Giddy-up: The New Year is here! Like a command — as to a horse — it’s time to go ahead and get-ahead, only much faster. For the most part those rodeo cowboys and gals and their National Western followers ride into town to horse around. However, you should ride the range the way our frontier ancestors did, tall in the saddle.
Like those cowboys of yesteryear you shouldn’t just head your steed out but also up! Be warned you’ll have to rabbit hop around prickly plants and scrubby hillsides.
Here are our rockin’ to and fro choices for shopping, dining and entertainment to stay straight in the stirrups and start the New Year right by making a solid hoofprint:
3 Enjoy giddy-up glamour in our cowtown for a day as Texas Longhorns are herded from Union Station down 17th St. Jan. 9. It’s the stock show parade of horses and marching bands. Information: 303-297-1166.
3 If you’re dreaming of water and summer, attend the 30th Denver Boat Show at the Convention Center, Jan. 9-11. Information: 303-859-1284.
3 Attention cowboys: It’s not just horses that need shoeing, so do you! The best cowboy and work boots in the Valley are at Dardano’s on S. Colorado Blvd. Plus they know good hoof care. Information: 303-692-9355.
3 Rope the best cowboy art in town during the Denver Roundup Exhibition at Saks Galleries in Cherry Creek, Jan. 10-25. Information: 303-333-4144.
3 Enjoy the action of rodeos, livestock and horse shows by attending the National Western’s 16-day run, Jan. 10-25. Information: 303-297-1166.
3 Hungry? Don’t feed on the lowly Jimson weed! Get back in the saddle and ride to Shells & Sauce for top Italian grub. Information: 303-377-2091.
3 Warm up to the New Year during the Denver Winter Brew Fest fundraiser at Mile High Station, Jan. 23-24, 6 p.m. Information: 720-946-7721.
3 Get your kicks in to knock out cancer at the CU Hospital gala at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center, Jan. 24. Information: 720-848-7722.
3 It’s the time of year you start itching to see the first blooms of spring. Escape the cold and be transported to a floral wonderland during Denver Botanic Gardens’ Orchid Showcase, Jan. 9-Feb. 23. See hundreds of orchid blooms spread among the fragrant collection in the Orangery & Marnie Pavilion, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. It will quench your thirst for bursts of spring and chase away the winter blues. Information: 720-865-3680.
For Valley residents our cowtown history is a local asset that keeps getting better with age. For out-of-town visitors here for this month’s Stock Show this old cowboy town is now something else all together. Skyscrapers are replacing pastoral structures that epitomized the old West. Does it make you wish Denver could go back in time?
Instead, modern cowpokes are experiencing the dramatic clash of yesteryear’s cattle country ideals with the financial sway of today’s big city municipal forces.
With the National Western in town you’ll be seeing stuff ‘bout boots ’n’ spurs. But being a cowboy isn’t about wearing fancy hats or riding a horse on weekends. Still, if you’re feeling down, saddle up. Just don’t go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Whoopi-ty-aye-yay and Happy New Year!
The Valley Gadfly can be reached at newspaper@glendalecherrycreek.com.