I'm a city girl like you. However, a few years ago my husband by accident came upon a small town in Eastern Washington that was similar to Fools Gold. We stopped for breakfast and the owner of the cafe had mugs with the towns residents names on them, board games, etc. They all came in for coffee and to chat. They included us in their conversations and I felt "warm and fuzzy". We ended up staying for four hours, lots of fun!
You do everything "big" in Texas. The largest book signing I've attending for a single author was Jane Porter at Bellevue B&N. There were about 50 people in attendance and she did a reading and book signing. It was well organized and there was a party next door for those who still wanted to celebrate her Flirting with Forty release.