ON THE ROAD WITH IOWAN’S BOB & SHEILA EVERHART
Harligen, Texas…..”It was great fun for us to be back on public television,” Bob Everhart of the Smithsonian Institution said. “We did a tv spot for KMBH-TV in Harligen, Texas. They had a terrible wind storm there recently, and lost part of their antenna, so we were glad to be able to help raise a few dollars for a replacement. There’s been tremendous damage all across Mid-America due to tornados, so we hope and pray for those in danger’s way. We hope to do a couple more shows for KMBH before we leave the Rio Grande Valley.”
Sheila, the better half of Bob, was also quick to respond. “There’s so much going on in the entertainment world today too. The tornado that touched down in Branson took several theaters that we have performed at, but it didn’t bother Silver Dollar City where we played the most. We hope everyone comes out of it OK, it’s still a wonderful place for great entertainment. I’m also a great fan of the Monkees, the television show of a crazy four-some that had lots of fun. Davy Jones, the singer of the group, just passed away. He was only 66 years old. He had a house in Florida in the “Horse Country” area that we are going to Florida for to raise money in February of next year. Davy Jones was once a jockey, and rode horses in lots of races, and raised horses at his home in Florida. The show we are going to do is called “A Tribute to Ed Sullivan,” and believe it or not, Davy Jones was on the set of Sullivan’s show when Sullivan had the Beatles on. Jones was with another act at that time, but he knew then and there what we wanted to do. We’re also trying to get Michael Nesmith in our Country Music Hall of Fame. He’s the Monkee that wrote and recorded “Joann” and a number of other great country songs, and then later formed a country group called the First National Band. He was also pretty shocked to hear of Jone’s passing.”
“We’ve still got a few other exciting events to perform on,” Sheila quickly added, “not the least of them being the “Onion Fest” in Weslaco. That doesn’t sound like anything very exciting, but the sweet onion that is so famous in the Rio Grande Valley (and elsewhere) was developed here, and they have acres and acres of onions growing down there. We’ll be doing some main stage time on a festival that attracts a huge crowd, so it should be lots of fun.”
“I don’t know how dad does it,” Bobbie Lhea, the Everhart’s 15 year old daughter piped up. “Somehow he finds a way to have a budget lunch and make it taste good. Mom has been going to Progresso, Mexico, to get some dental work done, and thanks to Francis and Jeannie Hahn, we’ve been able to do this courtesy of their automobile. You have to have a passport now to visit Mexico, not so much to get in, but to get back to the USA. Anyway they took us to a restaurant called the Red Snapper, and lo and behold, dad was able to get a whole red snapper, cooked just the way he likes it, really cheap. In the USA, the same fish would probably be around $20. Not for dad though. Mom and I had chicken enchiladas, done the ‘real’ Mexican way. We had such a good time too. Mom has to go back to the dentist again, so I’m sure we’ll be doing the Red Snapper one more time.”
“We also had an exquisite dining experience with the Hahns at a restaurant called Papadeauxs,” Bob added. This is sort of an expensive eatery, so we weren’t expecting anything close to a budget luch, but once we were all seated, the waitress noticed the pins on Francis’s cowboy hat. When he explained to her they were reminders of his time in Viet Nam as a young Army Major, she was quite impressed. Later, the manager of the restuarant came to Francis and asked him about his Viet Nam experience. She said she was a history major at the local university, and wanted to know more about first-hand experience. He explained about his time there, and how he saved the last American flag that flew over his outpost, the last one to depart. Later, when the check arrived, not only did the manager deduct Francis and his wife’s dinner, she also gave all five of us a delicious free desert. Thanks a lot to Francis for that wonderful experience.”