Pull on your boots and put on your cowboy hat for an experience of the summer at the Cowboy Dinner Show held at Historic O’Keefe Ranch where “Gold and the Cariboo Buckaroos” will be the theme of the evening.
There was nowhere in New Caledonia to mint the 50-lb. bag of gold they received from the natives in trade for rifles and trinkets. The nearest place was San Francisco delivered by the Hudson’s Bay steamboat, The Beaver. And that started what we know today as the Cariboo gold rush. Towns like Yale and Barkerville sprung up almost overnight, with hotels, saloons, stagecoach transfer houses with the historical characters of the B.C. west; Judge Matthew Bailee Bigbee, the first law and order; Fanny Bendixon, saloon owner; Francis Barnhard with the BX Express.
Then came the cowboys, driving more than 22,000 head of cattle to feed the miners. These rugged drovers became an important part of B.C. history that will be told through song, cowboy poetry and drama every Friday night this summer at the 10th anniversary of the Cowboy Dinner Show at the Ranch north of Vernon.
“The Cowboy Dinner Show has become a must-see event for locals and tourists alike,” describes Rob Dinwoodie, who produces and entertains in the event.
This year’s show is titled “Gold and the Cariboo Buckaroos” and will be recounting the origins of B.C. through the discovery of gold and the cattle drives out of California.
“We want to make the 10th anniversary of the Cowboy Dinner Show a memory that folks will have of their summer in the Okanagan,” said Dinwoodie, who has produced sell-out shows for the past decade. This summer performance also will feature a new CD recording by Dinwoodie and the fifth published book by Ken Mather.
See related: North Okanagan author launches new book on Okanagan trail
The Rob Dinwoodie band will be hosting the show with cowboy poet, historian and author, Mather. Once again, a drama will be part of the show as well-known local celebrity Jason Armstrong and guest actress Gabriella Bright bring to life some of the famous figures of B.C.’s west.
Enjoy a real cowboy feast of steaks and all the fixings prepared by the Cattlemen’s Club restaurant. Ride the authentic BX Express stagecoach as you tour the historic O’Keefe Ranch. Dinwoodie will be providing lessons on lariat throwing and help you become an authentic cowboy. The evening wouldn’t be complete without singing songs and telling stories around a cowboy campfire under the Okanagan stars and is a perfect way to complete your cowboy experience.
“The Cowboy Dinner Show is more than just another event, it’s an experience,” said Dinwoodie.
The show runs every Friday night in July and August.
“What are you waiting for? Pull on your boots and put on your cowboy hat!”
Reserve your tickets at ticketseller.ca
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