Our Secret Is Good. And to make things more interesting, the two artists are on opposite ends of the stylistic spectrum.
Hometown country girl B'Ann (nee B'Ann Grant) themed her promising album around songs penned by local unsung songwriters such as Plano's Kevin Bounds, Dallas' Tim Cooper and Larry Massey and Denton's Troy Powers. Recorded last year at Cooper Sound in Dallas, No Place Like Home boasts a clean, uncluttered sound brimming with dobro, fiddle and steel guitar as well as electric guitar, bass, drums and keyboards.
Vocally, she's rich and soulful with a tone that sits somewhere between Patsy Cline and Patty Loveless. She's old-timey with a honky-tonk flair on "I'm Through Being Blue," sassy on the traditional shuffle "Nothin' Like You" and melancholy on the country ballad "What Are You Doing on My Mind." Mostly there's honesty and heart running through the dozen tracks. To buy the album, go to www.banncountry.com.
Ms. Roberts, a former communications aide for President Bush, wrote and recorded Our Secret Is Good in Austin and Houston. She's a Houston native who now resides in Austin. Her muse is folkie with a slight rock edge. She picks up the tempo on "Man of No Promises" and then tries her solo piano technique on the sparse "Pink With Pearls." She wrote all her songs and co-produced the entire CD.
Her timbre warms up the room with its huskiness. She sounds influenced by the vocal styling of Carrie Newcomer, Rosanne Cash and Annie Lennox. At times the 10 songs on Secret tend to have too much of a similar vibe, so she needs to work on varying the sonic textures of her songwriting. But Ms. Roberts sure has potential, especially on memorable tunes such as "The Magic Holds" and "Austin, Mother Me."
If you're in Austin, catch Ms. Roberts live Monday or July 31 at 8:30 p.m. at Momo's. For copies of Our Secret Is Good, head over to www.cdbaby.com or www.amazon.com.
E-mail mtarradell@dallasnews.com
- Dallas Morning News
Discography
No Place Like Home, 2006 Cooper Sound Recording
Trouble is a Woman, 2007 AMR Music Company
Photos
Bio
As I was sorting through scholarship offers and preparing for college, I realized that I wanted to be a country singer. After two years of opry's, gospel conventions and karaoke passed, I got a little break. While preparing a four song demo for a major label, the local studio owner asked me to sign with his firm and record an album(Cooper Sound Recording, Dallas, TX). The result was No Place Like Home, an album consisting of all original, traditional country music written by Texas songwriters(www.banncountry.com). Neither Mr. Cooper, nor I really knew what to do after completing the album. So, we hired Roger Ramsey Corkill to promote the album and my Dad and I began calling on radio stations in an effort to “chart” the music. We fell just short of making the “Bubbling Under” on the Texas Music Chart.
Well, we managed to sell a few copies of the first album through Tower Records and my website. The most impressive sales effort though was by my mother, Beletta Grant who sold a number of copies through the 50 year old family owned beauty shop, J'Nell's.
The most important lesson I learned from this experience was that I needed real help! My very good friend and bass player, James Anderson, introduced me to Michael Kubiak. Mike has a great background in the music business. He managed John Nitzinger, a performer and song writer of note and has successfully produced both live shows and albums. Mike and I acquired songs from cutting edge songwriters in Nashville. To evaluate the songs on a live audience, I “booked in” to open for Kevin Fowler at the Red Neck Games in Alto, TX. (August ’06). We then began recording the second album, Trouble is a Woman at Palmyra Studios, an analogue/digital studio owned and operated by Paul Middleton, Bonnie Raitt’s award winning sound engineer. The new album was mastered in March, 2007 by George Guerin at DES Mastering (www.desmastering.com).
I have hired a performing band and am in rehearsals twice a week. My set initial set list will be 48 songs with seventeen of those being original compositions from the two albums. The balance of the set list will be cover songs that are venue appropriate
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