Derrick Miller
The Duncan Banner
DUNCAN —
Being a cowboy wasn’t just a hobby; it was a way of life. And the history of cowboys won’t soon be forgotten.
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center will join the mass number of groups to celebrate the National Day of the Cowboy.
Although this is the sixth year for the annual holiday, it will be the Heritage Center’s first year to take part in the day-long celebration.
Leah Mulkey, who’s helping coordinate the event for the Heritage Center, said the museum wanted to find another way to promote the lifestyle of cowboys when museum employees discovered the holiday.
“That is our mission statement, to promote the way in the life of the cowboy,” Mulkey said.
To help kick off the museum’s first celebration, actors and crew members from the museum’s Experience Theatre movie will reunite about 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Mulkey said it’s been about seven years since the cast and crew worked together on the film, which brings the images to life with things such as vibrating chairs and spraying water.
Mulkey said she was excited to see everyone come back together after all those years because many museum patrons ask about the actors in the film.
“Since this is our kick off year, we wanted to do something like that,” Mulkey said. “It will be fun to see what they’re actually like.”
She said a lot of work has gone into tracking down everyone involved in the production, and many of them were located in Oklahoma. Once information started coming to light, things started falling in place, she said.
“It’s really kind of snowballed once we got started,” Mulkey said.
Clyde Ferrell Jr., who played the cook in the film, will also be performing for the crowd at the Heritage Center.
Mulkey said people attending the event will also have an opportunity to have a chuck wagon meal from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. She said there will also be a silent auction for two drovers.
For information, call Mulkey at the Heritage Center at 580-252-6692.
— Derrick Miller is a reporter for The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354, Ext. 160, or via e-mail at derrick.miller@duncanbanner.com.
