Can you hear it?
I can.
In the distance, I can hear faint echoes. Echoes of horses, and men.
Look, on the horizon, to the left of the sunrise. Can you see the dust clouds stirring in the air?
The horses can feel it. There is an electricity in the air, and they whinny in response. The colts stamp the ground and paw at the air slightly. They raise their heads back and kick back.
There, it's closer. Can you hear it now?
The dust cloud is larger now, and even the mares and stallions are prancing now around the corral.
Look close. Look past your steaming breath, and pray.
THE COWBOYS ARE COMING.
Could it be true? After all these years, are they returning?
You wait. And the sound of galloping horses greets your ears.
The cowboys are coming....
Is this really true?
According to recent conversations with Mario DeMarcos, Laura Bates, and the Roy Rogers Happy Trails Foundation, the cowboys are returning.
America has seen an increased interest in cowboys, and cowboy collectibles in the past few years. Several conventions have sprouted and are now in their 3rd and 4th years. The big shows are now in their teens or in once case, early 30's.
Are the cowpokes back in the corral?
You bet. In full force.
There have been several theories for the rise in popularity of the 'Cowboy'. They are in no particular order:
1. The Western Channel, (Lone Star in Canada)
2. The death of the major stars
3. The coming of retirement age of the baby boomers
4. The rise in discretionary income of the baby boomers
5. The rise of the internet
The Western Channel, available on US satellite dishes, has been attributed with raising the awareness of Classic Westerns. Once considered video store fodder, the western has made a comeback with Tom Selleck, Sam Elliot and AMC feeding the flock recently.
According to Jeff Hildebrandt, Managing Producer Western Channel (Starz Encore Corporation), the WC makes people feel comfortable especially when they know what they're going to get. Current programming includes Pulp Westerns, Bad Girls & Bullets, International Westerns, and Matinee Heroes. The Western Channel and the Autry museum collaborated to restore the 89 movies and 91 television episodes. Every type of western is covered with new discoveries presented frequently.
Laura Bates of the Hopalong Cassidy festival notes that the demographics of the Western Channel are encouraging. "The under 40 age group is tuning in, and that is good for advertisers and organizers of festivals and conventions.
With the death of Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Gene Autry, Rex Allen, and Clayton Moore there has been an increased interest in the boomers childhood heroes. As people heard of the death of Roy, they remembered and relived much of their youth. An unprecedented growth in popularity of the television cowboys followed.
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