General Granbury's Birthday

GENERAL GRANBURY'S BIRTHDAY

Texas has 254 counties. Many of the county seats have very ornate courthouses and courthouse squares. Granbury may be the best. It was the first listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The town itself has a scenic setting, on Lake Granbury. The courthouse square is not one of those that has seen better days. Granbury is a bustling tourist town, the possible resting place of Jessie James and the location of many classic Texas festivals of which one is the birthday celebration for the town's namesake, the Confederate General Hiram B. Granbury.

CLICK HERE FOR A MAP AND DIRECTIONS TO GENERAL GRANBURY'S BIRTHDAY

2008
General Granbury's
Birthday

Where: Granbury Town Square
When: March 29 & 230h. Parade, Bean & Rib Cook-Off on the Square.
Price: Free
Info: Call 817-573-5299

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The Courthouse Square filled with arts and crafts and barbecue smokers. And people. That is the Hood County Courthouse hovering over the birthday party.

A parade for General Granbury with the town band playing birthday music.

Now we are at the opposite side of the square looking into the sun for a much better noon day look at the ornate courthouse and the parade watchers.

It is not known if the Texas State Legislature mandates that Jesus have an entry in every parade in Texas, or if it is just one of those being in the buckle of the Bible Belt things.

At General Granbury's Birthday Party various teams compete as to who makes the best beans. There are also BBQ ribs and brisket being smoked, but the beans are the main focus of contention.

Lovely Southern Belles at each corner of the courthouse square sell bean sampling kits for a buck. The bean sampler then moseys around the courthouse square trying the various beans.

Here we see another Bean Team. These photos were all taken around noon. At 3 in the afternoon, after a day of bean eating, the World's Most Outrageous Outhouse Race takes place. As this race was not witnessed it is not known if this is a race to the outhouse or if the outhouses somehow race.

A Texan was heard to say 'that's Tacky' when she saw this Bean Team's setup. This one goes on the Texas Tacky list.

As this sign indicates, proud Texas men cook, or as others might call it, barbecue. And they cook well. The smell of barbecue in Texas is so good, it should be the State Smell.

This being Confederate General Granbury's birthday party apparently rendered this event a good place to recruit new soldiers for the local Confederate regiment.

Here we see some of the current Confederate soldiers helping to keep order among the throngs of birthday celebrators.

The Hood County Sheriff Department had a very unique name for its Bean Team. This probably should go on the Texas Tacky list too, but frequent return visits to Granbury probably would make that not a good idea.

Here we see the Hood County Sheriff Department's rib and brisket cooking team in action.

A view of the throng trying to get to or away from the Sheriff's Bean Team.

A couple more Southern Belles on one of the other corners of the courthouse square selling General Granbury's Bean Sampling kits. Behind them you see an example of the confusing road signs in Texas, likely a holdover from the time of trying to mislead incoming Union troops.

Here we see a beautifully restored theater on the courthouse square, done in a retro art deco type style. Now if Granbury can manage to do this, and even Archer City can manage to do this, wouldn't you think that a little town like Fort Worth could manage to do something with one of its signature eyesores in the heart of its tourist zone, the Stockyards?

That's it for the General's Birthday Party.

Of the many festivals seen in Texas, this one may be the best. Cheap food and lots of it. The use of actual United States Currency rather than the bizarre coupon system used in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. No admittance charge. The scenic town. The friendly people. And that wonderful smell of Texas barbecue. And beans.

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