Bola show provides Thanksgiving weekend fun

Governor Janet Napolitano visits with bola-wearing Paul Hughes of the Museum.

“We may be sticking our neck out, but we think this is the most comprehensive exhibition of bola ties ever staged in the United States. Maybe even in the world.” stated Royce Kardinal, executive director of Wickenburg’s Desert Caballeros Western Museum

Open Friday through Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 23-25), and daily thereafter, Kardinal is referring to the museum’s dazzling new show of more than 150 stunning examples of this important western accessory. Included in the exhibit are American Indian handcrafted silver bolas in styles ranging from traditional to Art Deco, courtesy of the world-famous Heard Museum, and bolas from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum that were created especially for its “Prix de West” show. And that is only the beginning. There are also commemorative bolas, military bolas, bolas that have been created by famous artists and bolas that belong to famous people.

“We have creations that stretch the viewer’s imagination with their sheer outrageousness,” said Museum Curator Mary Ann Igna. “I could see them inspiring some sort of fashion trend.”

Wickenburg the height of this Fashion? Wickenburg may be more “Rodeo Country” than Rodeo Drive, but the famous bola has been associated with the town for decades. It was Wickenburg resident Vic Cedarstaff who first put the bola on the map back in the 1940s, calling his creation a “piggin’ necktie” since it resembled the pigging string cowboys use to hogtie calves. “Needless to say, this designation did not become popular,” said Igna who has included several of Cedarstaff’s creations in the exhibit.

“The Tie That Binds”… Along with Cedarstaff’s originals are also many of the 240 bola ties which have been donated to the Museum by Phoenix anchorman Bill Close. Known for wearing his ties on air, Close founded the world’s first Bola Tie Society back in 1966; and by 1971, he and his Society had convinced the Arizona legislature to name their tie the state’s official neckwear.

“The bola tie has become as much of a southwestern way of dress as cowboy boots and the ten-gallon hat,” said Arizona’s then Senator Barry Goldwater as he welcomed the bola’s official place alongside the state bird and state flower. Recently, neighboring New Mexico has jumped on this same bandwagon, adopting the bola as its official neckwear; and Texas is expected to soon follow suit.

Bola, please. Not bolo. Back in the days when Cedarstaff was looking for a more acceptable name to replace his “piggin’ necktie” appellation, the silversmith noticed that the neckwear resembled a bolaeadera, a cattle and ostrich snaring tool used in Argentina. He immediately shortened the name of his tie up to bola…and the rest, as they say, is history.

However, occasionally, even today, the tie is referred to as a bolo. But that’s a no-no. With the word “bola” having been officially recognized by the Merriam Webster dictionary in 1964, the other spelling - bolo - is defined is a machete-like knife used in the Philippines to cut sugar cane!

Are you listening, Ralph Lauren? “We plan to keep this exhibition on display through next fall,” says Kardinal, “which is certainly ample time to start a fashion trend. And with everything hot that is cowboy, particularly in Europe, who knows which famous neck a Wickenburg-inspired bola may be hanging off of next.”

The Desert Caballeros Western Museum is located at 21 N. Frontier Street in Wickenburg. It is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend and will feature both the bola show and another wide-ranging exhibition of cowboy art entitled “Ropers, Wranglers & Rascals: The Real American Cowboy.” Both shows are included with museum admission: $7.50 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, AAA members and members of the military; with youth under 16 free. For more information, call 684-2272 or visit www.westernmuseum.org.

Print this story

Email this story

Click ads for more information