It’s an event which only seems natural for not just being celebrated but also fully embraced by the community of Oakdale. Observed the fourth Saturday of the month each July, Oakdale will join the rest of the country in celebrating National Day of the Cowboy this year on Saturday, July 22.
Kicking off the day’s activities will be an unveiling event hosted by the Oakdale Cowboy Museum, as 32 new dedication plaques are celebrated around the iconic cowboy statue in the center of town, adjacent to the museum.
“We always try to do something, but it’s always different,” Cowboy Museum Manager Bambi Porter shared. “We try to mix it up.”
The event will be hosted from 10 a.m. to noon.
The Cowboy Museum will also be open for attendees to tour and learn perhaps a bit more about Oakdale’s western heritage.
“We want to beat the heat,” Porter said of the morning unveiling. “It’s Cowboy Day in Oakdale. Obviously it’s Cowboy Day for rodeo in April, but this is another way to get to your Cowboy on or Cowgirl on.”
Porter shared in addition to the event they will be hosting, the Oakdale Saddle Club will also be putting on a Ranch Rodeo at the Oakdale Rodeo Grounds from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. They will also be hosting a rib cook-off, as well as a cattle sorting.
“We’re the Cowboy Capital and we’re the Cowboy Museum and we really need to embrace this holiday because it’s about us,” Porter stated. “And everything we’re wildly passionate about. We’re really excited to do this event on July 22 and celebrate our heritage.”
National Day of the Cowboy is an annual event which was originated through a legislative bill marking the annual day an event in Wyoming in 2005.
“Our community supports us pretty well,” Porter said of the Cowboy Museum. “I think that most everybody loves cowboy culture and our western heritage. We, the board of directors, are really looking forward to seeing everybody and continuing this tradition of the National Day of the Cowboy.”
The Oakdale Cowboy Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“It’s always free to come to the museum, but we love donations,” Porter concluded.
The Oakdale Cowboy Museum is at 355 E. F St., Oakdale.
