Give Cancer The Boot!

This weekend I attended the Cattlemen's Ball near Doniphan.  Friday night I stayed at a hotel in Hastings where around 11:30 pm the tornado sirens went off and I spent some time on the phone with  Ed while sitting in the bathtub in my room....I guess that's the safest place to go.  It poured rain and golfball size hail.  The next morning the hood of Ed's pickup was pretty dinged up.

It usually rains every year for the Cattlemen's Ball, but that doesn't slow anything down.  Naturally I didn't pack properly and wore sandals and crop pants and thinking to myself as I walk through the mud..."note to self...pack boots, sweater and jeans for next year."  But how can you complain when you think of someone going through cancer and sitting for 8 hours or so receiving chemo therapy.

Myself and 3 other Nebraska wineries poured samples during the wine tasting yesterday afternoon.  If you've never been to the Cattlemen's Ball, it is a very exciting event and huge!  Even if you aren't a farmer or raise cattle...this is a fun event.

They have several tents set up that are anywhere from 200'-300+' to accommodate all the activities.  One tent is dedicated to what they call the General Store filled with vendors selling all kinds of high quality products from handmade jewelry to gorgeous Amish furniture.  

Another tent also filled with more vendors is where the style show is.  All clothes, jewelry, shoes, bags, etc. are made in Nebraska and the models are the stars...because they have given cancer the boot.  In fact I met Kyle Rosfeld there.  Kyle used to be a ranch hand and now makes a living in the Valentine, NE area designing and custom making boots, handbags, even wine bottle holders.  Kyle uses some old equipment and old traditional methods to make his boots.  The craftsmanship is stunning.

There are hundreds of wonderful items for auction and raffle.  Many beautiful boots were donated and autographed by famous people from country stars to Warren Buffet and Bill Gates.

The last evening is a HUGE prime rib dinner catered by Chances "R" from York, NE.  I don't know how they can feed the masses and still keep the food consistent.   Their prime rib is the best and even at an event this huge you can get a piece from rare to medium well done.

The 2010 Cattleman's Ball will be in Buffalo County (Kearney, NE) next year which is unusual to have it in the same area two years in a row.  I believe the dates are June 4th & 5th, so mark your calendars and get ready to have a great time and support cancer research.