DIAMOND W WRANGLERS RIDE TO GERMANY!
by Martha Farrell, wife of Tennessee Jim
I had a front row seat as the Wranglers made their first visit to Germany, and I couldn't have been more proud.  The German people loved their music, and the guys sang their hearts out. After seeing them perform for about 30 hours during the course of the week, I can honestly say I enjoyed the last concert as much as the first.  They made an incredible impression, and touched a lot of hearts.  Music truly is an international language.

The Diamond W Wranglers were there as official representatives for Kansas and Oklahoma Travel and Tourism.  These two states partner for international promotional efforts, and the marketing mission to Germany had two major components:  educating the German media and a host of travel agents who book travel to the United States about Kansas and Oklahoma; and promoting tourism to thousands of Europeans
at their largest Western equestrian event, Americana 2010.
First up was an extraordinary evening at the "Oklahoma Saloon" in Munich. We took over this charming place on a Monday evening, packing it to the gills with German journalists and travel agents.

The goal was to give them a taste of Kansas and Oklahoma...  from the menu of barbecue and root beer floats, to the Native American  culture, to the best in Western Music. They also got a lot of detailed information about booking ranch tours and other travel to our
states.
We were so privileged to be working alongside Wilson and Sharon Roberts, a Native American couple from Oklahoma. Their regalia is a work of art, and they were pleased to introduce the crowd to Native American dancing. 
This is Lisa Weigt, the brains of the operation!  She's employed by Kansas and Oklahoma to coordinate international marketing. 

Lisa had arranged for a bunch of cool
stuff to give away... including a couple
of ranch vacations in our states.

The evening was really successful.  Folks
said it was one of the best events they'd
ever been to!  They stayed until after 10 PM to enjoy the Cowboy Music, and made the Wranglers do an encore.  (Since the guests had come from work and had work early the next day, I was impressed by that reaction.)
Lisa Weigt
The next day we headed to Augsburg to set up for Americana 2010.  We were amazed to see the Western town that had been erected at the fairgrounds.  We were even more amazed when we walked inside the Red Grizzly Saloon, which was to be our home
for the next 5 days.   (Click on the rest of these pictures if you'd like to see them big!)
As you can see, the Victorian decor is detailed and extraordinary.  Remember, we're in Germany here!  We discovered the Germans have a huge fondness for Western heritage.
The Diamond W had a picturesque stage to work
from, complete with steamboat backdrop.

I can tell from the picture on the right that they're playing "Apache", which is a hot
instrumental. This was their biggest hit of the week. The Showdown Ranch requested it almost every day, and it really got the crowd going.
These are the people we couldn't do without. On the left is Brian Good of the Good Brothers, who completely lived up to their name.  They are a great musical group from Toronto, Canada, on their 33rd tour of Germany. If the Wranglers were playing days, the Goods were on nights, and vice-versa. They let us use equipment, borrow their superlative sound guy Doug, and helped us with electrical issues.  Bless you, Good Brothers!  Hope to see you down the trail.

This is Patricia, the Red Grizzly's most wonderful waitress.  Patricia has been in Germany for ten years, but she's from El Paso, Texas originally.
Of course she got teary when the Wranglers sang "El Paso". She took good care of us all week, and we loved her. 
I hung out at the old piano just left of the stage, promoting our CD's and handing out Kansas and Oklahoma literature.

Our compatriots from Kansas and Oklahoma had a
wonderful booth in a nearby building, where Wilson
and Sharon danced, and they all encouraged people to come visit.

The show attendees were definitely interested in traveling to the Midwest.  Many had come to the US a number of times, and were ready for a new destination.

Stu did a great job promoting Wichita and our home at the Old Cowtown Museum during the shows.
I was thrilled to see how the Wranglers' brand of Western Music spoke to the
Germans and all the other Europeans there.  They don't have the popular culture references that we do in the United States, yet all ages LOVED it.  They appreciated the harmonies and of course the sheer musicianship and energy of the Diamond W. 

The first night, a gentleman from Italy came up in hopes that we could arrange a tour in that country.  Many expressed a wish for the Wranglers to tour Germany.  One German lady, who has friends in Wichita, had traveled five hours by train to see them sing.  "It was worth it!" she decreed.  Thank you, Elisabeth.
OK, we had some fun too!  And some great
German food.  Our man on the ground in Germany, Klaus Boog, was an absolute hero.
(He's standing just left of Stu in this picture on the left.)  Klaus navigated us through city streets, German menus, and customs agents.  He was brilliant, and KS and OK are lucky to
have someone like him representing them in
Europe.
This is the famous Hofbrau House in Munich, which is the center of many OctoberFest activities.  There was an awesome brass band performing that night, just yards from
our table.  It was perfect.
It was an honor to help represent Kansas and Oklahoma on this marketing mission to Germany, and we'd like to thank all the sponsors that made the Wranglers' appearance possible:

  • Senseney Music donated the use of an acoustic bass guitar that was MUCH easier to travel with.

Many other communities across Kansas assisted the state with expenses, and the Diamond W Wranglers underwrote the rest of the their airfares.  We knew this was an important outreach, and are proud it was such a success.

We hope to return to Germany and continue sharing our Western Heritage with such an appreciative audience.