As I pack for yet another fun filled weekend fulfilling my role as Miss Teen Texas International, I realized that I forgot to blog about last weekend and Deer Fest!! Last weekend I had the opportunity to sign autographs and help out with the live auction at Deer Fest (in Wichita Falls, TX) with Natalie Clegg McLarty, Mrs. Texas International.
Deer Fest is a hunting expo that raises funds for the Adopt a Box organization. Adopt a Box provides hygiene products to underprivileged children. This annual family event really had something for everyone including vendor booths, live and silent auctions, mechanical bull riding (I thought about trying this, but then I saw someone fall off…ouch!) and appearances by some of TV’s most popular outdoor show hosts. I loved helping out at the live auction and was very impressed with the list of items on the auction block. Some of the items were signed guitars by George Strait, Roy Clark and Willie Nelson, tickets to the Dr. Phil show, Spa Bella packages and a chocolate pie made by Kathy Wyatt. Kathy’s pies must really be good because it went for over $500!
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| Brain Doty and Todd Cast get our autographs! |
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| I hit the target! That was fun! |
This event was so much fun because I got to experience something very foreign to me…the outdoor world of hunting! I had a blast shooting guns (okay, I’ll admit it was a paintball gun!) and I might have even hit the target!! I also loved tasting the yummy beef sausage at the Bayco vendor booth. I think I stopped by their booth at least 5 times! Another highlight for me was meeting Brian Doty (professional hunter, TV personality, Radio host, and seminar speaker), and Todd Cast, TV host of TNT’s Outdoor Explosion. And I was shocked when they actually wanted MY autograph!!!
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| Phil Golden and me |
Deer Fest was fun, but I had no idea how personal impactful this event was going to be to me until I met Phil Golden, CEO of Expedition Awareness. Phil and his wife found out in January of this year that their son Brooks has ALD (X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy). ALD is the same disease that was featured in the movie “Lorenzo’s Oil”. Next June Phil will set out on an expedition through 16 states, 4 countries and 3 Canadian provinces speaking with the media and concerned citizens about ALD and how to properly diagnose it. I encourage everyone to check out Mr. Golden’s website www.expedition-awarness.org, follow his journey and pass it on.
Many thanks to Dawn Thompson of Spa Bella for her role in making this event possible and for the great camo themed t-shirts given to Natalie and I. At the end of the day Deer Fest helped raise thousands of dollars for Adopt a Box and Natalie and I walked away with a very memorable experience.
