Two-Steppin’

I spent the weekend up in the metropolis of Merritt, BC at my father’s retirement party. After seven years of owning the local Pharmasave, he’s retiring to Victoria.

After the party, a few of us retired to a local bar, the Grasslands Pub. It was, by all appearances, a standard small-town bar. It had the buckin’ bronco, the requisite mix of Outkast and Ace is Base and the centrally-located dance floor where small-town moves were being busted. The local men and women mingled and generally had a good time dancing to the techno/pop/rap tunes.

Then I sensed a shift in the air. A half-dozen men wearing cowboy hats, plaid shirts and blue trains trundled into the place. These were genuine cowboys–some were wearing bandannas around their necks without irony!

Then the music changed. Hey Ya! faded out and a song apparently called Redneck Woman (link goes to lyrics and plays song) started playing. The cowboys dispersed through the crowd and grabbed a willing filly. They hit the dance floor, and they were two-steppin’. There’s no other way to describe it. They hauled their partners around with confidence and aplomb. Their partners, despite their club wear (short, frilly miniskirts and midriff-baring t-shirts), knew the routine and followed every step. Frankly, it was a sight to behold.

A few more high-pace country tunes followed, and the music returned to the usual bar fare. The cowboys wandered to the bar, their partners went back to just shaking their asses, and I was left slightly dumbfounded by this peculiar ritual.