Saturday night at Gruene Hall

Boot scootin' at Texas' oldest dance hall ... it doesn't get much better'n this

Saturday night, our daughter took us to Gruene Hall in a small town south of Austin for a night of country western music. We were there to hear Bruce Robison, who has written songs for the Dixie Chicks, George Strait and Tim McGraw. Robison did not disappoint: he sang "Traveling Soldier" and "Desperately." Crowd roared.

It was a spectacular night. The hall holds somewhere between 500-800 folks. Small dance floor, big bar serving only beer, soft drinks and wine. Lots of boots of various and sundry colors, textures and ... age. There were smokers, but only enough to give you a real bar feel.

Plenty of women scoping out the guys across the room to better up on who brought them. Guys doin' the same thing, I imagine.

Plus the benches. They were very old, so carved up with initials, suggestions for the next visitor (can't write them here), limericks, it would be hard to tell what the surface of the original wood looked like.

It was great to watch the dancers. The better dancers tend to be the older folks. One particular gent had a silver gray pony tail underneath his straw-brimmed hat. He and his partner didn't merely dance to the music, they glided across the floor as if they were struttin' 2-3 inches off the ground, never really touching the floor. No line dancing here, everything is the two-step.

Dance halls are all across Texas, but the Gruene Hall tends to capture the most attention. Perhaps it is because of the proximity to Austin, where many bands call home. Robison does and so does Jerry Jeff Walker, whom we heard some months ago at the same venue. Good to hear "Mr. Bojangles" in person. It's a much more intimate feel than watching these same bands in a larger venue. There is more intimacy, more interaction between the artist and the crowd and the patrons seem to always be satisfied at Gruene.

On the walls near the bar are all the neon signs and the framed B&W photos of all the artists who have played there.

After we left, we all agreed that we've never been disappointed when we've headed out to Gruene Hall. And, at $12 a person, not too shabby on the pocketbook.

So long, Gruene Hall. So long, Texas dance halls. We'll miss you terribly. Hello, House of Blues.