FUN IN FT. WORTH: HANGING WITH THE COOLEST COWGIRLS

What have we been up to this week? Well, quite a lot actually! We had a bustling, busy week in Fort Worth, attending and hosting events with some of the coolest cowgirls in the country.

We kicked things off Monday night at a VIP reception at the National Cowgirl Museum, a chic cocktail hour on the eve of their annual Hall of Fame event, where we were able to explore some the exhibits in the museum and mingle with some fabulous folks and some familiar faces. It really set a great – and glamorous – tone for the week!

The following day, Tuesday, November 18th, was packed to the brim with excitement and activities for the Double D Ranch gang! First up was the 49th Annual Cowgirl Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Luncheon at the famed Dickies Arena in Ft. Worth. We’ve been fortunate enough to attend this event several times in the past, and we can say without reservation that it never disappoints.

“The ceremony was great!” shared Leeann Wenske, DDR’s Marketing Manager. “We had four tables this year, so we got to share the experience with several of our customers, which was wonderful. Everything was so beautiful – including the guests! The food was delicious, as always, and everyone at the Double D tables got to take home a really cool glass paperweight made by Maura Allen as part of our creative collaboration with her, so that was a fun surprise for our guests this year.”

Following the luncheon ceremony, the meet-and-greet with Maura Allen commenced in our Stockyards store, and to call it a success would be putting it mildly.

“It started right after the luncheon and essentially went all night,” laughed Leeann. “We had a great crowd, a steady flow of traffic throughout the whole afternoon and evening – the store was jam packed!”

Maura, if you’re not aware, is an extraordinarily talented artist best known for her works depicting images and capturing the spirit of the American West. We had the pleasure of collaborating with her on the Past & Present collection, interpreting some of her incredible artwork into prints and statement pieces. We were thrilled she made the journey to Fort Worth for a print signing event to autograph some of the signature works she created for the collection, and got meet so many of the marvelous women in our Wolf Pack.

“The Double D Ranch sisterhood is warm and real,” Maura shared. “What I experienced at the launch of Past & Present was 100x of that magic. As an artist focused on the West, it was a one in a million moment – I was honored and thrilled to be a part of it.”

The print-signing led into/coincided/overlapped with another even, a cocktail hour we cohosted with the fabulous Ft. Worth-based group, Cowgirls & Cocktails. Founder of C&C, Lexi Hoagland, has done a wonderful thing in creating a gathering of gals who are somehow a part of the Western lifestyle – whether it’s in their roots, in their day-to-day job, or just have and admiration for it and an interest in perpetuating the advancement of the industry. This is our second time hosting a Cowgirls & Cocktails event, and we were beyond impressed with the turnout – both the quantity and the quality of the cowgirls in attendance!

“All day long, I spent surrounded by remarkable women,” Cheryl said. “What a treat. It felt good to be in the middle of so many strong women – I could be friends with all of them!”

Of course, there were cocktails (it is in the name after all!), and we had some delicious light bites of homemade pimiento cheese and chicken salad sandwiches, finished off with sweet treats of lemon bars and cherry crunch bars, all whipped up by our very own Jack Matusek.

These events also happened to align on the eve of our line launch for the Holiday 2025 collection, so attendees got to sneak peek Past & Present before it officially debuted on November 19th.

“The response to the new collection was great,” shared Audrey. “People were really drawn to the colors, all those berries and wines, and of course, everyone loved what Maura added to the collection. We personally think it’s a stunning collection, but it’s always rewarding to see, in real time, how it’s being received by the people we ultimately created it for.”