Cowtown in Wichita may close.

[Davey Ray]

I have received several e-mails from Jim Gray at Drovers Mercantile the last couple of days about the financial situation at the Cowtown Museum in Wichita.  Here's a link to an article in the Wichita Eagle.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/local/15347002.htm

I thought it would be good to pass this info along.

Davey Ray

[Davey Ray]

Below is the article the link in my previous post referred to, just in case the article is removed...

Offers pour in to help Cowtown
BY BECCY TANNER
The Wichita Eagle

Cowboy singer Michael Martin Murphey, best known for his 1975 hit "Wildfire," has offered to put on a benefit Christmas concert to help save Old Cowtown Museum.

Murphey originally offered in June to host a concert and special dinner for Cowtown over the Labor Day weekend. But Cowtown officials never accepted the offer because they weren't sure they could stay open that long.

Murphey is now offering to do a benefit Christmas Cowboy Ball. His is one of at least seven efforts that are under way to save Cowtown.

True West magazine and several national associations with history-related themes are among the organizations that have launched campaigns to keep the living history museum open.

John D'Angelo, the interim director of Cowtown, said it would take at least $650,000 to keep Cowtown open and its staff employed.

He said Wednesday that he was unaware Murphey had made the offer in June.

"Nobody has spoken to me about it," he said.

It's up to Cowtown's board to decide what the museum's future will be when members meet Monday, he said.

Murphey said Wednesday that he brought in marketing experts in June who offered to do a free marketing plan for the living history museum complete with a cowboy theme song.

He said he is enamored with Wichita's history.

"We are talking about a place where Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson walked the streets.... I get goosebumps walking down the streets and among the buildings," he said. "Admittedly, I'm a history buff, but I'm not the only one. More than a million people buy my cowboy song albums."

In addition to Murphey's offer, other last-minute campaigns include:

• The executive editor of True West magazine, the leading Western history magazine, is encouraging his 192,000 readers to send donations. The plea is in the issue that's expected to hit the streets next week. "We love Cowtown," said Bob Boze Bell "We think it is a national treasure.... Wichita is the cradle of the cowboy myth. We feel the cowboy is our nation's proudest icon, and Wichita is central to that."

• The organizations supporting the National Day of the Cowboy, the Kansas Cowtown Coalition, and other national horse, rodeo and saddle clubs are sending out appeals to their memberships to help save Cowtown.

• Jim Gray, owner of Drovers Mercantile, an Old West store in Ellsworth, and publisher of the Kansas Cowboy newspaper, said Wednesday that he was sending an e-mail to thousands of his subscribers asking for support. "It's all about whether we care about our heritage. That's the battle that's going on," Gray said. "Wichita is on a stage and how they perform will be criticized by people all over the country."

• Debbie and Randy Edens, who volunteer at Cowtown, are asking Kansans to send e-mails supporting Cowtown to the Wichita City Council and Sedgwick County Commission.

• Other Cowtown volunteers are encouraging local students to save their nickels and dimes, and parents and grandparents to donate what they can in a grassroots campaign.

• Ed LeRoy, manager of special events at the museum, is encouraging Sedgwick County residents to "honk if you love Cowtown." He wants motorists to drive up and down McLean Boulevard between Seneca and Meridian -- across the Arkansas River from Cowtown -- and show their support by honking during the board meeting at the museum Monday.

"I think our city and county representatives need to know the broad, widespread support to keep Old Cowtown open," LeRoy said.

The museum is between $130,000 and $180,000 in debt. The board must choose from three options Monday:

• Close the museum permanently. The city would acquire the land and buildings. All collections and corporate assets would be sold. The staff would be terminated.

• Close the museum temporarily, for 12 to 18 months, keeping only three to four employees.

• Find $650,000 from local donors to keep the museum open.

Even if the money was raised to keep the museum open, D'Angelo said, it would not be enough to fix up the property. The historic structures and boardwalks badly need attention.

"What you've done is kept the staff and family together but you don't have any place to live," he said.

Still, there is an interest in saving Cowtown and seeing it improve.

Murphey envisions a new Cowtown with an opera house that's air-conditioned and large enough to house special western-heritage-themed events.

His vision includes a high-end steak and barbecue restaurant, and shops to attract visitors.

"Cowtown could be and should be the 'Williamsburg of the American West,' " Murphey said, referring to the popular colonial-era living history attraction in Virginia.

