Riders in the Sky - A4K
Sept. 10, 1999 , Puyallup, Washington
by Tiffany

My Mom picked me up at school, and after a stop at the radio station to drop off my press pass, we hit the road to Puyallup. It's roughly six hours over there. The scenery is beyond belief and Mom and I spent the time playing a game we've done since I was a kid, looking for states and then coming up with the capitol. In the whole trip we saw 24 states and three Canadian provinces, and for my own tally we saw 32 law enforcement officers. :)

I had directions from Janet on where to pick up the mugs, but we realized that we were coming in from the wrong direction for them to work!!! It took us a little more time, but we did finally managed to find the place and the mugs were there, so that was one worry settled for me.

We went to my Mom's friend's house, her name is Pam, and off-loaded everything we wouldn't need in the fair. We had no problem getting all my camera equipment into the fair and Mike was right at the Merc. He knew who I was by my Cyberpal shirt and invited me back. I also talked with the sound man, named Ron. There were two seats reserved in the front row for Mom and me, so I was able to set up while they were fixing the stage for the guys. Before the show the fair did a presentation of balloons, T-shirts, and belt buckles. Then the guys did a sound check and were introduced by Craig Chambers, a Texas Swing man who's really good. Doug tried to cover Craig's mouth before the intro.

Song list (in order for once)
Texas Plains
How the Yodel Was Born
Wah-Hoo
Tumbling Tumbleweeds
Farr Away Stomp
Maybe I'll cry over you
Sioux City Sue
Phantom of the Chuckwagon
-Midnight and my stomach is churning
-Don't cry for me Puyallup
-Beans and Biscuits
Hoop-Dee-Doo
Rag Time Cowboy Joe with Sourdough Slim
Rawhide
Bowling
Cowboy Camp Meeting
Riding on the Rio
Rope tricks
Back in the Saddle again
This was of course A4K. A1K was in Jackpot Nevada, A2K was in Durango Colorado, and A3K was in Warwick Rhode Island. Slim said it would have been really lonely if we hadn't shown up for the show, the audience that is. On How the Yodel was Born, Woody's mike was way way too high, so he leaned away from it and just started shouting. At the end of the song, Doug said that all the dogs in the area were running in circles. They've changed a lyric on Sioux City Sue, Woody now says, " I asked her did she love me, she said you gotta be kidding

After that song, Slim wanted to do a picture. I had spoken to him before the show and he asked me to take it. They lined up on the front of the stage, Joey, Woody, Doug, Slim. Joey made a four with his arms and the others made zeros, Woody with his mouth first and then with his arms. Doug said to look for USA Today tomorrow.

They did the poll after Bowling and of course there were more trail drivers, although I doubt that Slim believed it :) and then they went into the Phist Yah! bit. Doug looked more stunned than anything when Slim asked what he did. Slim said for all the guys before they kissed their wives goodnight to go Phist Yah! Doug said he could see the birth rate in Western Washington going through the floor.

On Cowboy Camp Meeting, Joey and Slim almost ran into each other, then Doug moved in front of everyone else, then bumped Joey out of the way. Joey right before the song, put bunny ears on Slim and Woody.

The big 4 sale was going on at the Merc. If you bought something and there was a number four in the price, you got a free gift from the Merc. Woody asked if it was going to be an order form. Slim said a picture or a badge. Then it was time for rope tricks. While Woody was warming up, Doug did the background yodels, Slim read the wonderful stats that are up on the web page. Woody asked for hamburgers, and Doug almost lost yodels a couple of times. and actually did on the elective surgeries one.

After the stats, Woody just threw his rope on the floor. They said that is was the best routine he'd done and he hadn't made any mistakes. :) That's when I went up on the stage, that was something that Mike and I had set up before the show, the guys didn't know I was going to do it. I took the mug and the letter. Doug said it was a woman rushing the stage with a mug of cider. I made the presentation, and they were all touched by the letter, and that's when they did Back in the Saddle Again. I don't think they could have done anything else.

In-between shows I took them the cookies I had made for them, raspberry jam tarts, and I think the diet went out the window, if huge smiles and about four cookies each is any indicator :) Then I sat and listened to Craig Chambers and the time warp trailhands, a western swing band. They are really good. Then it was time for the guys to come back!

