FUN ON WILL ROGERS' RANCH OLD WEST LIFE CELEBRATED AT SOUTHLAND PARK.Byline: Serena Maria Daniels Special to the Daily News Dressed in full cowboy attire, Robert Basgali rode his trusty horse at a gallop past the audience at Will Rogers State Historic Park Will Rogers State Historic Park is the former estate of American humorist Will Rogers. It lies in the Santa Monica mountains in Los Angeles, in the Pacific Palisades area. . And within minutes Basgali, 41 - who for years has been impersonating the actor and self-proclaimed cowboy Will Rogers - had everyone enthusiastically chanting cowboy lingo Lingo - An animation scripting language. [MacroMind Director V3.0 Interactivity Manual, MacroMind 1991]. . Basgali was the host of the Will Rogers Ranch Jubilee on Saturday, when dozens of families brought their kids to ride horses and enjoy the many cowboy-theme shows featuring ropers, shootouts, country singers and blacksmiths. Basgali said his love for Western shows began when he performed in a production of the Will Rogers Follies. ``Once I did the performance, I fell in love with everything about Will Rogers,'' said Basgali, who lives in Phoenix, where he runs his Wild West Performers company. ``There's something about him that is really appealing, something very wholesome about the messages he sent to the public.'' And Basgali is not alone in his love for all things Western. Felix Alberto Lopez, 35, works at a chemical company but is also an accomplished roper who has toured the country showing off his talents with the lasso lasso (lăs`ō, lăs  `), light, strong rope, usually with a smooth, hard finish, made of a fine quality of hemp or nylon. . At Saturday's performance, his three young children came along with smaller lassos in hand, all spinning and twisting their ropes for a captivated cap·ti·vate tr.v. cap·ti·vat·ed, cap·ti·vat·ing, cap·ti·vates 1. To attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence. See Synonyms at charm. 2. Archaic To capture. audience. ``I've been roping since I was about 6 years old,'' said Lopez, who was born in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. but learned to rope with his father near Guadalajara, Mexico. ``It's a beautiful art. It takes a lot of discipline, and it's not a common sport, but I love the challenge.'' Lopez and one of his sons, 6-year-old Moises Lopez, also tour the rodeo circuit and have performed in the Rose Parade and on Steve Harvey's Big Time show on the WB television network. For many families who attended the Saturday show at Will Rogers State Historic Park, the visit was a relaxing getaway. Dr. Robert Shorr, 53, of Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). , whose children spent the afternoon riding along the horse trails, said he rides horses to slow down. ``Riding really makes you connect with your horse and change your priorities,'' said Shorr. For Carolyn Dale of Santa Monica Santa Monica (săn`tə mŏn`ĭkə), city (1990 pop. 86,905), Los Angeles co., S Calif., on Santa Monica Bay; inc. 1886. Tourism and retailing are important, and the city has motion-picture, biotechnology, and software industries. , the event gave her a chance to show her grandson some Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, hiking opportunities. ``I like the trails,'' said 6-year-old Conner Dale, who is from Houston. Michelle Carter, executive director of the Will Rogers Memorial Museums in Oklahoma This is a list of the museums in Oklahoma. This list contains the national and international museums as well as those of local interest. Contents - the birthplace of Rogers - said she hopes the celebration becomes an annual event that will attract more people to the park and the museums. Rogers bought the ranch in the early 1930s. Nine years after he died in 1935, his wife, Betty, gave the land to the state of California. ``We're in the process of bringing the ranch back to life,'' said Carter. Serena Marie Daniels, (818) 713-3636 dan.laidman(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) A four-horsepower ride is among the attractions Saturday at Will Rogers State Historic Park. (2) Tom Mahar is one of the roping artists who charmed visitors to Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades on Saturday. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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