Roscoe Celebrates July 4th This Saturday

Bruce Robison and wife Kelly Willis are the headliners at the free concert.

Final preparations are underway for Roscoe’s Independence Day Celebration this Saturday, July 6, and the event’s organizers are once again planning a day to remember.

The day will begin at 8am with the Roscoe Lions Club Pancake Breakfast in the open building just west of the Smackers building on Broadway. Then at ten o’clock, the parade will come down Broadway, followed by the Plowboy Mudbog at George Parks Field beginning at twelve.

During the afternoon, street vendors will be open and selling food and other wares along Broadway, Cypress, and Old Town Park, and the Roscoe Historical Museum will be open for visitors.

The Roscoe Express will be available to shuttle people free of charge between downtown and the Plowboy Mudbog during the afternoon. 

Music will begin “on the bricks” of Cypress with Tanner Fenoglio at around six-thirty. Then, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis will take the stage at eight and play until 9:30, followed by the ever-popular fireworks show beginning at about 9:45.

Here are more details about the various events of the day:

PANCAKE BREAKFAST

The Lions Club Pancake Breakfast will start at 8am and end at 10am before the start of the parade. Pancakes, bacon, coffee, and juice will be served for $5/plate in the empty building next to the former Smacker’s Café on Broadway. All proceeds from the ticket sales and breakfast will be used to support the Roscoe Lions Club charitable activities for the year.

PARADE

Once again, parade organizers invite your participation. They are looking for creativity and variety. Float awards will be presented to best overall, best western, and most patriotic. Prizes will also be awarded to the best antique vehicle, best motorcycle, best bicycle, and best semi. Anything is welcome!

The parade will start at 10:00am.  Line-up will be on West Broadway at 9:30am, and judging will be at 9:45am.

For more information, call Valerie Pruitt at 325-338-4666.

PLOWBOY MUDBOG

This year’s Plowboy Mudbog at George Parks Field will feature mudboggers from as far away as Dallas, Amarillo, and New Mexico. Registration for entrants begins at 9:30am Saturday morning at the northwest corner of the baseball field at Second and Sycamore Streets.  The driver entry fee is $30.

Entries will be in five classes:
1.    Street: 35” tires and under with limited engine modification.
2.    Super Street: 35” with engine vac under 13”.
3.    Modified: 36” to 39” with limited engine modification.
4.    Super Modified: 36” to 39” with engine vac under 13”.
5.    Open: 40” and over.

Since there’s an advantage in going last rather than first, each mud vehicle makes two runs, with the second run in reverse order from the first.

The public gate will open at 11:00am with mudbog action beginning at noon. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students 11 to 16. Kids 10 and under are free.  Proceeds will benefit the Roscoe Baseball Little League. The Little League will also run the concession booth.

Time permitting, there will also be a Plowboy Mudbog “Dash for Cash,” an entertaining event featuring kids running through knee-deep mud.

Spectators are encouraged to bring sun block, mosquito repellent, canopy, and lawn chairs. For more information, see the Plowboy Mudbog Facebook page, or contact Felix Pantoja at 325-514-8384.

THE FREE CONCERT AND STREET DANCE

The music stage will be set up on Cypress Street downtown between the Roscoe State Bank and Old Town Park. Tanner Fenoglio will open the show at around 6:30, followed by this year’s feature act, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis, who will begin around eight o’clock and play until 9:30 or so.

THE FIREWORKS SHOW

The fireworks show should once again be a memorable event that fittingly tops off the day. 

The show begins at about 9:45pm and will last about twenty minutes.
 
AFTER THE FIREWORKS

Those who are still not done celebrating can then go to the Lumberyard, where until 1 o’clock there will be dancing with live music provided by Pat Waters and his Chain Link Band free of charge.

So, if you're in the area on Saturday, make plans to attend, bring lawn chairs and coolers, and help us celebrate the country’s independence!

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ABOUT THE BANDS:
Opening Act: Tanner Fenoglio

The Tanner Fenoglio Band

Originally from Nocona and now based in Fort Worth, Tanner Fenoglio is married with two kids, has been to college and worked 80-hour weeks in the oil patch. But since high school he has always aspired to a music career. He recently released his first CD, This Town, an LP.

Singles include “This Town,” “Cheap Gasoline,” and “This Ain’t the Movies.”

Headliners: Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis

Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis

Husband and wife team Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis are currently on a cross-country tour celebrating the recent release of Beautiful Lies, their latest album. It is their fourth album produced together. They were married in 1996 and have four children.

Both made their names as single performers before marrying and getting together as a duo.

Bruce Robison, the brother of country singer Charlie Robison, has been better known as a songwriter than an individual performer. Songs he wrote that have hit number one on the country charts include Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s “Angry All the Time,” the Dixie Chicks’ “Travelin’ Soldier,” and George Strait’s “Wrapped.” Originally from Bandera, he began his singing career over twenty years ago and in that time has produced twelve albums, including four with his wife. His most recent solo album is The Back Porch Band, released in 2017.

Kelly Willis has also had a singing career separate from her husband’s. Her most recent solo effort is a soul-and-country gem entitled Back Being Blue, released last year. She and Bruce have been married since 1996 and have four children.

The Austin-based couple’s most popular singles as a duet include “Angry All the Time,” “Long Way Home,” and “Leaving.”  
 
After the fireworks: Pat Waters

Pat Waters & the Chain Link Band

Pat Waters came to a music career relatively late in life, not buying his first guitar until he was twenty. Born and raised in Bridgeport, he went to college at North Texas and graduated with a degree in marketing.  He and his uncle partnered up and now own an oil field construction company and a trucking company.  He got his first gig by answering an ad in the Dallas Morning News and playing two songs in an opry house for $25 and, in doing so, found that music was something he wanted to pursue.

He considers himself a family man and homebody who takes his sons hunting and fishing. His music is traditional country, and his latest album is Sorry ‘Bout the Mess. Singles include “You Ain’t Never Been to Texas,” “Texas Tears and Mexican Beer,” and “Love You Back to Texas.”

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FREE SWIMMING AT THE CITY POOL TOMORROW, JULY 4

July 4th Special: No Charge for Swimming at City Pool.

In celebration of July 4th, the City Swimming Pool will be open and offer free swims tomorrow. Hours are from 1-6pm. The pool will be closed Saturday for two private parties.

For more information, contact Pool Manager Candy Aguayo at 325-232-4086.

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WEATHER REPORT: TYPICAL SUMMER HEAT

The southeastern sky yesterday afternoon.

It’s summertime in west Texas, and the weather is showing it with hot, sunny days and summer clouds along with southerly winds. Afternoon temperatures are in the nineties with morning lows in the seventies, and each day is pretty much like the day before—and the day following.

This past week, Saturday’s high was 96°F, Thursday’s was 92°, and the other days were somewhere in between. The low for the week was 68° on both Thursday and Monday.

The coming week will be about the same with slightly warmer temperatures. Today’s high will be around  92°, increasing to 95° tomorrow and 96° on Friday and Saturday. Lows will also be slightly warmer at 72° and 73°.

Rain is once again unlikely with chances of precipitation at 10% to 20% at least through the weekend. However, forecasters are currently saying there is a 40% chance of rain next Monday.

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