Flying J Wranglers gallup into town

The Flying J Wranglers will ride into Clovis once again on Dec. 16 to perform a benefit concert at the Lyceum Theatre.

For the second year in a row, the popular Western music group’s performance will benefit the Miss Rodeo New Mexico pageant, according to Joe Rhodes, owner of Joe’s Boot Shop in Clovis, which is sponsoring the event.

“It’s awful nice of them to do it,” said Rhodes. “They’ve got a great Christmas show.”

The Flying J Wranglers will perform its usual fare of traditional cowboy songs as well as a blend of cowboy Christmas music intermingled with humor and antics, according to James Hobbs, the group’s founder.

“It’s a fun time,” said Hobbs. “We want to lift spirits and try to get people involved in the show.”

The rhythm guitarist is an accomplished singer and songwriter whose ballad “Song of New Mexico” is listed by the Academy of Western Artists as one of the top 10 western songs of the 1990s, according to the group’s Web site. The site notes that Hobbs’ grandfather founded the New Mexico town of Hobbs.

The Flying J Wranglers will also perform such classic Christmas songs as “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Feliz Navidad” as well as “Corn, Water and Wood” and “Yuletide Yodel,” Hobbs said.

Hobbs’ wife, Cindy, is the group’s main vocalist, according to the Web site. She will do a skit based on the song “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer,” James Hobbs said. She also will sing “Mary, Did You Know,” an audience favorite, he said.

Getting under way at 7 p.m. and lasting two hours, the show will be a blend of the group’s Western harmonies, said Hobbs.

“It’ll be different,” he said. “We’ve added some new songs from last year.”

In addition to the evening event, the group will perform as it has in the past during the day on Dec. 16 at Joe’s Boot Shop, said the store’s co-owner Darla Rhodes. Performances are scheduled for 11 a.m. and 2 and 4 p.m.

Tickets for the Lyceum Theatre event are $15 and may be purchased at Joe’s Boot Shop, 2600 Mabry Drive, Clovis.

For information, contact Joe’s Boot Shop at 763-3764.