Two thousand gather for anti-war Texas hoe down and BBQ

Over two thousand people made their way to Camp Casey yesterday for a huge hoe down deep in the heart of Texas. Full buses of supporters from Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin unload and loaded throughout the day. The day included a massive volunteer mobilization to serve up a full "Texas-style BBQ," and to support all of the camp visitors in the 100+ heat. After Cindy Sheehan welcomed many of the buses, the main tent stage featured a day of music by artists from across Texas.

Despite the quadrupling of the Crawford population yesterday, only a few heated exchanges between anti-war folks and "stay the course" folks were seen. At Camp Casey II, to greet a steady stream of pro-war folks driving by, dozens of people stood in the blazing sun and lined the edge of the road with two 40 foot banners that read, "What noble cause?" and "Support Our Troops Bring Them Home Alive."

The evening program was cut short when a thunderstorm threatened to roll over the camp. Although lighting danced on the horizon, it by passed us. Folks clustered and shared stories about Camp Casey and what they are going to do to make sure we stop this war when they get home - or get on the bus tour next week.

Photo by Jeff Paterson. Copywrite 2005. More photos from Saturday.