Where can you go where your character is defined by the hat on the top of your head! The hat with all the bends, and splotches versus the Stetson, the top of the line!
Do you take off your hat after entering the hall! I guess not: all night long, no matter how much you sweat, you’ll wear that hat on top of your head so no one will see the mess it made of your hair!
So if you carry your hat in and sit it on the table so as not to mess your hair, what does that mean? I guess in case the weather is bad when you leave, you can stop the rain from messing up your hair!
If your hat is black, does it mean you’re the bad guy? Will you be the dancer stomping on the other dancers’ feet? A white hat means good, right?
A straw hat to some might mean cheap, while to the practical it means ventilation and coolness of the head on a hot sunny day! Myself, I think the straw hats can be shaped the best in to the most unusual forms!
I once saw a hat for sale that I thought would represent my character well. It was a Colt hat with a bullet hole through it’s dome! I wondered if someone was in it when it was shot! Can you imagine the story’s you could tell- “Yep, maam, I was line dancin down on the range when up came a bad hombre in a black hat who was a hoggin the floor! I stared him down and before I knew it, six guns were drawn in a blaze of fury and as the smoke cleared this bad hombre was gone and to my surprise there appeared this here hole in my dome! Yep maam, that’s all that’s left of that night, just this here hole in the top of my Hat!”
Now I’ve seen some mighty strange hats on country dancers: a red bomber hat on a grisly bearded face of a man they call “Speedo”!, a hat that moved on the floor powered by a remote controlled car by DJ Dan was a
delight!. I’ve also seen hats with fish, hats with hair coming out of them and even a propeller on top of a hat worn by none other than Neal McCoy!
A “Hillbilly’s” hat is probably one of the most practical! It keeps the rain out and has a large enough brim to shade the sun from his eyes for an aftemoons nap. It holds his pipe in a real nice place, easy to reach. Feathers in his hat! What do they mean? Are they for decoration or do they serve a purpose? I suppose a real hillbilly would probably
use the feather for a toothpick or maybe the feather represented the Neal McCoy or Hatfield clan!
Cowboys would wear two hats! A goodun to wear on Sunday to go to Church or for that Saturday night dance where he wanted to impress that certain young senorita! But a straw hat would be what he would wear most of the time while working the range! With a brim large enough to stop the hot sun and when fumed upside down his hat became a feeding trough for his trusty horse! However, I’m not sure if this tale would hold water.
What purpose does your hat have for country dancing!
Does it match your character or your clothes? Only your habadasher (Hat maker) knows for sure!
If you name your hat, some might think that is strange. Do you name your hat?
Do you pick out a hat depending on your mood or the color of your clothes!
How many hats do your have versus how many boots do you have?
If it rains outside, do you still wear your hat or carry it in a box?
Can you twirl your hat on the top of your finger? Can you throw it to land on a hook on the wall?
When you pass a mirror, do you stop and look?
So the next time you see that very special hat that draws your eye, think of these ramblings that a “Hillbilly” has had and may a smile cross your face and a glow enter your heart!
