An Annual Event?

Guess what? We went to the Monster Truck Jam...again! Ha! This past weekend Hannah, our friend from TX, came to scope out Faulkner, so she stayed with us over the weekend. We had a few options, but she thought the Monster Truck Jam would be a perfect Saturday night event. We agreed and headed off.

It really is a cultural experience. It might not be the type of culture you expect at a "cultural event," but it is cultural none-the-less. How often do you get to see people who never come to the "city" make a debut at the Coliseum (our local arena)? How how often do you get to see beer, nachos and cotton candy served at a family event? How often do you see people proudly wave their Grave Digger pennants in the air? I'm telling you, it's great.

Justin, Hannah and I chose to get the most out of our experience. As with most cultural experiences, one should fully immerse themselves and try to blend in. After a quick trip to Wally World, we were well on our way. Hannah and I had on Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirts and Justin had his cowboy work boots, Carhart pants, Mississippi State hoodie sweatshirt and cammo Chevy hat. (He only had to purchase the hat--the rest he owns...) Step one, check...We all looked great and blended in.

The second step is to allow yourself to feel a part of the culture. Now, I wouldn't recommend beer or a chaw of tobacco (although Justin did fake one), but you must come into the experience with excitement, just like everyone else. Talk freely about your love of Grave Digger and Big Foot. Then once the show begins and the master of ceremonies has commenced the show, holler with excitement and joy! Choose a truck you'd like to see win and give them your all. Now, the best activity is the "Cyclone." The Cyclone is where the truck spins in a circle...it is amazing. Grave Digger, as we saw last year, is the best. Who knew truck driving actually required talent and training. You can easily spot the novice drivers. Now there was one guy who hadn't been driving very long and during his time of the Cyclone competition, he just drove around the arena and didn't even try. I could not believe "Big Crunch" didn't even attempt, once again novice flashes in my mind. I know it's time to fully embrace my experience. I look around, tilt my head back and holler, "Go Home Big Crunch! Go Home! Zero...yer nothin'...GO HOME!!" Even some of the locals gave me a glance. ahem...Step two, become part of the culture, check.

[I'll try to add a video here]

Step three to enjoying the show, is people watching! Talk about some serious mullets, WOW! Business in the front, party in the back. There were some major parties going on! I love watching the kids too. They get so excited and squeal with delight in their redneck draw. After the show one little boy ask, "Diddy, can we call Granny and tell her about the race?" He had to share his excitement with somebody! One side note, I cannot believe all the parents who bring their kids with NO earplugs. After last year, I made sure to pack extra plugs and guess what...the little boy sitting next to Hannah had NO earplugs and was terrified by the noise. What are these people thinking? AND people bring their babies...I'm talking babies. Those that can't walk, feed themselves or even hold their heads up! That's irresponsible!! Okay, back to the good stuff. The other people I like to look for are those who were forced to come. For example, there was a girl who sat behind us. She was dressed for a casual date, looked nice and pretty. She was there with her boyfriend or maybe even husband...somewhere in the range. She refused to even look at the arena! It was hilarious. She would look in the opposite direction and do the long blink. I know she was thinking the entire time (1) he's gonna pay for this, (2) I hope no one I know sees me here, (3) this is so redneck! I really wanted to tell the sweet girl that guess what, you really have a lot of fun if you'd just let loose. We're not redneck either, but you have to appreciate it for what it is! Be confident that (1) you are not a redneck and (2) who you really are! She really missed out on a great opportunity all because of her embarrassment. Step three, check.

Anywho, we had a great time with Hannah and were so happy to have a little bit of TX in AL! Hannah, please come visit us again!!!