Celebrate National Day of the American Cowboy with the BBHC July 24

Celebrate National Day of the American Cowboy with the BBHC July 24

A celebration of the spirit of the American West, the cowboy, ranching, and rodeo are all rolled into a “Family Fun Day” at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Saturday, July 24. It’s National Day of the American Cowboy, and special activities, presentations, music, and games in honor of the day take place 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. and are all included in the price of admission.

The Center partners with Cody Nite Rodeo, the Cody Enterprise, and the Dude Ranchers’ Association for the event. Activities start at 10 a.m. in the Historical Center’s Braun Garden, where participants can learn about branding, try on western clothing including everything from chaps to cowboy hats. Kids can even make their very own stick horse to race later in a stick horse barrel racing competition under the guidance of experts.

The cowboys and bull fighters from Cody Nite Rodeo conduct the “Little ’Pokes Rodeo” in the garden from noon – 3 p.m. Aspiring cowboys and cowgirls can learn rodeo skills by trying everything from the stick-horse barrel racing contests, “calf-in-a-bale” roping, sitting on a rodeo bronc saddle as well as riding saddles. Rodeo clowns will paint faces, and families should bring a camera for photo opportunities with Cody Nite Rodeo’s “Hollywood” the bull and a pair of calves from George Farms.

Short, spotlight presentations include Charlie Russell: The Cowboy Artist at 11 a.m. in the Center’s Whitney Gallery of Western Art and The Chuckwagon: the Heart and Soul of the Roundup in the Buffalo Bill Museum at 2 p.m. To round out the western atmosphere, chuckwagon cooking demonstrations—complete with biscuits and beans for the sampling—take place on the lawn out in front of the Center.

General information on National Day of the American Cowboy, initiated by American Cowboy magazine five years ago, can be found on the official Web site at www.cowboyday.com. The site offers media kits, fact sheets, and flyers for anyone who wishes to join in the commemoration. For more information on the Historical Center’s celebration, go to www.bbhc.organd navigate to “Explore” and then “Events.”

Committed to connecting people with the Spirit of the American West, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center weaves the varied threads of the western experience—history and myth, art and Native culture, firearms technology and the nature of Yellowstone—into the rich panorama that is the American West. The Center, an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now operating its summer schedule, open daily 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr. For general information, call 307.587.4771 or visit the new www.bbhc.org.