| Stompin
at the Cow Palace
October/November 2001 IBEW Journal
All work and no play makes for a dull convention.
After many participated in the Womens and Minority Caucus
meetings and the Political/Legislative Conference, and before
beginning the serious business of the convention, it was time
to have a little fun. And on Saturday, September 8, the delegates
and guests did just that.
In the afternoon, delegates and guests took buses to the
Cow Palace, the venerable arena south of San Francisco. The
massive parking lot there played host to an outdoor barbecue
and music fest. Featured were the masterful dance steps of
the barbary coast cloggers (not a misprintthey dont use
capital letters in their name), Chariveri, a Cajun-music group,
and the remarkable Bluegrass sounds of Ricky Skaggs.
As the sun was setting, it was time to file into the Cow
Palace itself for the main event. The program featured a special
110th anniversary celebration of the IBEW, complete with actors
portraying two fictional IBEW members, veteran Lenny Fuse
and upstart Sparky Breaker. The show blended IBEW history
and modern day achievements with singing and dancing by a
talented chorus. Two guys wearing black T-shirts labeled "Hill,
Local 712" and "OConnor, Local 701," thrilled
the crowd with aerial stunts performed with bungee cords.
Rumor had it that they were professional acrobats and not
the officers themselves.
| 
Ronnie Dunn (left), OConnor,
Hill
and Kix Brooks at the Cow Palace
|
But what really got the crowd going was the featured act
of the night, country music superstars Brooks and Dunn. The
duo, backed by some amazing musicians, belted out some of
their greatest hits and old standards and had the crowd rocking
and cheering.
On Sunday evening, September 9, officers, delegates and guests
attended the Delegates Reception at the Moscone Center, a
convention tradition that takes place before the start of
business the next morning.
|
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