As I sat under the VIP renewal tent on Saturday evening at Country Jam in Eau Claire, WI, I met Jason. Jason walked up to me, serenading me with his own version of a certain tune by Neal McCoy. It went a little something like, “Jason’s got his beer goggles on.” He then chuckled a bit and made a comment under his breath about how he always has his beer goggles on at Country Jam. Who doesn’t?! His rendition may have been a bit out of tune, but I appreciated it nonetheless. Jason was a true cowboy. He was sporting a cutoff shirt and a cowboy hat with a flashing Country Jam light. Oh, and I must not forget, he had his beer of choice in hand.
As our conversation began, I quickly learned that Jason is a seasoned festival veteran who hails from Sun Prairie, WI. He has been attending Country Jam for 17 years (since 1993) and he’s loved every minute of it. After chatting for a bit, Jason informed me that he prefers to be called “EN.” After a bit of prying, I learned the true definition of “EN”, but it may be a bit too vulgar to blog about. So… use your imagination? By the way, this nickname only applies annually on the weekend of Country Jam.
Jason was far from shy and did not hesitate to inform me that his favorite Country Jam tradition is beer. Plain and simple. I asked him to elaborate. He then told me that his group has an inflatable snowman named Frosty that they place on top of their camper. When I questioned the significance of this Christmas decoration, Jason went on to explain that he sometimes drinks a little too much between the Bloody Mary he has for breakfast and the beer he has for lunch and dinner. Frosty helps him and his neighbors find their way “home” at night. Thank God for Frosty. If you happen to see the one and only Frosty next year at Country Jam, stop by and say “hi” to Jason. He’ll probably offer you a beer. Once everyone in the group has stumbled their way back to the campsite, each person says the “highlight” and “tick-off” of their day as they sit around a campfire. I could only imagine how entertaining this portion of the night becomes.
Did I mention that Jason is a Luke Bryan fan? Luke Bryan was Jason’s favorite show of the weekend. I would have to agree. He was also pleasantly surprised by the Lo Cash Cowboys. Considering the fact that the Lo Cash Cowboys were the first to sell out the sky box seats each day, other fans must have been impressed as well.
As far as next year is concerned, Jason already renewed his VIP tickets. He’s set. His one request though, “Bring on Toby Keith!”
