The cast party was a huge success!

We drove from Huntsville to Enchanted Springs Ranch in Boerne, TX, on Thursday in time to have lunch with Trent. When we arrived, he was already at lunch with the cast, and we got to meet a whole group of people, including Mel Tillis, Roy Clark and Joaquin Jackson, all of whom play in Palo Pinto Gold. Roy is waiting for a hip replacement -- I later heard that he had postponed it in order to take part in this movie. What a trouper! (The picture shows Roy autographing Trent's guitar, while Mel seems to be looking for a ride!)

Joaquin is the real thing: a genuine Texas Ranger, he is author of "One Ranger" and "One Ranger Returns".

In the afternoon, we watched while they shot closeups of Mel, Roy and others for some indoor scenes. The weather was overcast, very cold with occasional rain, so we were pleased that the shooting was indoors! Cesario Garcia, from ZForm Film & TV Production, then interviewed Mel and Roy and then Trent and Joanne for the local News TV station.

A crowd of about two hundred cast, friends and relatives showed up in the evening to enjoy the party. After we all had a chance to visit, eat and drink, Steve Schmidt opened the proceedings with several welcoming speeches. We were then treated to a show of video clips from the movie, followed by outtakes (hilarious bloopers) and a great slideshow of pictures taken by Scott Reed. You can see the slideshow on his site www.isyteimages.com. Scott is a brilliant photographer, and has some wonderful shots on this site. Follow the links "Palo Pinto Gold" and "Galleries -> Concerts -> Trent Willmon". The second link has some great shots of the video for Trent's current single "Broken In". (The picture shows Scott talking to Trent.)

After that, the music started. Josh Allen opened up for us and, after a few songs, Trent joined him. Numerous other artists, including Bethany Jackson and David King followed -- what a talented bunch! I have given up trying to remember everyone's names: there were just too many.

The highlight was when Mel and Roy put on a performance. They decided not to sing, but to have Mel tell stories (with some feedback from Roy!) If you ever get a chance to hear Mel Tillis tell stories, grab it. He is one of the funniest story tellers I have ever heard.

I particularly enjoyed one brief comment Roy made. He and Mel have had this double act going on for a number of years now (they have been friends for fifty years). Roy mentioned that he would watch Mel telling a story, and when he saw Mel's jaw start twitching as he stammered, Roy would fill in the word. Then Mel would change to a different word, just to fool him!

Having been up since about 5:45 AM, we left the party around 10:30 PM to get some sleep. By then, only the hard core remained, anyway.

A wonderful time with a crowd of wonderful people. We are all looking forward to a reunion when the movie premieres at the Palladium in San Antonio. The date is uncertain yet, but will be sometime between May and July this year. We'll keep you posted.