Columbiana holds 15th annual Cowboy Day

Published 1:05 pm Wednesday, March 1, 2023

By Noah Wortham

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By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – Rainy weather didn’t stop the residents of Columbiana from getting together to enjoy the wild west festivities at Cowboy Day.

Part of a tradition dating back to 2008, the city of Columbiana held this year’s Cowboy Day event on Saturday, Feb. 25 at Old Mill Square Park.

“Nobody else really does something like Cowboy Day,” said Ali Payne, manager of community affairs and senior services in Columbiana. “It’s really one of those unique things that only we do. It’s horses and animals and cowboys. Kids love it—families love it.”

The event began at 9 a.m. and lasted until 3:15 with a variety of events, vendors and activities for families to enjoy.

“I don’t know a kid in the world who doesn’t love a horse,” Payne said. “We do hobby horse racing which is really like a stick horse race. Kids absolutely love it, it’s one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.”

Throughout the event, a group of actors named Have Gun Will Travel hold skits and mock shootouts to entertain attendees.

“For (almost) 16 years, they’ve done Cowboy Day,” Payne said. “It wouldn’t be Cowboy Day without them.”

A chili cook-off was held at the event with a group called The Old Guys winning this year. A team called The Power Rangers was selected as the people’s choice winner.

“The chili-cook off is always really fun,” Payne said. “Chili is cooked on-site, and it went well.”

One of the largest events of Cowboy Day is a parade that is held down Main Street, and this year’s parade featured around 85 horses.

“With all the rain, it was a really good number” Payne said. “There was quite a crowd on Main Street.”

The next Cowboy Day will be held on the last Saturday in February in 2024.

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