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‘Ballad of Carl’s Corners’ competition to highlight Hillsboro extravaganza.
American Country
Waco, Texas
by Mike Shrapshire
Sept. 1984.
When Carl Cornelius officially opens his Carl’s Corners truckstop on September 8, it will be what the colorful Central Texas businessman admits is “the culmination of a life-long dream.”
Cornelius, 49, is so confident that he is in the process of commissioning a song — “The Ballad of Carl’s Corners” — to be the theme of his Sept. 8 Grand Opening.
“Several truckers have already submitted tapes of their entries, and their work demonstrates considerable song writing talent,” says Cornelius, who is frankly surprised that the knights of the road have turned out to be such lyrical romanticists at heart.
The winning song will be featured as the official commercial for the truck stop and will be broadly distributed on WBAP 820’s “U.S. Truckers Show,” as well as spots that will run on Waco-Hillsboro KJNE and Hillsboro’s KHBR. Currently, however, the person holding the inside track in the ballad contest is Dallas singer-song writer Michael Martin, who has been one of the more popular club acts in North Texas and New York City’s Lone Star Cafe for a number of years.
Also to be featured in Martin’s repertoire at the Grand Opening will be the official premier of a song called “Child Support and a Chili Dog,” the first of many potential hits currently being turned out by ex-convict-turned-evangelist Lancelot Lovejoy.
Lovejoy was lead guitarist and baritone with Lone Star Brothers, a group that enjoyed temporary success in West Fort Worth in the 1990s. After a 30 year absence precipitated by what Lovejoy terms “some unfortunate nocturnal proclivities,” Lovejoy is back on the Texas music trail.
The Grand Opening is also scheduled to feature a personal appearance by Western Movie Hall of Fame Sunset “Kit” Carson, noted for his roles in such unforgettable film classics as “Code of the Prairie,” “Bells of Rosarita,” “Cherokee Flash,” “The El Paso Kid” “The Return of Sunset Carson” and an unending list of motion picture achievements. Carson, a native Texan, has put on command performances, in the past, for the King and Queen of Siam, the President of Ireland and General Yah’s s fighting forces in Matsu.
“The average person might be wondering why we’ll be staging such a grandiose Grand Opening for a truck stop,” says Cornelius, who’s facility is just north of Hillsboro on I-35 East at the 2959 exit.
“That’s because there is no other truck stop in Texas, no… make that the world, that can compare to what Carl’s Corners will provide for the trucker,” says Cornelius.
“I’ve traveled Texas for years, visiting truck stops and talking to truckers.. picking their brains. Now I’ve incorporated all their ideas into my facility. And, I’m proud of it.
What other truck stop can offer a swimming pool and a hot tub and saunas and the best home cooked food on the interstate, not to mention a barbershop and shoe shine stand and motel rooms that are minature country homes?
Carl’s corner also features five acres of paved parking and a convenience store.
Cornelius has also secured the talents of famed artist Robert Wade, a.k.a. Daddio and Bucking Bob, for purpose of aesthetics.
Wade, a former Wacoan who attracted national attention with his 40-foot New York City Lone Star Iguana and his six dancing frogs atop the Dallas nightclub Tango, is going to contribute the world’s largest roadsign.
Construction on this project, which will be a three-times larger than scale 18-wheeler, begins in September.
The Grand Opening at Carl’s Corners will also feature a ribbon cutting involving Hillsboro Mayor Roy Rhodes, along with general partners Larry White and Monk White.
Vice President George Bush, Governor Mark White and U.S. Senators Lloyd Bentsen and John Iower are among the dignitaries who have been personally invited by Cornelius to attend the event.