Cake and souvenirs: Crawford set to receive an onslaught of visitors
Star-Telegram staff writer
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In the heart of downtown Crawford stands the Angel of Steadfast Love -- a gift to the city after President Bush's re-election in 2004.
At Christmas, ornaments and wreaths adorn the metal angel; on the Fourth of July, other decorations dress it up.
Come Saturday, the 18-foot angel will be dressed as never before: with a white veil and a bouquet of flowers.
There she will stand, a silent bridesmaid to first daughter Jenna Bush, who will marry fiance Henry Hager at the Bushes' Prairie Chapel Ranch about seven miles away.
"We don't really have the resources to go spend a lot of money," said Marilyn Judy, president of the Crawford Chamber of Commerce. "But we have the angel downtown. So we'll put a bouquet in her hands and a veil on her head to make her look like a bridesmaid."
Crawford, a one-traffic-light community of 700 about 25 miles west of Waco, is bracing for an onslaught of visitors who want to be near the event.
Souvenir shops have stocked up on wedding memorabilia. Coffee shops have ordered extra food.
Some businesses will make or serve wedding cake. And extra police and Secret Service officers will be around town.
"It's part of history," Judy said.
Getting ready
Judy is also working to set up information tents for the 1,000 or more visitors who may pass through.
"I've had phone calls from people who want to be here," she said. "I asked if they got an invitation. They said they just want to be in the same town where it's happening."
Valerie Citrano is thrilled.
She lives in nearby McGregor, about six miles from Crawford. Her husband owns the Coffee Shop Cafe where Bush negotiated buying his ranch.
At the cafe, Citrano will serve diners complimentary homemade wedding cake Saturday -- three tiers of white cake with raspberry sauce, complete with a White House on top and Secret Service figures along the side. If she can hook up a DVD player to the TV, she'll also be playing the movie Father of the Bride.
"We have to mark the occasion," said Citrano, who owns Western White House Gifts inside the coffee shop. "The Bushes are the closest thing we have to royalty.
"I just wanted to do something fun and honor them at the same time."
Wedding favors
Citrano offers wedding memorabilia at her souvenir shop, including coffee mugs, buttons, magnets, even stuffed longhorns wearing Western White House wedding T-shirts.
She's sold hundreds of coffee mugs, online and in person, and recently had to replenish her supply.
Jamie Burgess, manager of the Red Bull souvenir shop on Main Street in Crawford, said she's ready for Saturday.
She'll be serving cake and punch to shoppers, or cookies and lemonade if she runs out.
Wedding souvenirs include coasters, ceramic ornaments, mouse pads, key chains, coffee cups and more. All sport the likeness of Jenna and Henry and their wedding date.
"It is an exciting time," Burgess said. "People questioned why she didn't have it at the White House. But she wanted to have it at home. Home is Crawford."
A regular day
Judy said many Crawford residents will go about their daily routines Saturday.
President Bush "is like any other neighbor who is having a big party, or wedding," Judy said. "This is just what happens in town."
But they do expect a crush of visitors, which brings its own problems.
"It can be overwhelming for the size of our community," Judy said. "We have one blinking light and it causes a traffic jam because people don't know what to do at it.
"If it's red, stop and look both ways," she said. "If it's yellow, keep going."
WEDDING DETAILS
The couple: Jenna Bush, 26, and Henry Hager, who turns 30 today, were engaged Aug. 15. After their wedding, they will move to Baltimore, where she hopes to return to teaching and he plans to work for Baltimore-based Constellation Energy.
The wedding: The ceremony is to start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bushes' 1,600-acre Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford. Jenna and Henry will take their vows by a lake in front of a Texas limestone cross, then there will be dinner and dancing under tents. The first family wants to keep the wedding private. A spokesman said a photo or two may be released Sunday. About 200 friends and relatives will attend the event, the first presidential wedding since the 1971 White House wedding of Tricia Nixon and Edward Cox.
Attire: Jenna Bush will wear an Oscar de la Renta dress. Her 14-member wedding party will wear dresses in the color of Texas wildflowers designed by Texas native Lela Rose, whose father, Rusty, was President Bush's business partner with the Texas Rangers.
After the wedding: Locals say they've heard the newlyweds will travel to Europe. On June 21, the White House will hold a reception for the couple.
atinsley@star-telegram.com
