Fate and History

Kramer Wetzel

Fate and History

With my brief career as volunteer docent associated with the National Historic Trust cf., Villa Finale et al, I was buoyed to see that the “The Dome” made the list of locations to save.

Houston AstroDome

Myth, history, lore. Some mythology, sprinkled with a hint of Texas politics, leavened with a tiny dose of reality. The Houston Astrodome is where AstroTurf came from. Also, consider, it spawned the current generation of super-stadiums. It was the first.

Several “marketing consultants” suggest controversy as a way to gain traction (attention). Like, create a fake online character and have that avatar pick a fight with me, and doing that, when revealed? That’s a form of “astro-turfing,” a heinous, online mistake. Ask Austin’s Whole Foods about that.

My memories of the Houston Astrodome are limited. As a small child, one of my father’s business associates had his wife give me a tour of the new dome. Years later, I saw the annual TT races there, indoor motorcycle races. Flying through Houston one time, I recall the sad dome unadorned and all but abandoned, maybe it was near one of Houston’s airports?

As a historical oddity, it deserves some recognition. Still, finding the correct use?

Houston, wasn’t that the original home to Humble Oils?