Amarillo has seen its share of famous people. We even have many former residents who have hit it big in movies, music, sports, and even politics. However, it’s always fun to hear stories of what these folks loved about Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle.
Dale Brisby’s Clarendon College Days
I was scrolling through TikTok the other day and ran across a video. In the video, Dale Brisby talked about his time in the Texas Panhandle. He was joking about how he attended Clarendon College for a semester. When asked what he studied, he couldn’t recall, and the topic soon switched to his nightlife, not college.
Midnight Rodeo: Amarillo’s Nightlife Icon
That nightlife centered around the now-defunct Midnight Rodeo and Piranha Room. That was the place to be in Amarillo. It was a collision of cowboys, college kids, and chaos, and boy, was there chaos around every corner. They talked about the Piranha Room.
The Piranha Room Experience
Dude, the Piranha room was where it was at. I was the only one in there with a cowboy hat on.
One of the guys on the video talked about being in the cages, but Brisby never climbed into one. Brisby started to explain what Midnight Rodeo was, and then stopped to ask if it was still around. To which the response was, “It’s a church now.”
When Midnight Rodeo Became a Church
Midnight Rodeo officially closed its doors in September 2017. The Loft Church opened in that location two years later, in 2019. I guess that’s one way to cleanse the sins of that long-standing bar.
Late Nights Always End at Waffle House in Amarillo
So Dale Brisby would come to Amarillo, enjoy his nights at Midnight Rodeo, and then do what most of us did: end up at the Waffle House next door…