Eeeha! It’s time to add National Day of the Cowboy to your calendar of national days … with the 12th National Day of the Cowboy taking place this year!
So get your lassoes at the ready, to reign in all those people that aren’t yet aware of this fantastic day!
It was first sponsored in 2005 by the late US Senator Craig Thomas and has been growing in success ever since.
The cowboy has been described as ‘a symbol of the grand history of the American west. The cowboy’s love of the land and love of the country and examples for all Americans.’ And the best part of course, is the events themselves!
In 2012 a big ‘Street Block Party’ took place in Kennewick, WA. I also loved the events that happened in Sedona, Arizona. Why? It consisted of performances by bullwhip crackers, ropers, live music and historical re-enactments.
And speaking of history … did you know that cowboys first existed around the 1850s? It wasn’t always all action, like most of us has seen in movies either. Cowboys living in the plains were often isolated, something that came through in melancholy songs and poetry.
However, the rodeo was also very real! Talented cowboys could show off their bucking skills, which must have been no easy feat the bulls involved weighed between 1300-1600 lbs. I remember seeing a great rodeo show and I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through!
So if you want to attend a fantastic event (or even be a cowboy for a day, get on your stetson hat, but play safe!).
In March 2012 Wyoming became the first state to secure the 4th Saturday in July to be designated as National Day of the Cowboy. This was soon followed by California in June 2012 and other states are set to follow this trend. So if your state doesn’t have a volunteer listed, but you’d still like to help, or if you’d like to find someone who is already listed then visit the official National Day of the Cowboy website.