A big, global thanks to all of you who took a minute to reply to our recent “Hey! Where You At?” post. After a record 290 replies as of 7:00AM on November 1, I thought I’d take moment to compile some results.
First, as best as I can tell, for around 125 of you, this was your first time to post a comment here. Welcome! Please feel free to chime in on anything any time you want. It’s a big room and you never need to dress up for us.
Second, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a special shout to all you long, tall Texans out there making Lyle Lovett proud. Though many of the regular Rabbit Room contributors live in the Nashville area, at the time of this writing, Texas had the same number of replies as Tennessee. To the rest of you non-Texans, let that serve as a reminder. You don’t mess with Texas. Hook ‘Em, Horns. And God Bless the TNG.
Third, I’m working on a theory as to why the following connected states– Utah, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota– were collectively silent. It is just a theory though. And I’m gonna keep it to myself. Still, the radio silence is curious.
Which brings me to Canada.
Oh, Canada. I know the Rabbit Room has some loose connections to Andrew Osenga and I know he has written and delighted in performing a song about you, but I can assure you the views expressed by certain independent, and I might add, generous songwriters are not necessarily those of the Rabbit Room. (It is a good song, though. Eh?)
Alberta (1), British Columbia (1), Ontario (3) and Manitoba (2), you’re represented by those who have replied.
But to New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon and the fine folks of Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territory, here’s what we’re going to do to let the healing begin. I’m going to assign one Rabbit Room Ambassador specifically to each of your provinces, and we’re going to open the lines of communication.
From here on out, any comments you might wish to make, you can direct them to the following people and they will be happy to answer your questions, address your concerns and say good things publicly about your homeland.
– Prince Edward Island, address your comments to Evie Coates. She’d love to hear from you. And I think she’d like to visit sometime.
– New Brunswick, you get Randall Goodgame. He’s worked with Osenga quite a bit, so he could be very insightful about that song. I’m not sure Osenga mentions you. You may be wondering why.
– Newfoundland, Curt McLey has a special place in his heart for you. He remembers the original Foundland from back before you were established.
– Northwest Territories, Jason Gray is, I believe, our northern-most contributor, so you will find much in common with him. He is very familiar with, for example, snow.
– Nova Scotia, you get Matt Connor. I believe he’ll even come out and meet with you face to face if you cover his costs.
– Yukon, your name sounds like an adventure, and Eric Peters is all about adventures. Drop him a line. Like Matt, he’ll come to you.
– Quebec, you get Ron Block because if you say his name really fast, it sort of sounds like Quebec.
– And finally, Saskatchewan, I’m assigning Jonathan Rogers to you because he is a professional writer, and probably, of all of us, has the best shot at consistently spelling your name correctly without looking it up. You’ll like him. He has a nice family, and that says something.
Now, before we get to the USA, how about a summary from the rest of the globe? We’ve covered Canada. Here are the other international replies we got:
Germany (4)
Singapore (4)
United Kingdom (3)
South Africa (2)
Sweeden (2)
Mexico (2)
Brazil (1)
Belgium (1)
South Korea (1)
Jamaica (1)
Switzerland (1)
Morocco (1)
France (1)
Turkey (1)
Romania (1)
Ireland (1)
and Indonesia. (1)
Now, on to the United States of America. First, the silent states. If you are from one of the following states, you can still become the first to represent. Alaska, Hawaii, Deleware, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. Again, I ask, where you at?
For those we did hear from, here are your results:
Tennessee (29)
Texas (29)
Nebraska (17)
Florida and North Carolina (12 each)
Missouri and Indiana (11 each)
Ohio (10)
Virginia, Georgia and Minnesota (9 each)
Colorado and Pennsylvania (8 each)
Michigan (7)
Alabama and California (6 each)
South Carolina and New York (5 each)
Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky and New Jersey (4 each)
New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Wisconsin (3 each)
Arkansas, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia (2 each– although after initially compiling this draft, SD Smith, who has access to unposted entries, saw this ranking and staged a late rally among his West Virginia constituents through his personal blog, raising that number from 2 to a whopping six. You leap-frogged Oklahoma, Wisconsin and New Hampshire and grabbed for yourselves Alabama kind of numbers. Well played, West Virginia. Well played.)
Arizona, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisanna, Mississippi, New Mexico and Washington (1 each)
Still, as we tell our kids at the dinner table, “Its not a contest.”
