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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

COLUMBIANA – A city staple is set to return and bring hours of family-friendly fun as the city of Columbiana holds its annual Cowboy Day event.

Cowboy Day will take place on Saturday, Feb. 24 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the city of Columbiana with western festivities on Main Street and in Old Mill Square Park.

“It’s always such a fun day,” said Ali Payne manager of community affairs and senior services in Columbiana.

The free festival, which first began in 2008, started as a way to help promote the Shelby County Cattleman’s Association Rodeo which takes place the same weekend. Now, the event takes place throughout Columbiana and is jam-packed with tons of activities for families to enjoy, including  a cooking demonstration, hobby horse races, the cowboy parade, Wild West Shootout and more.

“It’s really just become this family-friendly day that people can just enjoy,” Payne said.

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

“They do a phenomenal job of interacting with people and talking to kids and showing kids how to do things,” Payne said. “It really is just so fun and light-hearted and it doesn’t feel so serious. It’s just a great way for kids to run around and play.”

This year’s event will feature two demonstrations, including a cooking demonstration and forging demonstration.

“We will have a forging demonstration in the afternoon and that is provided by the Shelby County Arts Council,” Payne said. “They have a fantastic program in the back where they do metal pouring and forging. It’s super cool.”

A highlight of the western festival each year is the annual Cowboy Day Parade on Main Street which will feature more than a hundred participants with riders on horses and buggies.

Those in attendance with children can also enjoy the variety of family-friendly activities, including panning for gold, learning how to lasso stick horses and the annual hobby horse races.

“There are lots of little games for kids to play and all those will be available for free,” Payne said.

The complete list of events for Columbiana Cowboy Day, which begins at 9 a.m., are as follows:

• Cowboy skit at the main stage at 9:15 a.m.
• Cooking demo at the amphitheater stage at 10 a.m.
• Cowboy skit on the main stage at 10:30 a.m.
• Hobby horse races will take place at the main stage at 11 a.m.
• Line up for the cowboy parade will begin at 11:30 a.m.
• The Wild West Shootout will take place on Main Street at 11:45 a.m.
• The cowboy parade will take place on Main Street at noon
• A forging demo will be held at the amphitheater stage at 1 p.m.
• The first rode of the day will take place at the Shelby County Exhibition Center at 1 p.m.
• The Lealan Carter Band will perform at the main stage at 1:30 p.m.
• A cowboy skit will take place at the main stage at 3 p.m.
• The final rodeo of the evening will take place at 7 p.m. at the Shelby County Exhibition Center.