BIGGER, BADDER, BOLDER.

Curtis /Hawgfest the new Ride 2023 Bigger, Badder, Bolder. Tell me about this great event!

Thank you, Ron for the amazing job you do with Born To Ride. Such a great publication. You know, I have been to large events across the country for fifteen years now. I find myself admiring different aspects and visions of other organizers, and throughout the years, have tried to learn from some of these great folks. Hawgfest is a culmination of concerts, food, vendors, bikes, beer, cannabis and of course the massive carnival. It’s like a mini theme park; on one end of the property you have badass bands playing, on the other you have thrill rides, full bar, Number JUAN Tequila flowing with vendors in between. Oh, and a cool adult Cannabis Expo in the middle with an outdoor lounge area. Something for every demographic and loaded with fun.

Alex/ Number JUAN Tequila is on fire. In a crowded platform how do you separate from the others? Give us a little background of this fabulous brand.

Number JUAN believes in three things: Quality, FUN, and Community.

Any success is because we work hard at FUN and people respond when you genuinely care about their experience. People trust us with their FUN and we are men of our word.

I’ve been enjoying Tequila since before I was legally allowed to. It was 2011, with both Ron White’s and my comedy careers in full throttle. During a drinking crawl (as we call them) in Mexico, Ron and I literally stumbled into the Rivesca Distillery. We were merely in search of a great day of drinking and to add another fun story to our long relationship. We had no idea that we were about to become a bridge to sharing an amazing Tequila with the USA. After tasting, it was obvious to us both that the entire lineup was (in our opinion) the best Tequila we had ever consumed. We simply wanted to drink it from then on. We learned that Rivesca had no presence in the USA, and we just couldn’t allow that to be the case any longer. We truly admire this small batch (NO DIFFUSER or ADDITIVE), family-owned distillery that has been producing amazing Tequila for nearly seven decades now. They have been farming their lands for almost a century and they simply will not compromise the integrity of the soil, agave, or distillation process for mass production. They are artists true to their craft, which is why Ron and I were drawn to and respect the Rivesca Distillery aka Familia Rivera. Our vantage point in this crowded platform has very few but much respected peers. Cheers to all great Tequila makers, we’re Number JUAN!

Alex/ Being the presenting sponsor of HAWGFEST how do you see this relationship growing and what can we expect to see at the event from you?

New Mexico has always been a special state to me both comedically and personally. I have many great friends and fans throughout the state. The state has embraced Number JUAN Tequila and so it only made sense to give back by being a part of one of Carlsbad, New Mexico’s great traditions;,HAWGFEST. Raising money & awareness for a great cause while having FUN... Number JUAN is all over it. I will personally be on hand instigating FUN anywhere and anyway I can. Number JUAN promises to offer delicious Tequila and refreshing cocktails with no artificial sugars = A NO HEADACHE PARTY! We look forward to working with Curtis and all the HAWGFEST sponsors to enhance what’s always been a great party into a BIGGER & BETTER PARTY... The Number JUAN HAWGFEST ever!

Curtis / Number JUAN Tequilas commitment to HawgFest is powerful and strong to help the New Ride roll with power. How important is it to support this brand?

When I first met Alex, I was very impressed. Alex is one of the hardest working people I know. His commitment to his comedy, his family, and now Number JUAN Tequila is infectious. Alex is always looking to be the best and that is exactly the kind of partnership Hawgfest needed. I am always looking to learn and watching Alex and learning from him is such an amazing opportunity for me and Hawgfest.

Curtis / You chose to leave Budweiser and moved to Miller / Coors brands.That was a bold move. Why did you do that, and do you have regrets?

I had worked with Budweiser for over a decade. Our local distributor is awesome, seriously good people. When I saw the ad campaign from Bud Light, I had to make decisions. Look, I don’t judge people for their life decisions. Honestly, I don’t shove my beliefs in marriage or God or the differences between a man and woman down people’s throats and I don’t want it shoved down mine. To each their own. That said, I am not making Hawgfest a political playground. It’s not that. I made the decision to end my relationship with Budweiser and didn’t look back. It opened the door for some amazing opportunities with Coors, Miller DosEquisXX, Corona, Twisted Tea and other brands that just blew me away. They care about selling beer, supporting Hawgfest and not all the stuff that divides us. I can’t speak highly enough about the folks we are working with now.

Curtis / You have the carnival, the live entertainment and the true history of Carlsbad New Mexico all part of your demographic. The economic impact you are bringing to your City and State are very valuable. Congratulations! Why do people need to be at Hawgfest?

Carlsbad, New Mexico is home to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the Pecos River and a great community. Watching Hawgfest grow and bringing people to town makes me proud. Knowing that folks get to see the beauty of the desert and all our community has to offer makes me proud. The sense of family and friends coming to New Mexico and enjoying a few days of fun together, that makes me proud... it’s priceless.

Curtis / With biker clubs lately being tied to violence, are bikers welcome? Are clubs welcome? Explain your stance so everyone will know.

Of course, bikers are welcome. Everyone is welcome. You know, it makes me sad to see the violence happening around the country. It’s like we’ve lost our way. The Red River shooting scared folks. I started watching events cancel and that sucks. As a promoter, I have to ensure people feel safe and do my best to make that happen. I made the hard decision to not allow colors at the event. I of course had Veterans and non 1% clubs telling me their club was not a 1% club and they should be allowed to wear apologize for trying to keep our event as safe as possible so our attendees are comfortable. their colors. Unfortunately, Joe public doesn’t understand the ways of that lifestyle, they can’t differentiate. They see the patches and assume what they assume. The no color rule is across the board at Hawgfest. I do want to say this to the people upset about that rule. It’s not me or other promoters that wanted to do this. We had to. Insurance costs, public safety, all that comes into play. When these clubs have an incident at an event, like Red River, they are not thinking about the impact it has on every aspect of not only the event but the community, the kids there, etc. I ride and have my whole adult life, so I get it, but I also understand that we have to make tough decisions, and if that upsets people, I apologize. But I will not

Curtis / Your commitment to charity says a lot about you. Give us a update on how you are giving back to your community and why.

My wife and father are cancer survivors. Until I saw first hand how hard that road was for them, I hadn’t thought much about cancer. Yeah, I knew it was bad, but out of sight, out of mind. After I saw the great work the American Cancer Society did for my family, I knew Hawgfest had to get involved and join the fight. This is dear to me now. Alex will tell you the same. We want to help all we can. I understand Hawgfest won’t be the end all or anything like that, but if our donation can make any sort of impact with research or helping a family with hotel expenses, food, whatever, then that is a total success in my book. The American Cancer Society and Fork Cancer do great work and we are extremely happy to partner with them.

Alex / Last words ? Curtis / Last words ?

First, thank you Ron for everything you do. You have always been a huge supporter of Hawgfest and me personally. Second, find a store and pick up a bottle of Number JUAN Tequila. You won’t find better. Trust me! Seriously, come to Hawgfest. We are all a big family and we love making new friends. You won’t regret it. I want to thank all of our sponsors that make this happen every year and tell all of our Hawgfest friends that we love and appreciate you folks. Thank you, Ron. SEE