National Day of the American Cowboy Inspires Celebrations Across the United States
Equestrian News Release
Boulder, CO:- July 28, 2007 was celebrated across the United States as the 3rd Annual National Day of the American Cowboy. To commemorate the holiday, more than 100 events were held in all corners of the country, from southern California to Florida and from South Dakota to Texas. Parades, rodeos, poetry contests, kids' stick-horse races, concerts, gun fight reenactments, cattle drives, trail rides, and horse shows brought to life various incarnations of cowboy spirit and celebrated the history and values of the American Cowboy. Other fun festivities included watermelon eating contests, cowboy mustache competitions and cowboy karaoke.
Retail western stores and cowboy churches, western radio stations, historic western towns, and rodeo associations lead and promoted the activities. Large-scale events in cities such as Fort Worth, Texas
included hundreds of spectators, while in small towns such as Meeteetse, Wyoming, celebrants outnumbered the town population! Natalie Parish, director of marketing for the Fort Worth Stockyards Station, said "The event was such a huge success, we plan to make it an annual event!" In Columbus, Ohio, Rod's Western Palace had a cowboy parade, karaoke contest and multiple in-store events while raising money for an equine charity. In Sulphur Springs, Texas, a chuckwagon breakfast had to come
up with more grub: in a half hour, more than 400 people showed up for cowboy biscuits and coffee cooked over a campfire. Arizona held an Old West shoot-out, Okeechobee, Florida had a cattle drive and parade, and folks in California staged a trail ride.
"It amazes me the power of grassroots people. Americans are passionate about the western lifestyle and the cowboy way of life. They want to embrace cowboy values in the modern time and get together with their families and friends in the community. The 3rd annual National Day of the American Cowboy was the biggest and most successful so far, and we hope it keeps growing in years to come" stated Bill Garrels, publisher of American Cowboy magazine, which started the campaign for the National Day of the American Cowboy over 5 years ago.
Thanks to group efforts of like-minded western enthusiasts, media coverage for the National Day was widespread, with western fashion shows aired on morning television stations and more than 50 stories in local news media. Western and country radio stations also helped spread the word. Support from local communities, media and individuals is integral to getting the 4th Saturday in July named as a perpetual national holiday in honor of the American Cowboy. American Cowboy magazine, a western lifestyle publication and the entity initiating the campaign for the official day, has provided a website with information on the history and future of the official National Day of the American Cowboy. For more information and to see pictures of the 2007 events, please visit http://www.cowboyday.com.
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