On the radio the other day on my drive to the hotel from Mt. Rushmore, I heard an advertisement for "An Afternoon of Country Music". It was being held at a local Eagle's Club, west of Chadron on the day I was leaving Chadron and heading west. It had to be a sign. After I confirmed that it wasn't too far out of my way to Cheyenne, Wyoming, I made a plan to stop by. Free music? Free experiences? Yes please!
After my morning of packing up (and hoping my next stop had cell service and working wifi), I left Chadron and headed for my afternoon of country music. I got to the town early realizing it was probably the smallest town I had stopped in on this trip. It didn't take long to drive through town, seeing the whole thing in only a few minutes.
When I arrived at the club, I immediately realized that I stood out like a sore thumb. I was clearly half the age of everyone there. Fearlessly, I walked to the bar at the back of the room and took up my seat. Frank, the bartender, didn't waste any time and I ordered myself a Diet Coke. We began to exchange banter as the music picked up - though he struggled to hear me so it was mostly just him talking or guessing at what questions I asked. Between chats, I enjoyed watching the older couples get up and dance, twirling around the dance floor. Over my hour of being there, I recognized one song. Boy was I out of my element.
I did find out from Frank how COVID has changed the club. He said the club and bar used to be open 6 days a week. Now, it's open about once a month (which explains why my Diet Coke, which was incredibly flat, expired 8/2019). He mentioned there have been some staffing issues, but that most of it was because of regulations and then when they reopened - the attendance wasn't what it used to be. It was interesting to hear how far some of the members travel (some close to an hour and a half). It makes me wonder how the far drives affected people's attendance in addition to those staying at home because of their COVID concerns. If attendance was already spotty, I can imagine some wouldn't want to drive an hour and a half to maybe not see any of the usuals or have a lackluster social encounter. It does beg the question - with what have these members replaced their club going nights/days?
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