Silobration At Magnolia Market

I’m so thankful my husband and I got the chance to go to Magnolia’s Silobration this year! First, we are big Fixer Upper fans (of course) and I am a big Johnnyswim fan so we really wanted to go. But then, once we found out Jon Foreman was going to be playing too, we decided we HAD to go! I mean, what a line up!

Chip and Joanna Gaines’ work is so inspiring and although we all are super bummed that Fixer Upper Season 5 will be the last season, I really respect them for taking a step back to focus on their family. I’m sure it wasn’t anywhere near an easy decision to make, but in a world where everyone says “family first” as a trendy thing to say and not necessarily always a priority list, a decision like that speaks it all. Their children and family will thank them, if not now, definitely later.

So yesterday, Aaron and I jumped in the car in Houston to make our trek to Waco. I drove so that Aaron could finish up some work and we jammed to everything from worship music for the upcoming services we’re leading, to OutKast, to Jon Foreman to get us ready.

Once we got to Waco, we looked for some free parking and made our way to Magnolia Market. Since I had already been to the annual Silobration last year with Sami, I was so excited for Aaron to experience it. We walked around to explore all the unique and inspiring vendors. There were so many more than last year too! You could find everything from boutique clothing and home decor to handmade soaps and caramels. I love seeing each vendor’s personal style and the way they present their beautiful work.

From what I understood, many of these vendors applied, along with hundreds of others, to see if they would be selected for this event. That must be so incredible to be honored with being selected to showcase your product. I didn’t know any of the vendors personally, but I felt so proud of them and excited for them haha. You know they put their heart and soul into their craft, so it’s just so exciting to see them be validated with an opportunity like that. What I also loved was that some vendors that we met were actually discovered by Joanna. One of them told me that they really don’t know how she even heard of them, but that they’re so glad she did and so thankful that they get to be a part of it.

The vendors market area is open to the public, so anyone could come to browse and enjoy the market and food trucks outside of the silos. The Silobration concert, however, was ticketed and they opened the doors for that at 6pm. I knew they sold out of tickets but I didn’t realize how many people were going to be there until we were all waiting outside the doors for them to let us in. Inside, they had even more food trucks and to my surprise, Castro the band was playing! They’re a sibling trio and I love them! I didn’t even know they were in the lineup.

This year, it definitely made a big difference having two acts play before Johnnyswim. It was nice having the non-stop music going and to enjoy the different artists. Castro did a great job with their soothing harmonies and fun sibling interaction. Jon Foreman was amazing, as always. Aaron & I agree that he is one of the best songwriters of our time. Everything he writes is so profound and yet so tangible. He played with just a guy on a cello (that he would play like an upright bass sometimes) and another guy on a drum kit. We loved it.

After Jon Foreman, they showed us a sneak peak of Season 5 and everyone was definitely so excited for that. Then, Chip and Joanna came out and they shared their hearts. They expressed their desire to inspire through their work and their sincerity with all the recent decision of the final season. Everyone was super supportive and understanding from the crowd. That’s one thing that Chip and Joanna do easily – they make their “fans” feel like family.

Chip also had an endeavor called “Chipstarter” that he created. He wanted to help someone reach a goal that they had, any goal. 22,000 people sent in videos expressing their goal and why he should choose them. He then selected three people to come to the Silobration so that he could select the winner from the three. He chose a woman who wants to help tell people’s stories through photography, a man who wants to climb Mount Rainer and a couple who wants to adopt a child from Asia. They went through the whole thing, deliberated like judges and then, to everyone’s surprise, they chose all three!! They gave large checks to each contestant so they didn’t have to worry about the financial aspect of that dream anymore. It was pretty amazing!

After all of that, Johnnyswim took the stage and wooed everyone with their soulful voices and catchy songs. I don’t know either of the Gaineses or the Ramirezes (Johnnyswim duo’s last name), but that must be a cool friendship. Johnnyswim’s song “Home” is the theme song for FixerUpper and they’ve played at every Silobration. So those couples just seem to be good friends. Power couples unite, what up.

How do you end an already amazing night? With In N Out, duh! Guys, we don’t have an In N Out in Houston yet and it’s killing me. Why do all the other major cities in Texas get one but not us? Yet. I’ve heard we’re getting one soon, but I’ll believe it when I see it. This Double Double was a sweet hallelujah after an already magical day. Exaggeration? Maybe. Maybe not.