County unlikely to rescue Cowtown

A meeting on Old Cowtown Museum’s future drew a crowd of supporters Monday evening. But if Cowtown depends on the largesse of the Sedgwick County Commission, it’s in trouble.
Commissioner Dave Unruh told The Eagle editorial board that he doesn’t see many options for the struggling museum: Either “shut it down, or the city or county one ought to step up with a lot of support.”
And he made clear he doesn’t think it should be the county. Cowtown’s buildings and collections, he noted, legally belong to the city of Wichita. Cowtown “should be their project,” he said. “The city should take full responsibility for it.”
Unruh said the county has taken the lead on several major projects, including building the downtown arena and supporting Exploration Place. Cowtown is just one too many.
But the city, for its part, has shown little inclination to embrace Cowtown financially. Without significant support from local government, saving Cowtown looks like a long shot.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

7 Comments

  1. Joe Williams
    Posted August 31, 2006 at 5:00 am | Permalink

    I think we can kiss it good bye.

  2. JWink
    Posted August 31, 2006 at 6:24 am | Permalink

    As a long-time history buff, I appreciate “frontier-town” destinations. I am familiar with others in other locations.

    They are usually strongly supported by a large dedicated volunteer base and Wichita is no exception. Others around the country are often the home of the local historical society but Wichita doesn’t have a historical society for some reason.

    The cost of rescuing Wichita’s cowtown would be miniscule compared to the large amounts of taxes being spent and mis-spent by Sedgwick County commissioners and Wichita city council.

    Notice the WRONG location chosen for the downtown arena. This is hugely evidenced by the mile long storm water drainage structure now being constructed through downtown Wichita to drain the proposed downtown arena. It is a 5′ by 9′ pre-cast concrete box culvert (large enough to drive a sports car through) which you can actually view on the site of River Walk. The huge round ductile steel pipes are for water supply to the arena.

    Placing the arena adjacent to the Arkansas River would have saved this huge unnecessary expense. The combined cost for this screw up is in the millions — paid for by who? You guessed it, you, the Sedgwick County taxpayers.

  3. Right Angle
    Posted August 31, 2006 at 1:30 pm | Permalink

    “the county has taken the lead on several major projects, including building the downtown arena”"

    Posted by Randy Scholfield

    THAT IS BECAUSE THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WILL GET THEIR NAME ON A BIG BRONZE PLATE AT THE ARENA AND VIP SEATING.

  4. JWink
    Posted September 2, 2006 at 8:37 pm | Permalink

    Kind of ironic … Sedgwick County Commissioners and Cowtown Board of Directors, which includes County Commissioner Ben Shortino and City Councilwoman Sharon Fearey, are determined to close the popular Cowtown and “fire” hundreds of volunteers.

    Pardon me! Sedgwick County Commissioners and City Council people are extremely well-paid, if not overpaid, for the time they put in “working on the people’s business.”

    But they want to fire hundreds of the Cowtown volunteers. Volunteers work for the love of Cowtown, not for minimal pay and perks. Admittedly there are some paid people at Cowtown, some part-time paid people … but a whole lot of dedicated volunteers working many years for the love of the place and occasional snacks and fellowship.

    I say better to lose the high paid, apparently deaf, politicians than even one loyal, dedicated Cowtown volunteer.

  5. Tom
    Posted September 4, 2006 at 7:47 pm | Permalink

    Last week I voiced a “shut it down or burn it down” opinion. This past weekend I attended the Cowtown events and actually enjoyed myself. I departed to early to catch Sinnamon Sadie dancing in the saloon. Just walking around taking in the color and seeing the reenactors was fun.Here’s my proposal – pack it up and ship it out near the Wild West park. We want it to continue and thrive, not just putter along. Move it.Sinnamon where are you?

  6. Sinnamon
    Posted September 16, 2006 at 1:56 pm | Permalink

    I didn’t know this blog existed until I was browsing through the list this morning, so sorry Tom. I’m back. Anyways…glad you made it out to Cowtown Labor Day weekend and actually had a good time.(!!) As far as moving out near Wild West World is concerned, I can’t speak for anyone else, but I think we need to stay firmly planted right where we are, in Wichita. Cowtown is what Wichita was, so it only makes sense for us to be where we are. Happily it’s been decided that we’ll stay opened, even if the hours and the season are shorter, but hopefully a foundation will be established where we have our own money instead of depending on the city and county. That’s the only way our future will be ensured.

  7. Mark
    Posted April 23, 2007 at 9:55 pm | Permalink

    Cowtown is awesome. It is an enormously valuable resource for the city, county and state. The volunteers are dedicated and skilled, as well as the reason the place is what is is. It deserves much better than it is getting.

    The problem is not location or even funding in the long run. The location should remain right where it is, and funding options whether private or city operated will be made available under better circumstances.

    The problem is the gaggle of incompetent and outright unqualified board members and staff currently running the remains of the institution into the ground. Apparently intentionally. Every step of the way since last year’s debacle, the board and all but a couple heroically struggling staff members have been actively blocking reasonable attempts to improve Cowtown’s situation, and purposefully undermining the institution in every conceivable way.

    Political infighting and personal cowardice are the rules of Cowtown administration at this point.

    I am personally dismayed that the city is not absolutely up in arms. For that reason alone it should be allowed to die. The dedicated volunteers and decades of hard work and preservation aside, if the people of Wichita don’t care enough to step up, then Cowtown should be allowed to quietly disappear into the history it struggles to preserve.