Hereford's got the cojones, let's do something with 'em

A while back I asked for suggestions on what we could do to attract tourism to Hereford.
I didn’t get much response, but the best idea came from Jigger Rowland.
So blame him, not me.
Jigger said we should take advantage of our position as the Beef Capital of the World to host the annual World Championship Calf Fry Cook-off.
Why not?
This town has got the cojones to pull it off. In fact, we can supply them in abundance. All we need are the cooks to vie for the title and a crowd willing to shell out a few clams on those oysters.
If we cook up the right scheme, we could make national or even international headlines. We could time the competition with one of the existing events such as the Independence Day celebration or the Spicer Gripp roping.
Just think of the promotional slogans we could come up with.
“You want fries with that!”
“No bull!”
“We’ll steer you right in Hereford.”
“Goodness Gracious Great Balls of Fire.”
“The reason we’re called the Hostile Herd.”
Maybe we could have our own beauty pageant and crown Miss Calf Fry (or, to be fair, the Oyster King). We could get the Guinness Book of World Records involved and have the International Calf Fry Eating Contest.
When I first came to Texas nearly three years ago, I had to ask someone what calf fries were. I had always known of them as Rocky Mountain Oysters.
I like them, especially fried. I also like liver, sardines, anchovies, crawdads, frog legs and a bunch of other stuff my wife won’t let into the house, but that’s another story.
Right now we’re talking about what separates the bulls from the steers. This could be one of those manly events that are also fun for the whole family.
I guess to make this happen we need to get the chamber on board, or find someone willing to take the bull by the horns. What do you say Jigger?

A swashbuckling Indian?
The news broke on the Internet Wednesday night. I was hoping to go to bed early, but when Disney announced that actor Johnny Depp had been cast to play Tonto in the upcoming Lone Ranger movie, I got caught up reading stories and preparing an update on my Web site (www.lonerangerfanclub.com).
Walt Disney is bringing back the masked man and his faithful Indian companion in a movie produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The producer and actor are the same that breathed new life into pirate movies with Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy.
In grand fashion, Disney announced the Depp trifecta, saying the star will appear as Tonto in “The Lone Ranger,” as the Mad Hatter in “Alice in Wonderland” and once more as Capt. Jack Sparrow in a fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie.
I don’t know how I feel yet about Depp as Tonto. He is part Cherokee, but he is also quirky and comedic. Those aren’t traits one expects from the stoic sidekick. To be honest, I think he’d make a better Butch Cavendish, leader of the outlaw band that the Lone Ranger has vowed to bring to justice.
That leaves open the question of casting the lead (or will Tonto be the lead in this version of the Lone Ranger?). Personally, I would like to see professional gunslinger Joey Dillon as the Lone Ranger. He’s got the looks, skills, voice and personality to do the job well. He’s a natural.
My gut, however, tells me Bruckheimer is eyeing British actor Jamie Bamber for the part.
Bamber is best known for playing Capt. Lee “Apollo” Adama in the “Battlestar Galactica” series that recently concluded.
Bamber has the heroic look and is a strong lead. He has also recently appeared in a guest shot on Bruckheimer’s “Without a Trace,” putting him on the producer’s radar.
In the meantime, I’m just glad that the new Lone Ranger movie (due out in 2010) is in the hands of Disney and Bruckheimer. It’s a winning combination that is sure to dust off this 75-year-old hero and make him relevant once more in American pop culture.
Hi-Yo Silver, away!