"It absolutely astounds me that leaders in the Wichita area do not realize what a gem Cowtown is and could be. I am stumped. It's got that potential. Nobody would ever dream of letting Williamsburg be closed for 18 months."

HOW TO HELP

Cowtown volunteers are urging anyone who wants to make a financial contribution to send it to:

Old Cowtown Museum

1865 Museum Blvd.

Wichita, KS 67203

HOW TO ATTEND

Cowtown's board of directors will discuss the museum's future at a meeting Monday that's open to the public. It begins at 5 p.m. in the museum's visitor center.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reach Beccy Tanner at 316-268-6336 or btanner@wichitaeagle.com.

[Coop Trawlaine]

I received an email from Steven Law, President of  WWA (Western Writers of America) re: the same subject.  I have forwarded it to the owners/moderators of various CAS forums and groups.  I want to thank all who have read these posts and I know you have made what ever effort you can.

I am not from Kansas, however whenever the preservation of our American Heritage is threatened I find I become a lobbyist.  :-)

[Davey Ray]

Thanks Coop.  I agree with you about preserving our western heritage.  We've been meaning to get to Wichita and check out Cowtown, but we just haven't made down there yet.  I've heard rumors that some in Wichita and Dodge City are actually ashamed of the western heritage of those towns.  I just don't understand some folks...

[Coop Trawlaine]

Your Welcome, Pard.   I could give you an answer but I have been down that political statement road before, so I will keep my opinions to myself....LOL

[Davey Ray]

The following is part of an e-mail I received this morning with an update on the fate of Cowtown in Wichita, KS...


[copy of email received 9/27/06]

As you are already aware through news reports, personal visits and phone calls  Old Cowtown Museum has been under attack [sorry for the hyperbole but there's no better way to describe the situation] by County and City officials since April of this year. They have presented a 10% of annual budget shortfall as a crisis rather than as a cash flow problem. When, through a two week long fund raising effort Cowtown reduced that shortfall to a projected $10,000 year end debt, they moved the goal posts so that we need $1 million or they would recommend withholding govt. support for '07.

Well, apparently we weren't collapsing soon enough for these officials so they detailed EPA, OSHA, City Inspector, Water Department, Health Department and Animal Control to come out and look for code violations. The reports were presented to our Assistant [and Acting] Director this morning. As you can imagine they found a number of problems in an under funded, not for profit, 56 year old facility on 25 acres of prime riverfront property just blocks from downtown.

While some of their 'violations' are laughable [chicken coop needs smoke detector] most will require major capital investment. We are prohibited at this point from doing any repairs and from disposing of any waste materials as they may be 'hazardous materials'. All repairs must be done under a 'city plan' requiring 'city permits'.

I'm not crying 'wolf'. These are legally binding findings with the power to shut the Museum permanently. The report's cover letter from City Manager George Kolb clearly states that unless the issues are met, the corporation Historic Wichita/Sedgwick Inc. d.b.a. Old Cowtown Museum  is in violation of the lease agreement with the city and they can void the remaining 44 years of the lease. There is obviously something more going on than meets the eye.
A good outside investigative reporter would be helpful.

Please help us get the message out to any and all you think can assist.
While we are in need of funds, we also need public pressure applied to elected officials whose e-mail addresses follow. Please also contact Beccy Tanner our local History reporter at btanner@wichitaeagle.com .

Send email to:
lburtnet@sedgwick.gov
wbuchana@sedgwick.gov
sfearey@wichita.gov
dunruh@sedgwick.gov
tnorton@sedgwick.gov
twinters@sedgwick.gov
bsciorti@sedgwick.gov
Cbrewer@wichita.gov
Sschlapp@wichita.gov
Jskelton@wichita.gov
PGray@wichita.gov
BMartz@wichita.gov
CMayans@wichita.gov

[Texas Trail Boss]

When I read things like this about our old west heritage, it truly breaks my heart.  I recently sold an old six-shooter I had to help pay for a new one I'm looking to buy.  I have decided that this is much more important and will send those funds from the sale to help the museum.  I would like to challenge others to do the same.  This is a real important thing to save our historical places and I hope my contribution will help keep it alive.  I sure do appreciate the post on this subject pard.

[DR.A.W.FAST]

May I also suggest...... Our No.1 Cowboy our President needs a few letters and cards to let him know that this is something the Government ought to help fund and cut thru the bat guano of the epa and others that are being used to close this facility to gourge the tax base of Witchita by these highgraders. I have sent mine this evening!