PRESENTED BY THE BANDERA COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, FRONTIER TIMES MUSEUM, AND ARTHUR NAGLE CLINIC
Don’t miss Labor Day weekend in Bandera, Cowboy Capital of the World! Bandera’s cowboy heritage is especially celebrated during Labor Day weekend. In the late 1800’s, Bandera became a major gathering place for over 10 million head of Longhorn cattle. The Longhorns were gathered and herded via the famous Western Trail to northern railheads in Nebraska, Montana and even Canada.
On Labor Day Weekend, Bandera, the Cowboy Capital of the World, will be transformed back to that magical time of the Old West. It’s called Experience Bandera. This small, classic Old West town will turn back the clock on the pages of history to the late 1800s. Back to cattle drives and rodeo skills, for the purpose of celebrating Bandera’s 165th birthday.
What will you find at Experience Bandera? Everything having to do with Cowboys!
Bandera has long been known for its cowboy culture. As a matter of fact, that culture is what makes Bandera a tourist destination and one of the poster towns for tourism in Texas. Bandera does not just celebrate the cowboy way of life, Bandera lives it. The town has Old West charm. Many of the locals still live the cowboy way; tipping their cowboy hats to the ladies, riding their horses and occasional buggies to town, and merchants providing watering troughs for those that do. Bandera remembers its cowboy roots at the annual Labor Day event, Experience Bandera.
It all kicks off Friday night with participating stores staying open late for you shopper Jubilee until 8pm. Saturday Morning at 8:00 am with Rattle Snake Ridge campfire coffee & Honoring the Texas Rangers with their mural. 10:30 am, 1:30 pm, & 3:30 pm Bandera Cattle Company gunfighters. Then at 11:00 am with everyone clamoring to see the Longhorn cattle drive down Main Street, which precedes the parade of horse-drawn wagons and many more entries that Experience Bandera’s western heritage. After the parade, check out arts and crafts display on the Courthouse lawn, which continues Sunday from 9:00 am- 5:00 pm. At 2:00 pm City Plaza Dedication of The Cowboy Capital of the world marker in heritage park. Designated by the Governor of Texas, House of Representatives & The United States Senate. Saturday nights entertainment will be a Ranch Rodeo at Mansfield Park, gates open at 6:00 pm rodeo starts at 7:00 pm.
Cattle Drives were a big part of the town’s history and Bandera was one of the major staging areas for the thousands of herds—totaling more than six million head of longhorn cattle—that were driven up the Great Western Trail to markets in Kansas and Nebraska during the late 1800s. Experience Bandera honors those cowboys who gave us such a rich heritage. How will we honor them? The event will be followed by the Experience Bandera Ranch Radio Longhorn Cattle Drive and Parade.
Just like rodeos originally started, a Ranch Rodeo is a competition between ranches with ranch skills! Featured ranch rodeo events at Experience Bandera are derived from original ranch skills with a little “fun” thrown in. Local ranches will enter teams of four and compete in skills like a rescue race, pony express race, stampede race, hide race, and the hilarious girdle race. You can’t miss this!
Saturday night, at Mansfield Park, it is the Frontier Times Ranch Rodeo. Gates open at 6:00 pm and the rodeo starts at 7:00 pm. An action-packed evening of fun for the entire family!
Sunday morning Ridin the River Cowboy Church is inviting you to gather at the court house for a Cowboy Breakfast. There will also be gospel music at the Courthouse, as well as the Arts and Craft Show from 9-5 and a lot more of the Bandera Cattle Company.
Experience Bandera is all about Cowboys and our western heritage – come relive it with us this Labor Day weekend. For event schedules and ticket information, go to www.experiencebandera.com, or call 830-796-3280.
Ranch Rodeo info please contact The Frontier Times Museum 830-793-3864
