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Western vacation destination
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| 'Marshal' Bo Downey and his family are moving to Willcox this month to open their Old West store on Railroad Avenue. He brings his historical re-enactment group and an online show he plans to take to cable TV. (Dave Brown/ARN) |
By Carol Broeder/Arizona Range News
"Marshal" Bo Downey heads to Willcox with his Old West ways
Hey, Pardner, there's a new marshal coming to town.
"Marshal" Bo Downey is moving his Old West store to Willcox this month, with plans to be open in January.
He's just signed a "long-term lease" to put "Marshal Bo's Old West Trading Post" at 162 N. Railroad Ave., the building recently vacated by National Day of the Cowboy Headquarters.
Folks who attended the 2008 Rex Allen Days in Willcox may remember Downey filming his "Marshal Bo Show" in the Rex Allen Museum.
Not only that -- his re-enactment group, "Marshal Bo's Gunslingers of the West," earned a trophy in the Rex Allen Days Parade.
Downey, along with mother Dallas and sister Shea, are moving here from Oak Glen, Calif., a town in the San Bernadino Mountains built in 1876, with "a rich cowboy heritage" of its own.
So, why Willcox?
Downey explains that his good friend Julie Ream, niece of Rex Allen Sr., hired him and his gunslinger group for Rex Allen Days this year.
"All of us had this same overwhelming feeling that this is the friendliest, most sincere town I've ever been in," said Downey, adding that his travels have taken him to towns all over the country.
"Willcox reminds me of the small town I grew up in Southern Missouri - Lake of the Ozarks," he said.
"Some of our best friends here in Willcox have been Larry and Delcie (Schultz)," Downey told the Range News. "We are so impressed with the Rex Allen Museum that they run. We want to be a part of supporting that."
Once he opens his business here, Downey plans to donate regularly to both the museum and Willcox Against Substance Abuse (WASA), as he believes strongly in helping youth.
"I am happy to see what I believe will be a good addition to the Railroad Avenue area," said Delcie Schultz, manager of the Rex Allen Musuem. "We are finally getting people willing to make a commitment to help move Willcox's Historic District in the right direction. The Friends of Marty Robbins has made a 15-year commitment and now Bo Downey has made a long-term commitment, as well. The last two unoccupied buildings in the block have been purchased and will house fine retail business. All of this will breathe new life into our downtown area. So I say 'Welcome, we are happy to have you in Willcox.'"
"We hated to see the National Day of the Cowboy leave Willcox," said Mayor Sam Lindsey. "We're always glad to have something coming instead of going. It's great to have Bo Downey into town, bringing more of the Old West influence into Willcox.
"I think his operation here will be an asset to our community. There are several things he's working on that will bring visitors to the Willcox area."
Downey plans to stage two gunfights every Saturday afternoon in Railroad Park at no cost.
These "matinees" as he calls them, set for "High Noon" and 3 p.m., will be family-oriented.
"No one dies - they just get winged in the shoulder and taken off to jail," Downey said.
"We like to use one of the kids from the audience in the show and then let them keep the badge," he said.
Downey hopes that local re-enactors will apply to join his group, once he moves into town.
His Old West store in historic downtown Willcox will sell black powder six guns and rifles; spurs, chaps, holsters, antique handcuffs, jail keys, and "a large assortment of Old West movie props.
Downey is a member of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) and is a SASS distributor.
He also plans to have a vintage photography shop - where people can dress up in vintage costumes and have their portraits taken.
He will also carry "a unique assortment of Victorian jewelry," from a company that is restriking the jewelry from "original 19th century molds found in Germany."
The well-known names include Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef and Arpels, he said.
"We carry a lot of fun things at affordable prices," said Downey, adding, "Many things are exclusive just to us, and will now be available 'only in Willcox,'" he said.
"Anything a modern or Old West cowboy wants, we'll have it," Downey said.
Though he is no longer doing his online show, Downey does plan to "take the show to cable."
While he has interviewed many celebrities while in California, once in Willcox Downey plans to "turn it into a show that features local ranchers," spotlighting local history.
He plans to call it, "Let's Talk Cowboy with Marshal Bo."
Prior to leaving California this month, Downey is shooting a show at the Roy Rogers Ranch, where "I will have the honor to handle Roy's guns on camera."
"I have a lot of celebrity interviews I've done in California, such as David Carradine and Marty Kove, that have not been aired," he told the Range News.
"I want to air them from here."
"We feel we would have a lot to offer Willcox," said Downey, adding that he would like to see "Willcox become a Western vacation destination."
