White Buffalo Bike Fest

I don’t know how many people know about it but there is a potentially huge event on the horizon for Snyder.

That is the combination of the White Buffalo Bike Fest and White Buffalo Days on October 6-8.

Born out of an idea brainstormed in the Chamber’s Small Business Committee, a group of dedicated bikers have been toiling diligently for many months putting the bike fest together.

They are a very creative bunch and they are doing things right.

The entertainment is first class with the Kentucky Headhunters and Joy Ely.

It may be actually possible to fill the coliseum for the first time in recent memory.

The bike group ( I’m not going to name them all for fear of leaving someone out) has assembled an incredible array of events which will be scattered throughout Snyder.

Sponsors and venders have been lined up for the event.

If things come together right, we could have thousands of riders from all around the country in attendance.

Our area is great for bikers, with open roads and wonderful scenery including a loop around Lake Alan Henry.

Check out their website at whitebuffalobikefest.com.

These guys are what marketing Snyder is all about.

A Window of Opportunity

We need to think about the amount of money our largest companies in Snyder pump into our economy through taxes and employment.

Patterson UTI alone paid in taxes $1,483,000 to Snyder ISD, $325,000 to Scurry County, and $147,000 to WTC.

They employ 183 people in the county, with a payroll of millions of dollars.

Although I don’t have the figures, Kinder Morgan has a similar impact.

And the list goes on.

There is a very real possibility that when Cloyce Talbot retires, Patterson heads for Houston.

Right now, Patterson drilling rigs are rendered for taxation in Scurry County even though the are actually drilling in other counties.

As reported in the Snyder Daily News, Patterson has spent over $500,000 to fight lawsuits brought by other counties trying to get the rigs on their tax rolls.

One of the main problems with keeping the headquarters in Snyder is that some top executives refuse to live in a small town.

However, there are others who would like to live here if they don’t have to sacrifice too many of the activities found in large cities.

That is why Snyder must address these issues now while we are booming.

We have a new school and the park renovations are great.

The commissioners have made the decision to preserve the Scurry County golf course.

We need to develop activities at the coliseum such as the Motor Cycle Rally and Western Swing.

We need a new swimming pool. We can have one for much less than the three million dollar figure that I saw in the paper recently.

Tribute to L. J. Mueller

L. J. Mueller and his fellow workers deserve a lot of credit for reviving the Scurry County Rodeo.

Only a few years ago the rodeo was dead on its feet and looked as if it might be a thing of the past.

L. J. got to work. Called people. Requested chamber money. Tightened the ship and now the rodeo has money in the bank.

Not only that, this year with the added money, a lot of contestants entered the events.
This is good for Snyder.

It brings people to town. Adds to the economy.

It just shows what a determined leader with a great group of helpers can accomplish.

It's an example for the rest of us.

One aside.

I was watching the barrel racing and admiring all the beautiful spirited horses spinning round the barrels and thundering down the stretch.

I leaned over the railing and said to one of the judges in the arena, "I’ve heard some of those horses cost $15,000 or $20,000."

He mumbled something like seventy five hundred.

"Oh, well, $7500 is still a lot of money," I said.

"No," he replied with a disgusted look on his face at my ignorance, "seventy five or a hundred thousand."

I was pretty much speechless as he turned and walked away.

Great Decision on the Golf Course

The commissioners made an important decision on the golf course. I am not a golfer, but Snyder needs all the lifestyle attractions it can get if we are going to keep businesses here and bring in new ones.

When businesses look to locate , they examine very closely the quality of the schools and what "there is to do" in the town.

Many people find a small town attractive if they don’t have to sacrifice too many of the activities available in the city.

Thus, we need to continue to develop our park, our schools, our coliseum, our golf courses, etc.

The great thing about the Scurry County golf course is that it comes with an endowment of several hundred thousand dollars.

With proper management we should not only have a beautiful course but be able to keep it running for years to come with no expense to the county.

It will be a real asset to the community.

This deal was a no brainer.

Thoughts on Rattlesnakes

I live in the country and over the years have encountered hundreds of rattlesnakes.

I have never been bitten. One just learns to be very vigilant.

Myth or Fact:

Cats keep rattlesnakes away.

We used to have cats and I have personally observed a group of three cats surrounding a rattlesnake.

They stayed just out of striking distance.

The snake was coiled, highly agitated and had his rattlers humming full blast.

The cats were kind of lounging around, looking off into the distance, yawning, like they were bored to death.

Therefore, I concluded that the cats don’t actually kill the rattler. The just irritate him so much he finally leaves.

Of course, cats do that to me sometimes so I understand his feelings.

However, I didn’t wait around to test my theory.

I just made sure he departed, for good.

Rattlesnakes Have Hypnotic Powers

I have always heard that rattlesnakes have hypnotic powers but scientists seem to say it is nonsense.

However, my grandfather often told the story of watching a rattlesnake stare down a rabbit. The rabbit would leave, make a small circle and then return to in front of the snake.

Finally the rattler struck and that was the end of the rabbit.

Rattlesnakes always rattle before striking.

All the snakes I knowingly have encountered have rattled a warning. If they had not, I would have been snake bit on a number of occasions.

However, I have heard people tell of snakes that struck without a rattle and I believe them, especially if a snake is surprised.

One thing I am sure of is that if they didn’t rattle before striking there would be large numbers of snake bites in the county.

I have had both dogs and horses bitten by rattlers and it is not a pretty sight.

They developed a huge swelling, then an abscess, then tremendous amounts of drainage.

They were very sick for about a week.

All but one dog recovered, none the worse.

Rattlesnakes are slimy.

Actually they are dry and rough to the touch on top and on the belly smooth but not slimy.

Finally, I have often heard that a cowboy sleeping on the open range used to surround himself with his rope and no rattlesnake would cross it.

As far as I can find, this is a complete myth.

But if it made him sleep better, then whatever.

I sure wouldn't rely on it.

Do you have any stories about rattlesnakes?