OAKDALE — The Oakdale Cowboy Museum will be celebrating the 7th Annual National Day of the Cowboy on Saturday, July 23, with a gathering focused on the ranching cowboy, dubbed “A Touch of the Old West.”

A real cowboy camp will be set up outside the museum. You can become a cowboy or cowgirl for the day and learn to rope, design your own brand and participate in a scavenger hunt. All participants will receive a souvenir for joining in on the fun. 

There will be samples of genuine cowboy grub, made in an authentic cow camp kitchen. Pat Taylor, Brand Registrar for the Bureau of Livestock Identification for the State of California and committee chairperson has been working on activities that will educate visitors on some of the important tasks of the cowboy.

The event is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the museum located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Highways 120 and 108 in Oakdale in the former train station. It is a 20-mile drive from Manteca.

In addition, July marks the close of the current exhibit, the “Cowboy World of Jo Mora.”  It is the museum’s first Western Art Exhibit featuring Mora’s bronzes, sketches and other works.