Russ Ramsey is the pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church Cool Springs in Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife and four children. He grew up in the fields of Indiana and studied at Taylor University and Covenant Theological Seminary (MDiv, ThM). Russ is the author of the Retelling the Story Series (IVP, 2018) and Struck: One Christian’s Reflections on Encountering Death (IVP, 2017).
24 Comments
Aaron Roughton
Russ, I agree. It’s not a contest. However, I would be interested to see a chart that plotted what I would call “Tour Love vs. Geographic Fan Location.” My theory is that there are some states that get a disproportionate amount of tour love per fan when compared with other very large Rabbit Room fan rich states. We might even be able to explain the silent states. They could be like your quiet, confident friends who don’t have to talk constantly or always try to be funny in their comments to feel important. They know they’re loved. Because Andrew Peterson told them. In person. At a concert.
Tony from Pandora
I would like to second the “Tour Love” idea. Ohio needs more love
Shawn
Okay, too tempting – seeing as I just moved from AL to SD, I guess I get to be the first South Dakotan to respond. For the record, there are more cows than people up here, and the bovine-variety are less than rabbit-friendly.
Jonathan Rogers
Hello, Saskatchewan! I want you to know that I take my role as RR Ambassador to SK very seriously.
I know what you’re thinking: “Where is JR going to come down on the Moose Jaw/Regina rivalry?” That’s an easy one: I’m not going to come down on that question. (What kind of diplomat would that make me?) They’re both great cities. I wish they could both be capital.
Robert Jacobsen
I can’t be the only Southern California RR reader!
Julie
Shawn, those wouldn’t happen to be toothy cows would they? If so, not very rabbit friendly at all huh (not very anything friendly for that matter!)
Allison
Wow. No Marylanders? Or perhaps better said: Merlyners? I don’t really count because I am not a particularly faithful reader, but I must put us on the map!
Andy
I’m pollinating the RR all across the People’s Republic of China. Maybe the Great Firewall blocked folks.
MM
Add Denmark to international readers! (although I am orginally from Washington State) God evidently has a different plan for me in a different country so since I am officially a “resident” and sit daily in denmark reading in the RR, put me down as Denmark.
Bret Welstead
Sweet! Nebraska got 3rd place in this contest!
S.D. Smith
West Virginia has to be competetive at something. Obviously football’s not an option.
Craig
For my second RR comment, I’ll note that the District of Columbia is missing from this list. We moved from DC to the Virginia suburbs almost two years ago, but I still hold a special place in my heart for our nation’s capital.
Toni Whitney
Wondering who my fellow Maineiac is.
Kyle
I’ll see what work I can do spreading the word here in Mississippi.
Margo Grant
NH definitely needs some tour love. 🙁
Stacy Grubb
Booyowwww (or, as we say in WV, Boy y’all). Whatever it is we’re competing for, Sam, I’m glad to have you on my team.
Are we really the only WVns? Ironic that we live within 10 minutes of one another. (Not that I’m stalking you or even know where your house is in more than a generally speaking kinda way.)
Stacy
Joshua Kemper
Not a contest? whatever WE WON!
Josh
Houston, TX
becky
Nebraska is third–GO HUSKERS! Hey, we’re just glad to have something to cheer about.
Candy
No, Robert, you’re not the only so. Cal representative here. I believe that brings us to 7! Contest, schmontest! The gauntlet has been thrown.
Eric
I hear you becky. Pulling 3rd behind the blog’s home state and one with a population of 24,326,974 compared to our 1,783,432. Respectable.
Joshua Kemper
I know a lot of Rabbit Room readers (including one in Austria) and none of them posted so the results here are probably a small percentage of the readers. Eric – amen brother. Nebraska rocks. I just feel some kind of obligation to demonstrate the prideful Texas ego when around people from other places.
Trice
-Andy — it’s no problem here in southwestern China. maybe the Great Firewall Watchers just haven’t noticed us yet
Karisa
Russ, as a South Dakotan by birth and a Utahn by choice, I want to hear your above mentioned theory. Please?
Peter B
*ahem* Russ, I believe you meant “Gig ’em”.
Echo Karisa’s desire to hear the theory. Is it because the mountains are too busy yelling “Glory, Hallelujah”?
If you have a Rabbit Room account, log in here to comment.