How The States Got Their Ketcham

Everything has it pinnacle. 
It’s top.  The Super Bowl if
you will.


Tonight, I achieved the
Historian Super Bowl.  I will be on the History Channel.  I made it onto my favorite show, How The States Got Their Shape. 
I am so excited, but it didn’t happen how you think it might of.  
 
Back on Sept. 8th, my BFF, Brittany Hafner and I went downtown Fort Worth and just experienced Fort Worth, and all the goofy landmarks we had. We toured the stock yards and really had a lot of fun.  We used a fun little app called RoadsideAmerica.  I remember mentioning we need to do this more often… check out our hometown.

 Fast forward one week to Sept. 15th, and while my cousin Jordan is in town, we take him down to see some of Fort Worth.  I could have sworn I saw a TV crew downtown on Main and Exchange, but blow it off.  I get home and check Twitter that night and see that How The States Got Their Shapes is filming in Fort Worth.  I am so frustrated I missed my
chance.  I saw they posted another video online Sunday, so I grabbed fellow history and friend Lynn Shelton and headed downtown.  Turns out that while we are cruising around the stockyards, they were at LaGrave Field. I got a Tweet back from the host that they were heading to Dallas the next morning.  My history teacher heart is broken, as I never go to Dallas and Hate Dallas with a passion.

 Over Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, I had people Tweeting all sorts of things at Unger and his crew.  Such as…

" @bungerlaWhere is dinner tonight? Several of us hungry history
teachers could eat all of Texas or IN, OH, PA, NY, and all of New England combined #HTSGTS"

"Davy Crockett, told his Tennessee peers in Congress, "Y'all can go to hell. I am going to Texas to have dinner with @BUngerLa and #HTSGTS"

"@bungerlaWhere is dinner tonight? Several of us hungry US history
teachers could eat Texas or 257 Rhode Islands? #HTSGTS#dontstateblockus"

"bungerla FW history teachers want to meet #HTSGTS tonight. Where will you be tonight at 7:00?"

He remained aloof.  Finally, Wednesday after school, feeling like the ship had sailed, and having accepted defeat, I see a picture of him in Dallas.  I’m not sure where, so I text the picture to old friend and Fossil Ridge graduate Kassi Nopratvarakorn.  She's a fan,  knows where it is, fights traffic, drives over there, finds him, takes a picture, and gets his next location.  I kiss my wife goodbye, hop in the car, pickup Magen Rabatin on my way, and drive as fast as I ever have to Dallas.

Just a FYI, I do hate Dallas.  I filled up with gas before I get to Dallas County, as I try to avoid spending any money in the Dallas economy.  However, a funny thing happened on the way to Dallas.  The traffic just, disappeared.  We flew to Dallas at record speed.  The people were shockingly friendly.  I must assume that some of them must of been (817) people.  
 
We get there, park as fast as we can, and basically run to the park.  I go crazy being so excited. He says, perfect, I need to interview 3 people from here.  I said, We have 3!!!  i explains my path to get on the show, and funny enough, he said, "You must be Coach Ketcham".  He interviewed me about Texas and why Texans love themselves so much, 

He proceeds to interview Magen, Kassi.  It was pretty fun, and some of the questions were pretty tough.  I made them promise we would not be cut, and he promised we were on the show for sure.  The episode should air on November 24th (9 Pm) on H2.   I won’t type all the details, but the night was pretty awesome!

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