Cowboy fun at the Autry July 23

Day of the Cowboy and Cowgirl at the Autry

A celebration as big as Western skies!

Featuring Riders in the Sky, gunslinger Joey Dillon, new Colt gun exhibition, square dancing, BBQ, and much more!


Saturday, July 23, 2011, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Museum admission rates apply / Free for Autry members and children under 3

The Autry National Center celebrates the icons of Western heritage at its annual Day of the Cowboy and Cowgirl at the Autry. Join modern-day cowboys and cowgirls for this lively festival featuring fancy roping and gun-slinging, live music, blacksmithing, delicious barbecue, square dancing, gallery tours, and hands-on activities for families.


Master of Ceremonies “Tumbleweed Rob” Wolfskill of the Tumbling Tumbleweeds will introduce a great lineup of acts on the main stage. Riders in the Sky make their appearance this year with their own legendary wacky humor and way-out Western wit, all while remaining true to the integrity of Western music. Learn a square-dancing step or two with dance caller Susan Michaels and music by Bees Knees. Watch carefully as Kansas Carradine and Landon Spencer swing their lassos overhead. See guns in action as fan favorite and world champion gunslinger Joey Dillon amazes the audience. Children and their families will enjoy panning for gold, StoryTime, hands-on demonstrations of cowboy and vaquero culture, craft activities, a museum scavenger hunt led by the Girl Scout Troop 826, and gallery tours. Don’t miss the Autry’s new installation of The Colt Revolver in the American West in the lower-level Greg Martin Gallery.


Biskit Saddle Arts will be on-site to demonstrate intricate leather crafting, while Manflo Ranch showcases the many practical uses found on their vintage 1800s chuck wagon. Valley Forge will let visitors get up close—but not too close—to an authentic blacksmithing demonstration. Visitors can immerse themselves in the Old West by dressing up as a sheriff, gunslinger, saloon girl, or Annie Oakley and have their picture taken by Olde Time Western Photos, who will use one of their authentic Western backgrounds. Photos will be available for purchase. Then visitors can try their hand at roping with Saddle and Sirloin, Kansas Carradine, and Landon Spencer as they teach the public a few useful roping skills.


Gene Autry’s original science fiction Western, The Phantom Empire, will be shown throughout the day in the Wells Fargo Theater. Twenty thousand feet beneath Gene Autry’s Radio Ranch lay the super-scientific and highly advanced kingdom of Murania, ruled by the beautiful Queen Tika. Complications arise when a discredited scientist tries to steal the ranch from Gene and the Queen tries to protect her kingdom from the outside world.



It wouldn’t be an Autry festival without a smokin’ grill and a menu of mouth-watering food. The Autry Cafe is proud to present a chuck wagon meal featuring BBQ beef sandwiches, hotdogs, and a chili bar in the outdoor rotunda. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to dress up in cowboy and cowgirl Western gear. However, no guns, including replicas, will be allowed on the premises.


Day of the Cowboy and Cowgirl at the Autry is sponsored in part by the Auto Club of Southern California and Pamella and Johnny Zamrzla / Western Pacific Roofing.

Autry National Center
4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90028
323.667.2000, www.theAutry.org