< Previous20 | The Daily News | Lone Star Rally | 2024 T here’s no denying that motor- cycles and tattoos go together like America and apple pie. Dating back to the 1800s in America, tattooing began to emerge thanks in part to sailors return- ing from Japan and Polynesia with exot- ic tales of “tattooed men.” Mariners were fascinated by the art form and crude versions of tattoos soon began show- ing up on arms of sailors. Tattoo artist Martin Hildebrandt is widely credited as one of the first tattoo artists to open a formal tattoo shop and used fresh ink and sterile needles, improving quality and safety. In 1846, his New York City tattoo parlor on Lower Broadway in New York City was blazing a trail that would lead to nearly 1 in 3 people in the United States today getting a tattoo at some point in their life. Galveston area tattoo artist Tiffani Hester has been tattooing for 20 years and now works with her two daughters creating art for others in their private studio, Tiffani With-An-I Studios. “Many people want to tell their story but can’t do it with words,” Hester said. “I tattoo a lot of trauma victims and tat- tooing is their way to turn their trauma into something beautiful.” Some storytellers, like country singer and Lone Star Rally performer Whey Jennings, are able to tell their stories in both words and music but still find a need to illustrate further through tattoos. Jennings has many tattoos, includ- ing one of his dad’s belt buckle on his wrist, and said they all mean something special to him. “I feel like I’m living between heaven and hell sometimes,” Jennings said of his orange and blue forearm tattoos. “Making up for mistakes in my past, that’s the story I’m telling with those.” The Tattoo Saloon Tattoo Contest will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1 on the Miller Lite Stage at Saengerfest Park – 23rd and Strand streets. Judges will choose Best Color, Best Black and Grey and Best Overall. TATTOO SALOON TATTOO CONTEST!2024 | Lone Star Rally | The Daily News | 21 C onnoisseurs of beef jerky will tell you not all beef jerky tastes the same. Uncle Ervin’s Beef Jerky executive partner Gerhard Drechsler couldn’t agree more. “It’s like a fine wine,” he said. “You have to age it just right so that it’s not too mushy and not too tough. Ours eats more like steak.” Entering its 40th year of business, Uncle Ervin’s is a Texas-owned and -operated business making not only beef jerky but also smoked sausag- es and snacks. Although its founder started out as a rice farmer, the company soon branched out to Ervin’s hobby, smoking meats. Now with its 180 employees, the company is still run more like a family business, Dreschler said. “We like to say, ‘where a handshake still matters,” he said. “We’re not corporatized, and we think of our employees as partners. The same thing goes for our customers. They are our partners, too.” Handshakes aside, the process of making jerky is a delicate one, and Uncle Ervin’s prides itself on slow marina- tion and small batches that are hand hung to dry. The compa- ny uses beef, inside round cuts, from Texas ranchers as well as those from the Midwest to make its jerky. A vacuum pro- cess to infuse different flavors, like garlic jalapeno lemon and a longer marination time, make Uncle Ervin’s stand out from the competition, Dreschler said. With distribution in the Dallas area already in Kroger grocery store, Uncle Ervin’s is looking to expand its retail market and has been steadily reaching out to get new cus- tomers, including Lone Star Rally attendees. “Its just my opinion, but I feel like the people who attend Lone Star Rally are loyalists, patriotic kinds of people and, because we have similar ideals, I think if they like our product, I think they’ll stick with us,” he said. Uncle Ervin’s is attending Lone Star Rally for the first time with a booth on 22nd Street near The Strand and will be giving away free samples of its seven flavors of beef jerky. A store locator on the com- pany’s website helps customers find retail outlets, and Uncle Ervin’s online store promises delivery within a few days for direct orders. With Christmas just around the corner, the company sells a Texas-shaped ‘Howdy Box.’ This is a great gift idea to share authentic taste of Texas jerky with people across the country, Dreschler said. Visit www.UncleErvins.com for more information and to place online orders. Texas Beef Jerky Comes To Lone Star Rally “We like to say, ‘where a handshake still matters. We’re not corporatized, and we think of our em- ployees as partners. The same thing goes for our customers. They are our part- ners, too.” GERHARD DRESCHLER22 | The Daily News | Lone Star Rally | 2024 REJUNVENATE AND RELAX AT HARBORSIDE’S PIER 21 W ith its unique view of the ship channel, cruise ships, freighters, and the natural and industrial landscape, the Harborside-area of Lone Star Rally is an interesting site unto itself. Much like the the seawall and The Strand areas showcase Gal- veston’s character and di- versity, the Harborside zone of Lone Star Rally is a great place to hang out for a meal or a drink or just to relax in an often times more-tranquil area of the rally. Located on the north side of Harborside Drive between 20th and 22nd streets, a short walk from The Strand is the Pier 21- area where guest can see the Drive-In Car Show with pre-1985 hot rods and mus- cle cars on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, the High Tide Chopper Show on Friday and the Sound Off Competition, also on Friday. In addition to special events and shows, Harbor- side has a vast array of ven- dors showing off their latest wares from custom motor- cycle parts and accessories to jewelery and clothing. Don’t forget to stop by the Chevy tent on the corner of 21st Street and Harborside Drive where you’ll see one of Chevy’s latest trucks on display. And right nearby, be sure to stop in and meet internationally known artist and custom pinstriper, Dave “Letterfly” Knoderer. DAVE “LETTERFLY” KNODERER2024 | Lone Star Rally | The Daily News | 23 Country legends BlackHawk to perform at 9 p.m. Nov. 2 on The Progressive Beach Central Stage F or more than 20 years, BlackHawk has shared a unique sense of har- mony with their voices, their songs and their fans. It’s a harmony that has sold more than 7 million al- bums, scored some of the most distinctive country radio hits of the ‘ 90s and still draws tens of thousands of fans to their elec- trifying live performances. Today, BlackHawk continues to honor its past as it forges its future and does it all with a commitment that takes their music — and the harmony — to a whole new level. “When we started, our indi- vidual careers as writers and performers gave us somewhat of a more creative sensibility,” BlackHawk co-founder and lead vocalist Henry Paul said. “We were three guys whose goal was to approach country with smart songs and unique harmonies for people who may not automatically like country.” Paul previously co-founded Southern Rock legends, The Outlaws, as well as leading the popular ‘80s rockers, The Henry Paul Band. Van Stephenson had main- stream pop success as an ‘80s singer-songwriter guitarist (“Modern Day Delilah”). And Dave Robbins wrote hits for Eric Clapton and Kenny Rogers while partnering with Stephen- son to write a series of classic No. 1 hits for Restless Heart, including “The Bluest Eyes In Texas” and “Big Dreams In A Small Town.” BlackHawk’s 1993 self-titled Arista debut album launched with the smash single “Good- bye Says It All,” followed by the Top 5 hits “Every Once in a While,” “I Sure Can Smell the Rain,” “Down in Flames” and “That’s Just About Right.” The album soon certified Dou- ble-Platinum, and the band received an ACM nomination as Best New Vocal Group Of The Year. BlackHawk followed up with the hit albums Strong Enough, Love & Gravity and Sky’s The Limit, which col- lectively featured such hits as “I’m Not Strong Enough To Say No,” “Like There Ain’t No Yesterday,” “Big Guitar,” “Al- most A Memory Now,” “There You Have It” and “Postmarked Birmingham.” It was an un- precedented run of hits for a band that never quite fit the standard country mold. “Getting a BlackHawk re- cord on the radio was often a tough sell for the same reason country radio rejected bands like The Mavericks, The Dixie Chicks and Alison Krauss,” Paul said.” “But we were com- mitted to smart, strong songs whether they fit the format or not. And the fans responded.” At the height of the trio’s success in 1999, Stephenson was diagnosed with an aggres- sive form of melanoma. “Van’s contribution to the group was enormous,” Paul said. “He could be a tremendously gifted songwriter and a deeply spiritual guy. We found ourselves at a crossroads as a band, and it would have been an easy time for country music to count us out.” “Two days before Van passed away, Henry and I went to visit him,” Robbins said. “Van was in a wheelchair at this point, and we took him for a stroll around his neigh- borhood. We spent the morn- ing just talking, reminiscing about our career and good times together. Toward the end of our visit, Van said ‘I’ve got two things to ask of you guys. First, do what you can to help raise awareness and find a cure for this thing. The other is, don’t quit. There’s still a lot of great music left in Black- Hawk.’” Since Stephenson’s death on April 8, 2001, the band and its fans have raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars for the Van Stephenson Memori- al Cancer Fund at Nashville’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. “WE WERE THREE GUYS WHOSE GOAL WAS TO APPROACH COUNTRY WITH SMART SONGS AND UNIQUE HARMONIES FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT AUTOMATICALLY LIKE COUNTRY.” HENRY PAUL, BLACKHAWK CO-FOUNDER AND LEAD VOCALIST2024 Silverado Accept all challenges HoustonDrivesChevy.com 24 | The Daily News | Lone Star Rally | 2024Next >