Cowboy Gathering at the Stockyards 2010

“ A Cowboy Gathering ” is a whole different world
 

Ft Worth, Texas       October 22-24, 2010

The Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering and Western Swing Festival 

This  small little button gets you through a weekend of fun which includes  the Cowboy Trappings & Trade Show, Cowboy poetry,  team Roping, Craig Cameron horse lesson, Fiddler competition, and Rodeo. That's not counting all the shopping and eating you can do. We have been to this event for nine times throughout the years and only lost our buttons in 2002. A Cowboy Gathering is a whole different world!  Its like stepping back in the cowboy era.

                                                                   "My Cowboy"

Even while we are having fun, I’m reminded of those I support on Blog for a Cure who are suffering from so many different cancers, including Breast cancer.  A Pink Fire Truck in Fort Worth  may cause heads to turn and it certainly caught my eye. To help raise awareness of breast cancer, Fort Worth fire trucks are painted pink and Firefighters were selling pink t-shirts to raise money  for the Joan Katz Breast Cancer endowment fund.

We  also enjoyed meeting Grady and dinning at his restaurant in Ft. Worth. James and I always enjoy watching his cooking show on the RFD channel on TV.
As a native of Fort Worth, Grady Spears would rather be called a Cowboy Cook than a Chef. The long, tall Texan earned a meager living punching and selling cattle before turning to restaurant work to pay the bills, and his expertise in the kitchen came about unexpectedly. Grady stepped up to the stove, grabbed a pan, and produced meals for the dining room full of 100 hungry people. Like they say, the rest is history. 
Everything in Texas is bigger as we found in the spurs and belt buckles the in the stockyards .

The Texas Longhorn and the American cowboy are two of the most enduring symbols of the Old West. They're a big reason why Fort Worth earned the nickname "Cowtown." And they formed the core of the great cattle drives of the late nineteenth century. Now, the romance and mystique of cowboys and cattle drives returns to Fort Worth with The Herd - Texas Longhorns driven by genuine Texas cowhands - offering an unforgettable glimpse into the past. You'll hear the jingle of spurs, the cattle bawling, and the rhythm of the hoof beats. As The Herd passes, a bygone era comes to life before your eyes.

 The highlight of each evening after the sun goes down is the ranch rodeo hosted by Red Steagall himself and the participants this year were :

• B & S BAR 9 RANCH   •  BLUE STEM CATTLE CO.  •  BONDS RANCH  • GREEN LAND & CATTLE CO.   •  MASTERSON RANCH   •  NAIL RANCH
  NANCE RANCH   •   R. A. BROWN RANCH  •    SAUNDERS RANCH •  SWENSON LAND & CATTLE CO.  •  TUB HANDLE CATTLE CO • WAGGONER SAUDER RANCH   •  WEAVER RANCH   •  YOUNG RANCH •

Authentic ranch cowboys competed in events that have aspects of traditional ranch work. Ranch Vet, Team Sorting, Calf Branding, Bronc Riding and Wild Cow Milking are all in a days work for these cowboys.