For the fourth year running, Americans will be celebrating the National Day of the American Cowboy on Saturday, July 26. Parades, chuck wagon cook-offs, roping contests, street fairs and rodeos are just a few of the different regional events taking place across the country to commemorate the American cowboy and cowgirl and their important contributions to our nation’s history and culture.
The National Day of the American Cowboy is held the fourth Saturday of each July, thanks to a resolution passed by the United States Senate in 2005 that was the put forth by Senator Craig Thomas of Wyoming, the resolution’s sponsor and leading proponent. The outpouring of public support in the form of petitions and letters to legislators and President George W. Bush ensured the resolution’s passage in 2005. The President issued a statement of support for the resolution that same year, claiming “We celebrate the cowboy as a symbol of the grand history of the American West."
The resolution was again passed in 2006 and 2007, and is currently awaiting passage for 2008 (it has to be reintroduced each year until it is officially designated a national day of observance by the President). For more information, visit http://www.nationaldayofthecowboy.com/.
No celebration of the National Day of the American Cowboy would be complete without special activities at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Museum visitors can expect a few added treats in addition to the smorgasbord of cowboy culture and art routinely served up in the Museum's galleries and gardens. For more information about the special activities at the museum, visit www.nationalcowboymuseum.org.