The Stampede

The die was cast. I had a long day ahead of me, and I’d already been on the road for 5 hours since the morning. The diversion was going to set me back another 45 minutes, and I knew that the place was going to be closed too. But when you’re “in the neighborhood,” you gotta go see The Stampede.

Just one photo would be worth the trip, I figured. After all, it’s one good-lookin’ dance hall. And with plenty of history, too. Located on the Snyder Highway, this roadside joint opened way back in 1954.

At the time, Hoyle Nix was enjoying the growing popularity of his band, the West Texas Cowboys. So he and his brother Ben decided they’d build their own hall. And that’s how The Stampede was born, a 120- by 40-foot stucco building with unfinished interior walls and a sturdy hardwood floor that’s seen countless dances to date.

When The Stampede opened on May 8, 1954, more than 1,000 people showed up. (The capacity is 500.) Nearly 70 years later, it’s still BYOB—alcohol has never been sold at The Stampede. It has also maintained a spotty calendar, since the venue has primarily hosted the Nix family and their guests.

These days, you’re most likely to catch Jody Nix and his Texas Cowboys (thats’s Hoyle’s son), who have been playing here since 1985. Other notable performers over the years include Johnny Bush, Jake Hooker, Bobby Flores, Johnny Lee Wills, Jimmy Heap, and many more. I had checked Jody Nix’s website ahead of my visit to see if there was a show, but I was off by 2 weeks. Not even close.

But as I stood in the dusty parking lot under the endless Texas sky, I admired the place and listened closely to the imagined sounds of steel guitar and boots stomping and dresses twirling and bottles clinking and stories being shared and laughed at and quickly forgotten and spinning spinning spinning away into the long nameless night just like a dozen, hundred, thousand other nights.

It was worth the trip.