Brandon Hayman
With 2020 winding down, we take an illustrated look back on the extraordinary events that defined one of the most memorable years in modern history.
Brandon Hayman
January 2020: It wasn’t that long ago, just 11 months, when all was right in Fort Worth. A new year had dawned and so had a new day: Recently opened Dickies Arena was coming off a monster 2019. Lizzo, Super M, The Black Keys, and King George himself, almighty George Strait, had played to sold-out audiences there, helping the arena solidify its place as the city’s new polestar for entertainment. And to kick off 2020, the Fort Worth Stock Show hosted its first-ever rodeo at Dickies – it was, indeed, the dawn of a new era.
Brandon Hayman
Suddenly, mere weeks later, the city was in full panic mode. COVID-19 struck the U.S. hard and fast, causing normally mild-mannered citizens to bum-rush local grocery stores to hoard, of all things, toilet paper. Feeding the frenzy, local media covered #TPGate exhaustively, interviewing what’s-wrong-with-people pundits and dispatching journalists to report from stores that didn’t have a square to spare.
Brandon Hayman
As the pandemic worsened, local and state governments put mandates and health regulations into place — rules meant to deter the spread of the virus. Bars closed. Restaurants offered to-go food only. Hotels emptied out. Live performances came to an end. The city became a ghost town. Meanwhile, as the number of cases increased, heroes emerged — health care workers, firefighters, police officers, and other “frontline workers” who braved the pandemic to keep our city and citizens as safe as possible.
Brandon Hayman
In the middle of the pandemic, thousands of miles away, in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis, George Floyd was killed by a police officer, igniting protests across the country. In Fort Worth, demonstrators of all races and ages and backgrounds marched along the cobbled streets of downtown, demanding justice not only for Floyd but for others around the country who’d fallen victim to police brutality. Then recently named Police Chief Ed Kraus and other officers helped defuse the confrontation by kneeling and praying with protestors. Kraus later told WFAA: “We all pin on the badge because we care.”
Brandon Hayman
As Unemployment skyrocketed and restaurants struggled to stay open, Fort Worth chef and restaurateur Jon Bonnell instituted a plan to help keep our city fed and his restaurants afloat: $40 family meals available at both of his restaurants, Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine and Waters. Throngs of people lined up — and continue to do so at Bonnell’s, where the meals are still available curbside — for huge portions of smoked meatloaf, gumbo, chicken-fried steak, and other delectables. Many local restaurants adopted similar business models. Bonnell for President in 2024, y’all.
Brandon Hayman
2020 wasn’t just one bad news briefing after another. TCU grad and Frogs football great Andy Dalton — dude is the all-time leader in wins at TCU — was hired by the Dallas Cowboys as Dak Prescott’s backup. After PRESCOTT suffered an ankle injury, Dalton, who led TCU to a win in the 2011 Rose Bowl, got his chance to play. Unfortunately, 2020 was like, “nope.” During a game with the Washington Football Team, Dalton suffered a head injury that has since kept him out of the Cowboys lineup. C’mon, 2020 — give the guy a break.
Brandon Hayman
We learned a lot of new words and phrases this year: “pivot,” “new normal,” “social distancing.” Another new word now a part of our everyday vocab is “Zoom,” the name of the video-conferencing app that allows us to meet virtually. Zoom may do a good job of keeping us connected, but its greatest achievement is, of course, allowing us to endure classes and meetings while only half-dressed.
Brandon Hayman
Doesn’t matter how you voted in the 2020 presidential election. What matters is, you DID vote. Fort Worthians, as a matter of fact, helped Texas set a record. Says NBC, the Texas Secretary of State’s office reported more than 9 million people cast their ballots during early voting — that’s more than the total number of Texan votes from the 2016 election. No matter our individual political affiliations, we all agreed on something this year: We needed to vote.
Brandon Hayman
Despite the pandemic refusing to loosen its grip, signs of normalcy are slowly resurfacing. Some of us even got to go to a ballgame this year, courtesy of the new Globe Life Field, which hosted the 2020 National League Championship Series and the 2020 World Series — with limited seating, of course. But in a year in which so much was taken from us, we savored the reminder of life before COVID-19. We also realized that maybe, just maybe, life after COVID-19 isn’t so bad either.
Brandon Hayman is a South Louisiana-born artist and illustrator who has called Fort Worth home since 1999. Today, you’ll likely find him about town drinking coffee and making comics. Follow him on Instagram @brandonhayman.