"We're looking for this to be our final home," he said. "We've done a lot of traveling and we're done."
(Editor's Note: For more information, visit Bo Downey's website, www.myvideowesterns.com)
Hey, Pardner, there's a new marshal coming to town.
"Marshal" Bo Downey is moving his Old West store to Willcox this month, with plans to be open in January.
He's just signed a "long-term lease" to put "Marshal Bo's Old West Trading Post" at 162 N. Railroad Ave., the building recently vacated by National Day of the Cowboy Headquarters.
Folks who attended the 2008 Rex Allen Days in Willcox may remember Downey filming his "Marshal Bo Show" in the Rex Allen Museum.
Not only that -- his re-enactment group, "Marshal Bo's Gunslingers of the West," earned a trophy in the Rex Allen Days Parade.
Downey, along with mother Dallas and sister Shea, are moving here from Oak Glen, Calif., a town in the San Bernadino Mountains built in 1876, with "a rich cowboy heritage" of its own.
So, why Willcox?
Downey explains that his good friend Julie Ream, niece of Rex Allen Sr., hired him and his gunslinger group for Rex Allen Days this year.
"All of us had this same overwhelming feeling that this is the friendliest, most sincere town I've ever been in," said Downey, adding that his travels have taken him to towns all over the country.
"Willcox reminds me of the small town I grew up in Southern Missouri - Lake of the Ozarks," he said.
"Some of our best friends here in Willcox have been Larry and Delcie (Schultz)," Downey told the Range News. "We are so impressed with the Rex Allen Museum that they run. We want to be a part of supporting that."
Once he opens his business here, Downey plans to donate regularly to both the museum and Willcox Against Substance Abuse (WASA), as he believes strongly in helping youth.
"I am happy to see what I believe will be a good addition to the Railroad Avenue area," said Delcie Schultz, manager of the Rex Allen Musuem. "We are finally getting people willing to make a commitment to help move Willcox's Historic District in the right direction. The Friends of Marty Robbins has made a 15-year commitment and now Bo Downey has made a long-term commitment, as well. The last two unoccupied buildings in the block have been purchased and will house fine retail business. All of this will breathe new life into our downtown area. So I say 'Welcome, we are happy to have you in Willcox.'"
"We hated to see the National Day of the Cowboy leave Willcox," said Mayor Sam Lindsey. "We're always glad to have something coming instead of going. It's great to have Bo Downey into town, bringing more of the Old West influence into Willcox.
"I think his operation here will be an asset to our community. There are several things he's working on that will bring visitors to the Willcox area."
Downey plans to stage two gunfights every Saturday afternoon in Railroad Park at no cost.
These "matinees" as he calls them, set for "High Noon" and 3 p.m., will be family-oriented.
"No one dies - they just get winged in the shoulder and taken off to jail," Downey said.
"We like to use one of the kids from the audience in the show and then let them keep the badge," he said.
Downey hopes that local re-enactors will apply to join his group, once he moves into town.
His Old West store in historic downtown Willcox will sell black powder six guns and rifles; spurs, chaps, holsters, antique handcuffs, jail keys, and "a large assortment of Old West movie props.
Downey is a member of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) and is a SASS distributor.
He also plans to have a vintage photography shop - where people can dress up in vintage costumes and have their portraits taken.
He will also carry "a unique assortment of Victorian jewelry," from a company that is restriking the jewelry from "original 19th century molds found in Germany."
The well-known names include Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef and Arpels, he said.
"We carry a lot of fun things at affordable prices," said Downey, adding, "Many things are exclusive just to us, and will now be available 'only in Willcox,'" he said.
"Anything a modern or Old West cowboy wants, we'll have it," Downey said.
Though he is no longer doing his online show, Downey does plan to "take the show to cable."
While he has interviewed many celebrities while in California, once in Willcox Downey plans to "turn it into a show that features local ranchers," spotlighting local history.
He plans to call it, "Let's Talk Cowboy with Marshal Bo."
Prior to leaving California this month, Downey is shooting a show at the Roy Rogers Ranch, where "I will have the honor to handle Roy's guns on camera."
"I have a lot of celebrity interviews I've done in California, such as David Carradine and Marty Kove, that have not been aired," he told the Range News.
"I want to air them from here."
"We feel we would have a lot to offer Willcox," said Downey, adding that he would like to see "Willcox become a Western vacation destination."
"We're looking for this to be our final home," he said. "We've done a lot of traveling and we're done."
(Editor's Note: For more information, visit Bo Downey's website, www.myvideowesterns.com)
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