May 19--Day two of Texas Thunder Music Festival began slowly, with a few hundred people sitting, standing and swilling drinks but barely dancing in heat that hovered at about 100 degrees.
They nonetheless seemed to be enjoying themselves. And so did Mayor of West Tommy Muska, there with his family to express his thanks that net proceeds from the three-day event will go to help his town recover from the devastating fertilizer explosion last month.
"It's a pretty long little drive out here for people," he said. "It shows the love and support for the City of West."
Saturday was Muska's first vacation since the tragedy, he said, but it was not quite a vacation, with work ahead on his mind. He showed pictures on his phone of concrete that flew more than a mile and of damage to his home. His town has come a long way, he said. They buried their dead, some of whom were his fellow volunteer firefighters.
"I'm looking forward, and we're gonna rebuild," Muska said, "It's for the professionals to figure out what the hell happened. It happened."
Infrastructure, particularly for water and sewage, needs repair. On Monday, he plans go to Austin to meet with state government officials, hoping for $17 million.
But for Saturday, Musk said his plan was to try and have fun. He brought kolaches to hand out.
Friday night saw about 2,400 people, April Harbour, a managing producer with the festival, estimated. That reflects fewer than the daily ticket sales projected by Herb Graham, owner of Graham Brothers Entertainment, which put on the festival.
A kiosk worker who sells cowboy hats at festivals throughout the state offered one possible explanation, besides the heat.
"They didn't let people bring their own beer, so a lot just stayed home," said Katrina Edscom, out of San Angelo. They do at Crude Fest. "But people should really pack in tonight for Randy Rogers," she continued.
And she also said she thought the production, especially the stage, was great.
Organizers didn't expect to sell-out, said one of the festival's publicists, Jeremy Westby.
"We want to get our feet wet, get the site where it needs to be and move forward from there," he said, adding national acts are a possibility for next year.
By early evening, the crowd had expanded a bit. There were more people dancing, like the 21-year-old couple Hunter Williams and Shasta Hector, who brought a camper from Coahoma to see some of their favorite acts. The festival is all Texas country music, and that's what they said they like.
"Campin', drinkin' beer, makin' memories man," said Williams, who wore a Mohawk. "That's what it's all about."
Wade Bowen, who would play Saturday, is his "all-time favorite." Hector felt similarly about Josh Abbott Band, who played Friday. And both said they felt good about donating to West.
"We were gonna come anyway," Williams said. "But it's awesome, having a good time, drinking beer and helping everybody out."
Texas ThunderFEST CONTINUES SUNDAY
--Where: Texas Thunder Festival Grounds, 7800 Interstate 158, Gardendale.
--When: Bands play from 1 p.m. -- 10 p.m.
--Cost: Single-day tickets are $35.
--Call (855) 362-0535 for more information.
Contact Corey Paul on Twitter @OAcrime on Facebook at OA Corey Paul or call 432-333-7768.
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