Back To Rick Waldroup Photography

Labor Day Weekend, 2007 - Granbury, Texas

For the past two years, on Labor Day weekend, the small, sleepy town of Granbury, Texas (pop. 7,500), which is approximately 50 miles southwest of Dallas, has been awakened to the sound of more than 10,000 motorcycles and hot rods as they make their way into the town square and beyond. They are here to attend the annual Thunder Over Texas Motorcycle and Hot Rod Rally. However, this is not your typical motorcycle and car show. It is an unusual event that attracts thousands of born-again Christian bikers from all over the country, by mixing motorcycles, cars, and religion. The rally is a three-day event that starts on Friday and ends on Sunday afternoon. This unique Christian based rally is very much like the old traveling tent revivals except it is much larger and completely modern in every way. There are daily planned events, nationally known guest speakers and ministers, some of the best Christian hard rock bands in the US, and all sorts of vendors selling just about everything you can imagine- from Bibles to lots and lots of leather. The rally is completely free and open to the public. The following photos document the last two years of this unique event.

On Friday, the entire city square of Granbury is blocked off to make room for all of the bikers and their motorcycles, and the many artists and vendors who set up booths around the courthouse. All of the events scheduled for the rally are spread over a wide area of the city, from downtown to the local fair grounds, and to the school grounds and parking lots for the motorcycle and car show. Also, each morning, there are planned, scenic 30-mile motorcycle rides around the beautiful hill country that surrounds Granbury. More than 20,000 visitors are expected for the rally. All the local hotels and motels have been booked solid for months.

The main event scheduled for Friday, was a short sermon by Pastor Jerry Savelle, founder of Thunder Over Texas, followed by a brief warm-up set by Go Deep, one of the premier Christian rock bands in the US. Finally, Pastor Kenneth Copeland, would close the ceremony with prayer.

Jerry Savelle is the founder of Thunder Over Texas. The event is only six years old, having been held the first four years at Texas Motor Speedway, a huge NASCAR track in the Dallas area. Pastor Savelle has been preaching since 1969. He has preached in over 3000 churches in 26 countries. His ministry is located in Crowley, Texas with international offices in the U.K., Australia, and Canada. Dr. Savelle is the author of more than 40 books and he also hosts a nationally syndicated television show. He sells books, inspirational CD's and DVD's, and makes personal appearences throughout the country. Early in his career, he started preaching to inmates in jails and prisons all over the South. It is a practice that he continues today, and in fact, many of the bikers attending the rally are born-again ex-convicts.

Savelle has a very unique style and a commanding presence. This is not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill preacher. He wears all black and is fronted by a hard driving, extremely talented rock band and the huge stage is adorned with choppers- even his pulpit is a gleaming chrome chopper- and he works the stage and the crowd lake a master showman. When he first takes the stage, he looks at the crowd and says, "I know what people say. They say you look funny, that you don't belong in church because of the clothes you wear, that some of you are beyond saving...." here his voice rises and he seems to bounce on the balls of his feet...."Well, I tell you what I say. That is a damn lie! I'll preach to you, I'll save you, I will show you the Word of God!" At this point the crowd stands and roars and the band Go Deep bounds on the stage and launches into a driving, pulsating beat reminiscent of early U2. We are now in the middle of a full blown, high-octane rock show with the sound at full concert level. You can feel the ground shaking.

Saturday is the busiest day of the rally. The day starts with the hot rod and motorcycle show, which is an all day event. There are numerous other activities all over the city including live music in the town square by national Christian rock recording artists, “The Sons of Thunder” and “Rock of Ages.” There are many artists and food and drink vendors in the town square and all over downtown. The day’s festivities are to be capped Saturday night by a major concert by Go Deep, which will be broadcast live, by satellite, to over 200 prisons around the country.

Sunday, the last day of the rally, starts with morning services held in Shanley Park on the main stage. A huge crowd of over a thousand worshipers, gather in anticipation of the service. Jesse Duplantis, a well known evangelist with a comedic flair, will start the service to be followed by Pastor Savelle. Later on, there will be one more service in the early afternoon to close out the event. Sunday would turn out to be one of the more eventful days of the rally.

I have shot all types of events over the years, but Thunder Over Texas was one of the most unique and sometimes downright bizarre stories I have ever covered. It is indeed a strange mixture of people that Dr. Savelle has assembled- born again ex-cons, Christian bikers and hot rod enthusiasts who feel they have no church that represents their lifestyle, folks who have become disappointed in traditional religious services, and young people and teenagers just looking for a good time. It was definitely not your normal religious gathering. This was part sideshow, part good old fashion down home preaching, and part American commercialism all rolled into one- the American way.



Click on the images below to enlarge them