Activities for the whole family will make ranching-both past and present-come alive for visitors to the 47th Annual Ranch Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 15 at the National Ranching Heritage Center (NRHC) in Lubbock.
“Ranch Day has one focus-ranching,” said Helen DeVitt Jones Director of Education Julie Hodges, who anticipates more than 5,000 visitors will spread across the spacious 19-acre historical park.
“Visitors will see chuck wagons, cowboys, horses, heifers, sheep, an old-time “Snake Oil” magic show and even an authentic Comanche tepee,” Hodges said. “Hands-on activities will center on ranch skills and the history and science of ranching.”
Hodges said children will have an opportunity to churn butter, make a rope, tool leather, use a washboard, ride a horse, make quilt squares and much more. They can even become “ranch hands” and receive work cards to earn “wages” for a hard day’s work. When they complete six “work” activities, they can go to the 1880 Matador Office to spend their wages (reproduction of 1869 currency) on special items at the 1870s Waggoner Ranch Commissary.
“One of the most impressive things about Ranch Day is the large number of organizations and individuals that help make this happen,” Hodges said, explaining that more than 150 community volunteers will help with Ranch Day. Fifty of the volunteers will be dressed in period clothing and located inside the ranch structures to provide historical information for visitors.
The Texas Tech Therapeutic Riding Center will help children with horseback rides while the Texas Tech Ranch Horse Team will provide demonstrations in the round pen. The Texas Tech Rodeo Team will run the stick horse rodeo, which includes barrel racing, a bucking chute and roping skills.
Ranch Day also will emphasize contemporary ranching issues through hands-on ranch science demonstrations by the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Quail Tech Alliance, and the South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
Cash sale of hot dogs, hamburgers, kettle korn and lemonade will be available for those who want to eat while they visit. Ranch Day admission is free but a $5 donation per family is suggested.
Supported by Texas Tech University and the Ranching Heritage Association, the NRHC is located at 3121 Fourth St. adjacent to the Texas Tech campus. For more information, visit nrhc.ttu.edu or call (806) 742-0498.
(News release from the National Ranching Heritage Center)
