Briscoe Celebrates the National Day of the Cowboy

Briscoe Museum Invites You to Tip Your Hat to Cowboys, Cowgirls and Vaqueros with a Day of Free Family Fun

The Briscoe Western Art Museum is tippin’ its hat and celebrating the legacy of the cowboy, cowgirl and vaquero. The museum presents the return of its National Day of the Cowboy celebration on Saturday, July 24, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The free community event, which includes free admission to the museum and its exhibitions, features indoor and outdoor activities for cowpokes of all ages. And there’s no riding off into the sunset when the daytime National Day of the Cowboy celebration concludes. The fun continues with the Briscoe’s “Sips and Sounds of the West” series at 6:30 p.m., with live music in the museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden. The ticketed event is a night of music, drinks and tasty bites under the stars.

Cowboy Fun Under the Sun – And Throughout the Museum

One of the Briscoe’s most treasured annual events, National Day of the Cowboy is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of July each year. After a pause in 2020, the celebration returns, inspired by the Briscoe’s blockbuster summer exhibition, Still in the Saddle:  A New History of the Hollywood Western. The exhibition tells the dramatic story of the Hollywood Western from the late 1960s through the 1980s, recreating a 1960s-era theater experience that features more than 60 original movie posters, authentic lobby cards and costumes worn by John Wayne. Don’t be surprised if The Duke himself is roaming the exhibit, ready to take pictures with adoring fans.

National Day of the Cowboy Celebration highlights include:

• Free admission and activities for the whole family, including guided tours of the Briscoe. The tours, with bilingual options, will highlight artworks that relate to cowboys, cowgirls and vaqueros.
• Cowpoke games and crafts, where you can outfit yer’self in a cowboy vest and spurs, make a stick pony and try out some barrel racing, learn how to rope and brand cattle, herd some balloon animals, do a little bull riding, show off your gunslingin’ skills and more.

• Lil Partners Reading Zone, offering up cowboy tales in the museum’s San Antonio Public Library Kampann Library Portal. Sit a spell and enjoy a book reading with Emily Wilson, the Briscoe’s Curator of Art. Wilson’s recently published children’s book, “Charlie Russell and the Gnomes of Bull Head Lodge”, crafts a modern fairy tale based on the life of one of the fathers of Western art, Charles M. Russell (1864–1926), and his many letters. Stop by to learn the art of gnome-making so you can craft your own cowboy gnomes.
• Bruce Morgan, a stuntman who played role in making scenes memorable in 1970s Hollywood Westerns, sharing behind-the-scenes stories about movie stunts.
• Dairy Farm Demo, with a traveling milking parlor featuring a live cow for all to “udderly” learn how to milk, with a hands-on practice station with milking balloons.             
• Chuck wagon cooking with samples of peach cobbler and beans, along with food truck grub available to satisfy any hungry cowpokes.

Music the Way Cowboys Enjoyed It:  Under the Stars

The fun continues after the sun sets with the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s Sips and Sounds of the West series at 6:30 p.m. in the museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden. With live music from singer/songwriter Marcy Grace and band, drinks and tasty bites under the stars, enjoy a night out celebrating all things cowboy. Surrounded by the beauty of the garden’s fantastic bronze sculptures and lush greenery, kick back and soak in the sounds of West with music, drinks, and food until 9:30 p.m.

Named 2019 Solo Artist of the Year by “Formo” Magazine, Grace was nominated by the 2021 Texas Radio Music Awards for Best New Female Artist and has had three Top 40 singles on the Texas Regional Radio Chart. Her song “Margarita Man” is featured in the film “The Margarita Man” starring Danny Trejo and San Antonio’s own Jesse Borrego. Sips and Sounds of the West tickets are available online and are $15 for members, $25 for non-members and each ticket includes two complimentary beer tickets.

The National Day of the Cowboy was designated in 2005 as a day to celebrate and preserve the heritage of the American cowboy, cowgirl and vaquero in the United States. The state of Texas declared it a day of honor in 2015 and the Briscoe annually hosts a celebration event, throwing open the doors of the museum to honor the cowboy, cowgirl and vaquero in us all.

Celebrate All Things West All Year Long

From its McNutt Sculpture Garden to the museum’s beautifully restored historic home inside the former San Antonio Public Library building, the Briscoe’s collection spans 14 galleries, with special exhibitions, events and a fantastic Museum Store, providing art, culture, history and entertainment. Museum hours, parking and admission details are available online. Per the latest CDC guidelines, vaccinated guests are welcome to enjoy the museum and Jack Guenther Pavilion without a mask. The Briscoe respectfully requests all non-vaccinated guests wear face coverings.

About The Briscoe Western Art Museum:

Preserving and presenting the art, history and culture of the American West through engagingexhibitions, educational programs and public events reflective of the region’s rich traditions and shared heritage, the Briscoe Western Art Museum islocated on the San Antonio River Walk at 210 W. Market Street in the beautifully restored1930s former San Antonio Public Library building. Named in honor of the late Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr. and his wife, Janey Slaughter Briscoe, the museum includes the three-story Jack Guenther Pavilion, used for event rentals and programs, and the outdoor McNuttSculpture Garden. Follow the Briscoe on social media, @BriscoeMuseum.

The post Briscoe Celebrates the National Day of the Cowboy first appeared on Flicks and Food.