May 20, 2022
Not much going on today. One of the perks of the VIP Card is half price for the Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper and Show. We made reservations and we went with our friends Belinda and Cathy. The site is actually part of the movie set from Dances With Wolves. There have been several movies shot in South Dakota and at least 3 in this area.
Fortunately it is an indoor event as we had, you guessed it, snow shower, winds, cold temperatures. The bad news is that the venue was not heated. The good news is the venue had a couple of large propane heaters running. You ate at picnic tables which were arranged in front of the stage. This part was attached to a large open area. Once you are seated at your assigned table, you wait for the dinner bell to ring. Then you go through a chow line. The meal is served on actual tin plates. You are given instructions before hand on what you will receive where in the line. Kind of interesting to me.
The first thing is you pick up your plate. Next you receive your baked potato. It is wrapped in aluminum foil and is smashed flat on your plate so it won’t roll off. Next you receive your beans. Then you have a choice of either a BBQ chicken or brisket. Nancy and I both chose brisket. Next you got your applesauce (western style). This is the only cold item so you have somewhere to hold onto your plate as everything else is hot. When you get your applesauce, they place a piece of waxed paper on top of your plate and then you get your biscuit and your dessert, spice cake. This is almost the end of the line. The last item in this line, is your lemonade served in a tin cup. If you would rather, you had other choices; coffee, decaf coffee, or tea. This was the first time in two years they have had this show. They really have their stuff together.
The food was fabulous. After we ate, we enjoyed the show. It was a five man group. The played, sang, and told some Dad jokes. A couple of the jokes were really good. The music was old country, new country, 70s rock, 90s rock, and patriotic. They had a lot of audience participation too. Was a very enjoyable show. The last song was a mash up of God Bless the USA, America the Beautiful and one other song I don’t remember. Just before the song they took the time to thank the military personnel, LEOs, firefighters and all first responders. They had us raise our hands if we were one of the above mentioned. They had a large American flag in the background. A really good show. Great evening.
