Western Heritage Day
HSU’s 42nd Annual Western Heritage Day will take place on Thursday, April 24, 2025.
Pre-registration is currently closed for Western Heritage. Walk-in Registration will be available at the event in front of Mabee Gymnasium or at the Headquarters table on Anderson Lawn.
Free to all Big Country day care providers and primary-aged students and schools. Pre-registration by its teacher is required for each class, a link will be provided when registration is open
Western Heritage Day is an annual educational event designed to immerse children of the Big Country in western culture as it might have been in Abilene during the 1800s.
This celebration of western heritage includes numerous activities, booths, demonstrations, and cultural activities aimed at teaching new generations about the integrity, honor, character, and hard work of frontier women and men left as a legacy for generations of West Texans.
Typically, children come to HSU with their classes/groups and spend anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes exploring all of our special campus activities including:
- HSU’s Six White Horses and World Famous Cowboy Band
- Small Farm Animal Petting Area
- Sheep Shearing
- Folk Music & Dancing
- Western Melodramas & Storytelling
- HSU Branding Pit
- Chuck Wagon Snacks
- Ft. Griffin Longhorn Herd
- Trick Roping Demonstration
- Quilting Demonstrations
- Western Washing Experience
- And Much More…
In addition to these activities, HSU invites teachers/parents and their classes to extend their experience by bringing a sack lunch and enjoying the Western atmosphere as they enjoy a picnic in Walton Grove next to HSU’s recently enhanced pond.
For additional information, write to westernheritage@dos5.net.
We hope to see you at this year’s Western Heritage Day!
Hardin-Simmons University’s Western Heritage Day is made possible by gifts from the Guy Caldwell Endowment for Western Heritage and the Lee and Lou C. Evans Endowment for Western Heritage.