Texas Tidbits: Hobos, Me and the Hobo Festival in San Angelo

Boxcar Willie?

I have for many years, had a fascination with hobos. Why? Well, it's certainly not the extravagant, stable lifestyle they lead. It's the sense of adventure and the desire to, as the Hobo Motto says, "do what you want to do." Freedom is what I call it, like riding a Harley. At this point in my life, I have neither the time nor desire to be a hobo. I am happy living out my life with my wife and young children.

Back in the 60's when I was a little boy, I remember hearing the song Mama Tried by Merle Haggard. The first line in the song has stuck with me and fueled my imagination for almost fifty years...

"The first thing I remember knowin'
Is a lonesome whistle blowin'
And a youngun's dream to ride,
On a freight train leavin' town not knowin' where it's bound,
No one could change my mind but Mama tried..."

That is pure poetic fuel for the active imagination belonging to a little boy whose dream to explore "parts unknown" was as strong in him as the need to eat and sleep. Just think about it, traveling, by fright train having no idea where each leg of your journey will lead you and what challenges await you when you get to the destination. Pure dee, old time, freedom dependent on your ability to think on your feet and sheer  determination and ability to adapt to the situations laid at your lap.

It just so happens that a Hobo Festival will be taking place on the 21st of May in San Angelo. Accord to the folks putting together the Hobo Festival, here are the details:

The Railway Museum of San Angelo, 703 S. Chadbourne
FMI: 325-656-2067
Join us for a flea market, food, live music, a hobo costume contest, and more.

There's the information that'll get you to the Hobo Festival, so make good use of that info and join several thousand other folks being a Hobo for a Day. I am loving this event!

"The first thing I remember knowin'
Is a lonesome whistle blowin'
And a youngun's dream to ride,
On a freight train leavin' town not knowin' where it's bound,
No one could change my mind but Mama tried..."

I couldn't have said it better myself. And that lonesome whistle is a siren song to me...