March 18th, 2009
This past weekend, March 14th & 15th, 2009,
The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum presented: Cowboy Days.
There are some things in Las Cruces children of every age have to go to. For just $2 each, Evelyn, Murray, Ron, Pearie, and the children Veronica 7, Michael 4, and even 2 year old Max took a trip back in time. With the 3 children, we could only enjoy each activity for a few minutes at a time, but the experience was worth it.
We saw gunfights in the middle of dirt streets. There were performances by the Sheriff and the Outlaws as well as the Shady Ladies performing gunfight re-enactments with the cowpokes. The adults and kids alike loved these shows. We walked around the "Homestead Camp." 
Museum staff members and volunteers dressed in period costumes interacted with visitors, and we got a little feel for what it was like to live in "Cowboy Days". Everyone loved the charreada -Mexican-style rodeo, and the other outdoor demonstrations especially the milking, and blacksmithing. The thing that the kids liked best was the stagecoach ride all around the grounds.
There were lots of great food booths outside, as well as the Eagle Ranch Mercantile inside the museum (the kids had to have souvenirs). We sure got hungry and thirsty wandering around the ranch
We did venture inside the museum for more than the "Mercantile" shop, and the high quality arts and crafts show in the courtyard. We went to see the new exhibit at the museum: "A Most Terrible Wonder: Firearms from 1600 to 1900″ which featured dozens of guns from the museum's collections. 4-year old Michael loved that. Inside activities also featured award-winning cowboy bands. They performed from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and we really enjoyed the half-hour that the kids would allow us to stay.
There were great events at the Cowboy Days Festival that we didn't do.
There was an 8 a.m. Chuck wagon Cowboy Breakfast which we didn't even attempt. The old folks would have loved to watch the Roy Rodgers movies scheduled in the Museum's theater each day at 10:30 but we skipped this with regret.
It was a great event that Las Cruces can be proud of. If you live here, or are just visiting, this was something you should have done. Even if you missed Cowboy Days, don't miss a visit to a very special place in Las Cruces - The Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum.
The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum has 24,000 square feet of exhibit space and sits on 47 acres. The interactive museum has welcomed visitors from all over the world, and brings to life the 3,000-year history of farming and ranching in New Mexico. Fun and learning go hand in hand as visitors can watch a cow being milked, stroll along corrals filled with livestock, enjoy several gardens or watch one of the other demonstrations. Some visitors re-live old memories, others learn about our heritage, and it is a fun-filled day for everyone. You can plan your trip on the Website: http://www.nmfarmandranchmuseum.org/
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