Who is Jon Black

My brother Stephen (pictured above as my clean cut twin brother) lives in Livingston, MT. It’s about 30 miles from Bozeman and it’s population is around 8000. Every year they have a big rodeo July 2, 3, and 4. It starts off on July 2nd with a parade.

A parade in small-town Montana is full of everything you would imagine. Horses, John Deere, Public Service people (police, fire dept., etc). It had politicians and local businesses. I even stood five feet from the Governor and someone in the audience shook his hand and said, “You’re doing a great job.” He humbly said, “Thank you. That means a lot.”

Every year the parade has a theme. Like I mentioned in a previous post, this years theme was Star Wars and Star Trek. One of my favorite things about traveling (both personally and professionally) is seeing what I call “Weird America” - the things off the beaten path that prove how unique and strange we Americans can be. The parade of the Livingston Round-Up did not disappoint.

Here’s some of the weirder things I took pictures of:

*They had foam hands in the signature Spock form. I did not get one and I was sad.

These are easily my favorite:

I had a blast needless to say. Livingston is a quiet town near two of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen: Yellowstone National Park and Paradise Valley. Arthur Blank (co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons) has a home in Paradise Valley and a small diner called The Pop Stand (if he knew what was right he’d call it The Coke Stand but whatever…). I’d like to have a home out there too. Seriously breathtaking.

Oh, one more picture for your viewing pleasure.

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