Victoria fourth annual National Day of the Cowboy a go
Published 2:51 pm Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Victoria will again host a National Day of the Cowboy celebration.
The town’s fourth annual event will be held Saturday, July 23, Acting Town Manager J.A. Dayton said.
“It’s a go,” he said.
Preparations won’t start until early next year, but town hall is already getting calls from people trying to find out if the town will again host the event, said Theresa Beckett, who will handle the planning for the town.
“Each year it seems to get a little bigger,” Beckett said.
Earlier this month, town council members and community leaders praised the day-long event.
Mayor Carol Watson noted the town has lost money the last two years it hosted the event, but it has been less each time and the town has learned from it.
Rodney Newton, chief of the Victoria Fire and Rescue Department, said the town may not make money but the event is good for the community.
“We don’t make money out of it, but they eat in the restaurants; they buy gas,” he said.
Watson said the town and event have a good relationship.
“They are a great organization,” she said. “They don’t just come in here; they are great friends.”
The National Day of the Cowboy is held the fourth Saturday in July and is celebrated by various and numerous localities. Next year’s will be the 12th anniversary of the national event.
Earlier this year, Victoria’s third Annual National Day of the Cowboy was held on Saturday, July 25 in Victoria Railroad Park, the national organization’s website said.
The Tom Mix Rangers were on hand — dressed in authentic western clothing demonstrating roping, bull-whipping and horseback riding, the website said. There were even “Cowboy Shoot-outs,” and performances of Native American dance by members of the Monacan tribe, the site said.
Local artists and artisans had a large selection of handmade merchandise and souvenirs, much of it western themed; and there were children activities like cat fishing, archery, carriage rides and panning for gold.
The town also hosted its Saturday celebration in July 2013, and the next day at the Carmel Baptist church in the Ruther Glen Community there was a reenact a 1800s church service with the members in period dress, the website noted.
Getting the word out early that the event is on offers has its benefit, Beckett said.
“If anybody has any idea they would like to see happen, they should contact the town office,” she said. “And another thing is we are always looking for volunteers. The more volunteers, the more successful our event is.”