Don't get me wrong.  I'd love to go to some of these events but when I see people struggling to put food on the table and to keep the roof over their head, then the money this type of event costs seems far too high.  My uncle rode in the parade many years and I know some to the local cowboys who have won and won big.

But as previous posts indicate the beer and drinking tend to spoil it.  I left the last parade I went to smelling of beer from guys so drunk they splahed it around.  The American flag was not honored by many.  The participants in this events are not the problem but the spectators make it bad.

On such a note, a bit on the lighter side, back in the 70's a big guy, custom harvester from TX we knew very well, was walking downtown one night with some of his crew and family and my brother was there also.  There was a fight brewing with a crowd gathered round.  Ol Buck reached down and picked up one of the many beer bottles laying on the street and pitched it high in the air and right into the middle of what to that point had only been words.  A real ruckus broke out as Buck and crew mosied on down the street.

As a j\unior leader in 4H we served the pancake breakfast for many years and it became so popular that the Chamber took it over.  There became a tradition of a local cement contractor furnishing a brand new cement truck each year for mixing the pancake badder.  I don't know if that still is the tradition.  The breakfast became training for the local civil defense for feeding a large mass of people in a hurry, and the eating always was good when I went..

We knew the Bruegman's well and they furnished stock.  Paul was a nationally recognized pickup man until he was seriously injured at the NFR and never fully recovered.

In high school our band marched in the parades, hoping the street sweepers were between us and the horses ahead.  I love the horses and wagons and the old cars and tractors.

So, yes, I encourage anyone to attend.  It is a great event, but it does have many drawback that are not obvious to the casual observer.