Traveling with RFN Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas - City of Cowboys and Culture.
By Gale Helser
Dust off your Stetson, kick the mud off your Tony Lama boots and polish up that 10 pound belt buckle. We’re headin’ to where the west begins. That’s right, Fort Worth — the home of the great Longhorn Steer. Even if you’re not a cowboy or cowgirl, I’m sure that at one time in your life you wanted to be one. Now, you can live that dream.
From the moment of our arrival at the Crowne Plaza Fort Worth South, southern hospitality was ever-present from all of the hotel staff. Always a smile on everyone’s face and a “glad you’re here” attitude made the hotel a very relaxing and pleasurable experience. The hotel sponsored a first class welcome reception for all the planners. This afforded a great opportunity to meet and greet with the hotel staff, RFN staff and the planners in a very relaxed atmosphere complete with food and beverages.
Once the conference portion of the ConFAM©
was completed, we were
treated to a genuine Big Texan FAM schedule. Our host, Dave O’Lenick really rolled out the red carpet for us. We dined in style at the Cowtown Diner in Sundance Square, Joe T Garcia’s Patio near the stockyards, and Angelo’s BBQ - all of which offered a flair for the unique western culinary favorites. Everywhere we dined we were WOWED by chefs who outdid themselves. Those of us who have attended ConFAMs©
in the past have often observed that one thing we do Page 46 R E U N I O N F R I E N D L Y N E W S • S umme r , 2 0 1 1
better than anything else is EAT, and Ft. Worth was no exception to this rule. We were living high on the hog.
One of the few things that are “must see and do” features to the area would include a trip to the Stockyards, a true reflection of the old west life style of years past. You can witness a herd of Longhorns driven by seasoned cowboys right down the middle of Exchange Street in the stockyard district. Then, once the herd is securely penned up, the cowboys are there to answer your questions and give you a history lesson about days long past but not forgotten. Next, load up the wagons and head down the road to the Biggest Honky Tonk in the World, Billy Bob’s. Spend the evening dancing and listening to great live music, enjoy a beverage and if your timing is good, you might even see a top name entertainer as we did. Mark Chestnut presented a very entertaining concert and really kept the joint jumpin’. The place is so big that they even have an indoor Rodeo with Bull-Riding shows. You can even have your picture taken on the back of one of these wild bucking bulls. I did, and it’s a great
Marc bull riding
Museum and so much more that you really need to contact Dave O’Lenick for additional information.
Your reunion, if held here, is where the east ends (Dallas) and the west begins (Ft Worth) and will bring out the real cowboy in you. YeeeeeeHa!
piece of memorabilia your reunion will remember for a long time.
If this isn’t enough to capture your interest, there are a few additional places to visit that will appeal to any veteran no matter which branch of the service you served in. Try these on for size: The Veterans Memorial War Park and Meacham Airport, The Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, a Civil War Museum, the Fort Worth Water Gardens, the Kimball Art Museum and Modern Art
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64