Published: July 23, 2009 11:51 am      

Wilson makes ‘redneck’ a good thing

Not so long ago, being known as a “redneck woman” would have been considered a bad thing. But that was before country singer Gretchen Wilson took the stage at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair.

Wilson had the crowd on its feet from the moment she arrived, belting out her popular, “Here for the Party,” followed by “There’s A Place in the Whiskey” and “Homewrecker.”

Not one to mince words, Wilson told her fans exactly how she felt about Hollywood types like Paris Hilton (she can’t think of anyone she likes less) and sang about fighting for her man. (“Don’t Make Me Take My Earrings Out . . . cause I’ll show you what a catfight’s all about.”)

Despite a steady rain prior to the concert, a large line had formed outside the gate leading to the track seats. There, fans who had paid $25 to sit closer to the stage waited in anticipation.

Elaine Anderson and her daughter, Tia Rice, of Goshen, were among those waiting in line. Neither had ever seen Wilson in concert, but are both big fans of the singer.

“She’s herself and she tells you to be yourself. She doesn’t put on airs for anyone,” Anderson said of Wilson.

“I love how she stands out,” agreed Rice, a senior at Bethany Christian. Both mother and daughter really like Wilson’s hit song, “Redneck Woman,” and Rice said she considers herself a redneck woman. So what is a “redneck woman,” anyway?

“It’s someone that is not afraid to get dirty and is kinda wild,” Rice said. A redneck woman would go mudding, 4-wheeling and wear buckles and cowboy boots, she said.

Nappanee residents Casey Bough and Danielle Stutzman also said they like Wilson because she says what she thinks.

“She sings what she wants and doesn’t really care,” Stutzman said.

“Gretchen Wilson is a pretty big name,” said Bough, adding that she had been to all the concerts at the fair this week except Rodney Atkins since she saw him perform a few years ago at the fair.

Unlike Rice, however, neither Blough nor Stutzman consider themselves “redneck women.”