Grab your boots and hat, and head out to one of these celebrations.
America has national days for doughnuts, snakes, kissing, and whatnot, so it only makes sense that it also celebrates one of its most iconic symbols: the cowboy. The fourth Saturday of July each year is set aside to commemorate the contributions cowboys and cowgirls have made to American heritage and culture.
Some might say the era of the cowboy has passed, but we know it is alive and well. We've rounded up some of the best shindigs across the West for you to check out this weekend.
Ogden Pioneer Days
Ogden, Utah
Friday, July 22
During the annual Ogden Pioneer Days rodeo, cowboys and cowgirls from nearly every county in Utah are honored for their contribution to preserving the Western culture. Head on out for the celebration, which will be going on during the PRCA-sanctioned rodeo. The rest of the weekend has a number of fun events too, including the Miss Rodeo Utah competition.
Frontier Times Museum
Bandera, Texas
Friday, July 22 – Saturday, July 23, 2016
The Cowboy Capital of the World, Bandera, Texas, kicks off the town's annual celebration with a banquet for Texas heroes and an induction into the Hall of Honor. Then the celebrations continue on Saturday with the ranch rodeo at Mansfield Park.
Sedona Market Street
Sedona, Arizona
Friday, July 22 – Saturday, July 23, 2016
Live cowboy entertainment, poetry, and arts and crafts are sure to bring the family together during the National Day of the Cowboy Celebration in Sedona, Arizona. You can catch a skit by the gun-slingin' cowboys and cowgirls of The Red Rock Posse or catch a performance by historian and horseman Lee Anderson and his trusty mount Concho. Or you can two-step on over to the stage area where musicians will be strumming and playing country tunes.
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Oklahoma has a lot to offer the cowboy and Western history enthusiast, and it certainly doesn't disappoint when celebrating the American cowboy. The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's annual event is open to buckaroos of all ages. Kiddos can compete in the stick horse rodeo and even learn to rope a steer. During the celebration, the museum is also honoring famous Oklahoman Ben Johnson, the Academy Award-winning actor and rodeo champ, with a special exhibition that will be on display through October 1.
Fort Worth Stockyards Station
Fort Worth, Texas
Saturday, July 23, 2016
With every contest under the sun, the National Day of the American Cowboy event in Fort Worth, Texas, is bound to have a prize for every participant. If you are a champion watermelon eater, seed spitter, cow-chip tosser, hay stacker, or cow milker, head on out to Stockyards Station and try your hand in one of the contests. And for the noncompetitive guests, there are plenty of other ways to get in on the cowboy fun, including cowboy karaoke or the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show. Plus, if you wear your favorite hat, you automatically get free entry to Billy Bob's Texas until 5 p.m.
American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum
Amarillo, Texas
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Free to the public, the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum guarantees everyone can experience and appreciate the iconic American cowboy. Kids can listen to Amarillo Public Library employees read stories about cowboy and cowgirls, and everyone can saddle up on a Quarter horse for a ride all day. And if that's not enough, there's also the chance to make your own stick pony, cowboy trail mix, or even your own brand.
Oakdale Cowboy Museum
Oakdale, California
Saturday, July 23, 2016
In honor of National Day of the Cowboy, the Oakdale Saddle Club and the Oakdale Cowboy Museum host a ranch rodeo for local teams, even offering buckles to the winning four-man and four-woman teams. Little buckaroos can get in on the fun too with dummy roping and stick horse races.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Autumn Afternoon by Chris Peterson
