Welcome to the Overnight News Digest with a crew consisting of founder Magnifico, current leader Neon Vincent, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, Doctor RJ, Magnifico, annetteboardman and Man Oh Man. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) wader, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse, ek hornbeck, ScottyUrb, Interceptor7, BentLiberal, Oke and jlms qkw.
OND is a regular community feature on Daily Kos, consisting of news stories from around the world, sometimes coupled with a daily theme, original research or commentary. Editors of OND impart their own presentation styles and content choices, typically publishing each day near 12:00 AM Eastern Time.
Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments.
Special thanks to JekylinHyde for the OND banner.
It wouldn’t be the 4th of July without Willie Nelson's moveable ‘picnic’
Reuters
AUSTIN, Texas - It is an on again, occasionally off again American tradition from the 1970s that has filled football stadiums and sun-baked Texas ranches, with one constant - country music legend Willie Nelson celebrating Independence Day with a music-packed picnic.
Nelson’s first blowout picnic in 1973 was a combination of Woodstock hippy love and cowboy hoedown of more than 40,000 people in Dripping Springs outside of Austin that raised the ire of police, who received complaints about noise, nudity and dazed people wandering around.
As Nelson has aged, the event has mellowed. About 10,000 people are expected at this year’s version, which will feature 20 acts, including some Texas troubadours who appeared at the first picnic, and will be held at a race track in Austin, which is the only U.S. stop for global Formula One racing.
Nelson said he got the idea for the picnics from the 1969 Woodstock music festival and wanted to bring that feeling to the Hill Country west of Austin.