The outfits they were in were
Slim: His red plaid shirt with the black horse and riders on it, cac-tie, jeans, chaps hat and boots
Doug: His white shirt with the roses and red buttons, green slacks, red boots, a hat with designs on it, a red neck scarf.
Woody: Two shirts, black with white fringe and horse shoe designs, and this red, black and white with black fringe, black neck scarf, and white neck scarf, white boots, and jeans.
Joey: His cream shirt with maroon across the shoulders, white neck scarf, black slacks, and boots.

Song list, again in order
Texas Plains
How Does he Yodel
160 acres
Cherokee
Texas Plains
Autumn on the Trail
Clarinet Polka
Blue Bonnet Lady
Surfin' USA
Cool Water
Ghost Riders
Rope tricks
Merc promo
When Payday rolls around
Happy Trails

This show started with Joey back at the soundboard because the soundman was missing. It had a Titanic theme. Doug was the last living person who had not seen the movie. There would be a twelve step meeting for people who hadn't seen the movie. Then Joey asked Doug to talk into the guitar mike. He said it sounded like a relative of Joey's mike, and he had taken helium. Slim asked how far away was the nearest radio shack and they said for him not to make the sound guy mad. Then Joey said for them to sing something and he would come join them. So they went into Tumbleweeds. That's when they got a new mike for Doug, who did the Chinese water torture chords to test it. Woody finally decided to do rope tricks and Joey came running onto the stage. Woody said he knew all he had to do was threaten to do rope tricks and things would get moving. That's when the lost Slim's mike.

Doug introduced Craig Chambers and Marilynn, and Craig came waltzing out on stage and said it was the first time he had been introduced to do an introduction.

On Texas Plains, Doug forgot to come in on his verse, either that or his mike had gone dead. It was kinda hard to tell at that point.

On how does he yodel, they had the audience try to yodel and Doug said it sounded like a slaughter at the turkey house. When Woody was checking for wires, he started dancing behind Doug. :)

We had several really good glances at the Bobbie hat band that Woody was wearing!

Questions, the last 8-track tape
1. How many times have you been married?
Doug asked who she was talking to. Woody said it was a prime number. Doug asked if she was applying to be number four.
2. What type of guitar does Doug play?
A Jim Triggs guitar. They made it into a joke and kept mentioning the name.
3. Could they turn Jim Triggs up?
He's in Kansas City, he'd really have to shout!
4. How long has Joey been playing the accordion?
about 40 minutes :) Over 45 years, he started when he was minus five.
Doug said Joey could read music before he could read English, he was a child protegee and now he's just a big kid!
5. How many grandkids?
Joey two, Woody possible one, Doug and Slim none.
6. Can Woody still step in the rope, have it go over his head and come back down?
They didn't know if he could ever do it!
7. Who makes your shirts, they are gorgeous?
Woody- Walmart, Doug- North Hollywood, Slim- Manuel the color blind taylor
8. How many shows per year?
181
9. Where are you all from?
Slim- Western Michigan, Doug- the border country, that's between Illinois
and Wisconsin, Woody- Tennessee, Joey- Chicago.
10. Where did you learn to Yodel?
They came down on the saddle horn one to many times. Anyone can yodel after that.
11. How many people have paid to see you show?
You've just won an 8-track tape!

Slim asked me to take a picture of him and the winner. When I got back to my chair, Slim asked what they were going to give away the next day? Doug said he didn't know. Then he said, " Tiffany is in our Cyberpal club. If you have nothing better to do on Tuesday night, dial them up and they talk to each other. You missed the other night that I came on. We had a great time (laugh)" Slim, "I heard you were coming on the other night"

Doug, " I waited for her but she blew me off, an on-line romance killed." That's when they went into requests. Included something by the beach boys. Doug called security. Then someone else asked for Grandma got run over by a reindeer. Doug said that she needed to meet the beach boys guy. They had something in common!

During Cool Water, Joey was doing the harmony "waters" and he said surfboard water. I was panning across and there was Doug making faces at the camera! Ghost Riders in the Sky- They added in Craig's name, then said it's not to late Craig. Slim finished his line, then said, "Sorry Craig, too late!"

After the rope tricks, Woody said he'd never had a lesson, Doug said he could tell! Then came the Merc promo. And Doug said to stick around and listen to Craig, and Doug might get a dance. Slim asked if he wanted to dance, Doug said sure, this is the longest relationship either of us has ever had and we lost them both. Then they both said "That's scary" at the same time.

Then it was happy trails. I went and talked to them for a bit, got pixs taken, and delivered the Cyberpal messages. That's when I found out about Pendleton being canceled!