As the community of Oakdale prepares for Rodeo Week and all its festivities, it would only seem fitting that it also celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Oakdale Cowboy Museum. First opened during Rodeo Weekend on a Saturday in 1996, this year marks 30 years of Western heritage being supported and shared with visitors, as well as locals.

Since opening its doors at 355 East F Street, Oakdale, the Cowboy Museum has grown to two packed rooms featuring ranching and rodeo. An adjacent room serves as the entrance, complete with T-shirts and gifts for sale, along with memorabilia.

The result of its 30 years of operation has brought the community learning opportunities for its youth, a tourist attraction and noteworthy events including the annual Cowgirl Luncheon and the Cowboy Museum Dinner and Auction. Both events raise funds which significantly help maintain the museum, as well as create scholarships for local youth.

“We do Ag in the Classroom, which is really near and dear to us,” Cowboy Museum Manager Bambi Porter shared. “We feel if we can educate these kids, get them excited about the Western way of life; then they’re going to come here and they’re going to understand how important this all is to our community.”

To further encourage local students to continue to live the western way, Porter shared each year the board awards four $1,000 scholarships to local high school students with the Cowboy Museum Scholarship.

Known widely for the Cowgirl Luncheon and all that it entails, the museum also partners with the Oakdale Saddle Club during Rodeo Week to host the Rodeo Queen coronation.

“It’s just a really big win-win,” Porter stated, noting they choose that night each year for their Chamber Mixer. “We’re all on the same trajectory, the Saddle Club and us. So we’re wanting to make sure our roots and Western heritage remain strong. They are trying to do the same thing with their rodeo. We’re very alike, so we try and support one another as much as we can.”

Now in its 24th year, the Cowgirl Luncheon hosted by the Cowboy Museum, welcomes 400 “cowgirls,” dressed in their finest. Each year, since its inception, the event has honored a cowgirl for their dedication and commitment to the Western way of life.

“That is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” Porter shared of the sold-out event. “That helps to support our scholarships and it also supports just keeping the lights on. Making sure the day-to-day operation is able to run.”

Each year, since moving to the Bianchi Community Center close to two decades ago, the event is sold out.

“I think when the girls enter, there’s an energy,” Porter said of what makes it special. “You’re coming for a good time. You’re coming to hang out with your friends. You’re coming to be served by cowboys. You’re coming to honor our honoree, which this year is Kay Martinelli.”

Not everyone is able to attend the luncheon because the tickets are always in such high demand.

“I think there’s just a magic to it, because there isn’t a ticket for everybody,” Porter continued. “So you feel kind of lucky. Quite honestly the Cowboy Museum Board of Directors, we wish we could sell more tickets. We wish we had a different venue that could accommodate more, but at the same time it also makes our event very special.”

Porter describes the event as the first social event that launches Rodeo Week, further stating that she feels it’s an event that everyone should experience at least once.

“Also there’s the point that it supports the Cowboy Museum. It supports our mission,” she said. “Our mission that day is to make sure everybody has a great time, that we celebrate our honoree and that we have a successful event.”

Largely because of the event’s success, day to day operations continue at the Cowboy Museum. Free to the public, the museum is currently open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Donations are welcome.

“We get tons of tourists. In fact, I think we get more people from out of town or out of country than we do people from right here,” Porter noted. “I’m amazed when somebody comes in and says, ‘I’ve lived here for 20 years and I’ve never come over.’ It happens a lot. It’s just a really great place to come visit, especially for families when they come to visit.”

While Porter loves to see visitors come through, she’d love to see more, especially locals.

“We don’t see near enough. We would love to see so many more,” she said. “I’m inviting every person, who has eyes on this article to come in and see us.”

Passionate about Western heritage and preservation of its history, Porter emphasized the importance of the museum and the knowledge visitors can gain from a visit. Be it connecting with local family history, learning about rodeo or exposure to the ranching lifestyle, the Cowboy Museum has it covered.

“Oakdale has a rich Western history, in both the area of rodeo and with ranching,” she shared. “It is incredibly important that we do not lose that. We cannot lose that history. We need to be here physically. We can’t just have a website and expect people to embrace us and want to support us. That’s why we have the museum. That’s why we would like people to come in. Come check us out and learn a little something about the history that runs so deep. People are very passionate about their Western history here. We don’t want to lose sight of that. We want to celebrate it. We celebrate it every day.”

Community members are also encouraged to consider a membership, which also benefits the museum. Membership prices are $25 for an individual, $50 for a family and $100 for a business.

“We need those,” she said of memberships. “That is what helps sustain us throughout the year, along with Cowgirl Luncheon.”

With 30 years behind them, Porter said she’s hoping there are many more to come.

“It’s important to our community,” she said of the East F Street building. “It’s important to our future generations. To be able to tell the stories that are very rich here at the Cowboy Museum.”