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Cowboy Capital Sign Welcomes Visitors
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Oakdale Kiwanis Club member Henk Bomer, at left, does a little polishing duty while Lana Casey, Oakdale Cowboy Museum Director and sign committee chairperson, poses with the newly refurbished ‘Welcome to Oakdale’ sign, which signifies the city’s standing as the Cowboy Capital of the World. - photo by Marg Jackson/The Leader
Visitors entering Oakdale from the South will now notice a new welcome sign, one that clearly identifies this as the city that is the ‘Cowboy Capital of the World.’
The sign is at the same location as the original sign, on South Yosemite near the Oakdale Recycling Center.
“The Cowboy Museum received many suggestions following the Cowboy Capital of the World Contest last year stating that Oakdale should have a sign indicating that we’re (still) the Cowboy Capital of the World,” explained Cowboy Museum Executive Director Christie Camarillo. “A committee was formed and in February of this year, Director/Chair Lana Casey started meeting with city officials, Kiwanis Club members, and various service organizations to learn more about the ownership and upkeep of the current sign. After reviewing sign design and costs the Cowboy Museum Board of Directors unanimously approved the project at the June board meeting.”
Signs by Randy of Oakdale constructed the sign, which was officially unveiled on Friday.
“This is something that we feel the community wanted to see after winning the contest,” said Cowboy Museum Board President Bill Sanguinetti. “It will be a beautiful sign and it will be installed just in time for our Fifth Annual celebration of the National Day of the American Cowboy on July 25.”
In fact, there is a full slate of activities for that observance, with the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce, the Oakdale Cowboy Museum, and the Oakdale Saddle Club joining together to present a Rancher’s Day Event at the Oakdale Saddle Club on Saturday, July 25, in celebration of the National Day of the American Cowboy.
The fee to participate in each event is $25 per contestant and will be free to the public to watch. There will be a BBQ lunch served at noon for $10. More information about the various events, which will demonstrate the skills of the ranching cowboy, their horses and their cow dogs, is available by contacting the Chamber of Commerce at 847-2244 or the Oakdale Cowboy Museum at 847-7049.
The day will get started at 8 a.m. with the four-man calf branding draw pot, followed by a two-man rope and sort. There will also be a businessman’s calf branding, with men and women from the business community invited to step up and try their hand at branding a calf.
“The ‘real’ cowboys will handle the roping part,” Camarillo explained. “The business people will just have to be fast workers to put the paint brand on the calf the correct way and run for a time.”
Oakdale Chamber of Commerce CEO Mary Guardiola said the day is a perfect way to salute the community’s heritage.
“This will be a fun way to celebrate the cowboy as well as educate the public on real ranching work,” she said.