Oklahoma City recently joined the NBA family with the relocation and rebranding of the Seattle Superonics. Now known as The Thunder, the team plays its 41 home games in the heart of our home town.

In light of this event, American Way magazine has showcased the city in two separate articles across its last two issues. The first article, in its February 1st issue, includes “what to do and see” recommendations from several local personalities including civic leaders, business owners, and media. From French bistros to dive bars and “cowboy museums” to crew style rowing, the list of recommendations provides a great cross section of the varied cultural and lifestyle attractions available in the city.

Which brings us to Linda Cavanaugh, a long time resident and Oklahoma City media personality who serves as an anchor on KFOR-TV’s news channel 4 . When it comes to western wear, Linda proclaims “Langston’s is it.” Specifically, she is directing readers to our Stockyards City store, which is just a short drive or trolley ride from downtown where the Thunder plays their home games at the Ford Center. Located in a historically renovated building, the store serves as both a retail store and tourist attraction. With many western themed businesses in the Stockyards, run by skilled craftsman with a passion for western culture and lifestyle, Stockyards City is actually a great place for all things western.

For a more in depth look at the NBA in Oklahoma City, the latest issue of American Way magazine contrasts the NBA’s newest venue with one of its most revered, New York’s Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks. Titled City Game, Cowboy Style, the piece is an enlightening and in depth look at two very different markets that are now linked by one great game. It certainly has convinced me to make sure I catch a game at the Garden soon, if for nothing else, for the hot dog on the way in. (Speaking of, anyone think we can get those guys at Coney Island on Main Street to open a stand outside the Ford Center?…)

From time to time we like to share a little bit about where we’re from. It’s always nice to put a little personality on this too-often impersonal medium called the internet. To help tell you a little about what we’re “all about”, we like to point you to an article in today’s New York Times Travel section about Oklahoma City.

In a recent visit, the author found a city that mixes all the elements commonly associated with the Midwest, the West, and a bit of the South. From the “noirish-cool” Lobby Bar on Western Avenue to the “True West” setting of Cattlemen’s Steakhouse in the Oklahoma National Stockyards (just across the street from us!), the author really stretched his legs and dug into the many facets of the city. A visit to the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, with its grand displays of western art, followed by a stop at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, with the largest permanent installation of Dale Chihuly glass sculptures including the 55 foot tall center piece in the museum’s atrium, reinforced that this is a place where many aspects of all types of “western” culture come together in a natural a seamless way.

And it wasn’t just the food and museums that gave him this impression. The author found that the people represented this mixture of cultures as well:

“While I was in town, a nationally known local psychedelic band, the Flaming Lips, screened a homemade movie and music extravaganza, “Christmas on Mars,” to a raucous crowd at the deadCENTER Film Festival. At the same time, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum was hosting a gathering of contemporary Western artists — imagine a group of people resembling the cast of a Sam Peckinpah movie with paintbrushes. There is also a frisson in the air over the news that the city has managed to snag a National Basketball Association franchise, with the SuperSonics moving here from Seattle next season. “

So, if you plan on visiting us soon or just want to know more about this place where all your Langston’s packages are coming from, check out the NY Times article here. For more pictures check out the Slide Show.

We’d also like to congratulate our neighbors in the Stockyards, Little Joe’s Boots, for their second place finish and to Cattlemen’s Steakhouse for their inclusion as one of the best places to get a steak.

We also had a rating of 3 horseshoes for Shirts, Belts and Jeans. They mention the hand-tooled leather purses, sequined belts we carry in store, as well as the Montana Silversmith belt buckles, Panhandle Slim shirts, Cruel Girl and Wrangler Jeans we carry both online and in stores.

No western look is complete without a hat – and we offer a wide range to choose from. So if you are in the OKC area, please stop by our Historic location in the Oklahoma National Stockyards (click here for directions) and get outfitted by our knowledgeable staff. Elsewhere in Oklahoma, please visit us at I-240 and Shields Blvd, or in Midwest City at 15th and Midwest Blvd. or in Yukon at 1105 Garth Brooks Blvd.

My name is Paul Bonds. I have been fighting bulls for eighteen years. I am 34 years old and have a fifteen-year old son named Shane. He gets to rodeo with me in the summer.

Fitness is an important part of my life. When I am not fighting, I am racing my bicycle for the Oklahoma City Velo Club. Rodeo has left me the available time to get in shape, which is extremely important for my job. I have always thought that if I take care of my body, it will take care of me.

In the winter, I fight the Super Bull Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour PBR. This year I got to fight in the Memphis Grizzlies’ building as well as the home of the American Hockey League’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (PA) Penguins, the minor-league affiliate of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. (Editor’s note: GREAT Season, Pens!) The latter building left me with a few bumps: One of Sonny Smith’s bulls had Dan Henricks on his back. Dan rode him for 82 points, and it was my job to get the bull’s attention after the buzzer went off. I went in a little too slow and the bull picked me up and polished the bucking shoots with my back. A broken rib wasn’t too bad to get out of it, I just needed to get back my breath, and back to work I went.

I am looking forward to being a regular guest blogger for langstonsblog.com. Check back every couple of months or so for more bull fighting stories from the road.

Sincerely, Paul Bonds

Our first guest blogger is a great example. As a Professional Bullfighter, Paul Bonds has taken more than his share of lumps. But it’s worth it, in Paul’s words, to be able to “live a childhood dream” every day of his career.

Paul has fought in some of the biggest rodeos in the U.S., Canada, and Italy, and regularly participates in rodeos put on by the PBR, IPRA, and PRCA. He’s fought in the National High School Finals, the PCB Finals, and has fought in the International Finals Rodeo five times.

For our first guest blog, Paul was kind enough to send us his first entry, which you can read above.

With all this activity going on, we’ve still managed to get quite a few cool new items on the site. It’s not hard to tell that summer is right around the corner with all of the great t-shirts, skirts, and tank tops from Rock and Roll Cowgirl and Rock and Roll Cowboy, both from Panhandle Slim. Here’s just a few examples:

We’ve also been working hard to get a whole lot of new Justin Boots uploaded. There are some great styles for men, women, and the kids. Be sure to check them out on our Justin Boots page. Here’s a few examples: