A Sad Day In The Old West

This Labor Day Saturday, August 30th will be the Return of the Old West Roundup and for the Guns of Sipokni it has been a day that we've been both tremendously excited about and expecting for sometime. However, at the end of the Roundup Day the Guns will most likely walk away with a bittersweet taste in their mouths.

The Cowboy Cafe at Sipokni West will close, locking the doors, no longer serving the good chuck that folks have come to enjoy.

Now it may not seem that remarkable, the closing of the cafe that is, because many businesses do come and go. But you see there is something else that goes along with the Cowboy Cafe closing.

It is inspiring what Johnny Shackleford, along with his dad Alfred started many years ago. Johnny and Alfred started Sipokni West with one single building in 1991. It wasn't too long after that there existed a whole city block of old west buildings known as Front Street. Then Johnny walked across the street and started on the other side with the Wilfred Bunkhouse. When Johnny decided to have his first Return of the Old West Roundup he realized the need for public restrooms so he built the cowboy and cowgal restroom building. And the building continued and continued. Five years ago Johnny purchased a restaurant business and moved the remnants to Sipokni West and with this he built the Cowboy Cafe. With the Cowboy Cafe completed, Sipokni West had a heartbeat, a vital organ, a central point in an old west town.

Now, that heartbeat is fading and for this gunslinger it's almost like the day the old west died for a man who loves living the old west as a modern man in modern times.

For the Guns of Sipokni it will be a process of rethinking, reloading, and coming up with different gunfights that will fit into other settings not as convenient as Sipokni West. Yes...the Guns are somewhat spoiled gunfighters. We have always considered ourselves the luckiest gunfighting group in Oklahoma...because we have an old west town to perform in. And, the Cowboy Cafe was our center stage providing us with an audience to perform for. Without an audience the performer finds himself or herself...lacking, wishing, and wanting.

It's funny how good things come to past sooner or later. Such was the case of the true old west...an exciting, challenging, and inspirational time in our history. Old west towns faded and died because the heart, the centerpiece of their town ceased to exist for one reason or the other. Once that heart failed then the rest of the town started to slowly collaspe.

And for Johnny Shackleford, the saga of the Cowboy Cafe has been one long hard trail. But...if you know Johnny you will also know that Johnny found joy and soaked up every single minute of that ride.

That's just Johnny.

The horizon always beckons.