Festival fun abounds in Waller County

It’s festival time in Waller County! This is the week between Waller’s Freedom Fest and Hempstead’s Watermelon Music Festival – kind of a breather between the two major events.
This is certainly a fun time to be in Waller County. I took my family to the Waller Freedom Fest on Sunday and we had a great time, just as we did at last year’s festival. This year’s event was much smaller and more intimate than last year’s inaugural Freedom Fest.
Even though the crowd was smaller, I think I liked it better. It kept all the best parts of the previous celebration and added a few things which made the day memorable. Last year’s festival was good, but it suffered from 100-plus degree heat and not enough activity to sustain participation from the opening until the main events began that evening.
This year, however, the event did not start until 4 p.m. and there was as much, if not more, to do. All of the events were centered in the area behind the Waller Junior High School football stadium. When we first got there, the Waller Fire Department was spraying water from a truck and my two youngest boys ran out and got soaked.
From there we made the rounds at the booths, checking out the food, crafts and things for sale. Three of my kids took shots at climbing the rock wall. After that we moved over to the children’s area where my three sons lost themselves on the water slides and in the bubble machine. My wife and daughter spread a blanket in the shade and settled down to work puzzles, draw pictures and relax.
I busied myself throughout the afternoon taking loads of pictures. I had fun watching the skateboarders do their thing. It was also a thrill to watch the team from Skydive Houston parachute into the football stadium. That’s something I want to try someday.
As evening came on, we got some food and settled down to listen to the concert. Contemporary Christian recording artist Matt Brouwer performed, giving a great show under the big, white tent.
After the concert, the crowd made its way into the football stadium for the fireworks show. The display was colorful and fun, but then what do you expect from a fireworks show?
An added bonus for me was getting to hold some baby raccoons that people brought. They were my favorite animals as a kid. It brought back some very fond memories.
In all, I have to say that Waller had a great sophomore outing with its Freedom Festival. Hopefully the city and the Waller Ministerial Alliance will keep building on the momentum for next year.
Looking ahead, we’re just a week away from the re-named Hempstead Watermelon Music Festival. Despite the heat, last year’s festival was a big hit and a lot of fun. It was my first Watermelon Festival and I really enjoyed all there was to see and do. There’s so much going on that one person cannot possibly do it all in a day.
Of particular interest to me was the Wild West Show featuring the Brazos Bottom Cowographers and the Civil War display by the 11th Texas Cavalry. I really get into the Civil War and Old West periods of American history.
For most people, however, the festival is all about watermelon, music and barbecue. For others it’s the car show, food and craft booths and the quilt show. Whatever your interest, there is something for everyone at the festival. Assuming we’re not getting deluged by tropical rains, I encourage everyone to come on out and have a great time.

Upsy-daisy
I finally broke down and did it. It took prompting from my doctor and a reminder that I’m reaching one of those milestone birthdays, but I finally had a colonoscopy. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s a procedure where a doctor takes an upside look at your downside from the inside out.
In other words, you go to the hospital where they either knock you out or send you so far into la-la land that you don’t care what’s going on behind your back. The doctor inserts a cable up the wrong direction of your digestive tract and looks through a tiny camera to see if there is any sign of polyps or cancer. The worst part of the procedure is not the main event, but the preparation.
To get ready, your digestive system must be empty. That means not eating the day before. That is bad enough, but then you get to take a couple pills and drink several glasses of an oily-thick laxative. That is followed by what feels like several days spent mounted on the porcelain throne, attempting to launch yourself into orbit.
While the prep was nasty, the recovery was nice. I got to lock myself in my bedroom and take a nice, long nap. That alone made the whole thing worthwhile. The icing on the cake was the clean bill of health that I got.