Fort Worth's Cowgirl Museum Just Grew by 16,000 Square Feet — and 3,000 People Came to the Party
The National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame marked its 50th induction week by opening a 16,000-square-foot expansion in the Cultural District: six new honorees, a parade of more than 400 participants and 120 horses down Gendy Street, and a first exhibition built around Miranda Lambert's Las Vegas wardrobe.
FORT WORTH — The National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame has a new wing and, as of this week, six new members. The museum announced Wednesday that an estimated 3,000 visitors took part in a week of celebrations from November 2 to 7, culminating in its 50th Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon and the grand opening of its 16,000-square-foot expansion at 1720 Gendy Street in the Cultural District.
The milestone luncheon, held November 5 at Ariat Arena and presented by the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, honored six women: Cherie DeVaux, the groundbreaking Thoroughbred horse trainer; Laura Kraut, an Olympic show jumping champion; Kenda Lenseigne, a six-time world champion mounted shooter; Lela Rose, the fashion designer; Lisa Sorrell, the custom cowboy bootmaker; and Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the Civil War surgeon who remains the only woman ever awarded the Medal of Honor, honored posthumously.
On Saturday, November 7, the celebration moved outside: the Cowgirl Grand Parade brought more than 400 participants and over 120 horses — riding clubs, charra riders, rodeo royalty, antique automobiles, marching bands and the TCU Baseball Team among them — through the Cultural District, and approximately 1,000 people joined the day's festivities as the expanded museum held its official public opening with free admission. 'This was more than a celebration of a new building or a milestone anniversary,' executive director Pat Riley said in the museum's release. 'It was a celebration of the women whose stories have shaped our history and the generations who will carry their legacy forward.'
Inside the expansion, the inaugural exhibition in the new Icons Gallery is 'Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo,' built around the country star's Las Vegas residency wardrobe, alongside 'The 38,' honoring the women who formed the Girls Rodeo Association, the first professional women's sporting group in the United States, and 'Gravity Defied,' a photography exhibit on trick riding — plus a new carousel. The museum, which serves more than 5,000 students a year through its education programs, calls the opening an investment in its next 50 years.
