2024 Patsy Montana Entertainer Award and 2024 Mitzi Lucas Riley Award
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (July 16, 2024) – The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is pleased to present two special awards at the annual Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon and Ceremony. The Patsy Montana Entertainer Award will be presented to Laura Lynch and the Mitzi Lucas Riley Award will be presented to Paola Pimienta.
The Patsy Montana Entertainer Award was named for 1987 Hall of Fame Honoree Patsy Montana. This
award recognizes those whose work in the entertainment field continues to advance the tradition of the cowgirl in the areas of film, television, music, writing and theatre.
Laura Lynch (1958 – 2023) was a founding member of the Chicks, then known as the Dixie Chicks. For four years, she was a songwriter, lead vocalist, bassist, and booking manager who helped launch the band into the national spotlight. Raised on the CL Ranch in Dell City, Texas, Lynch would return there to be near her grandsons and take a more active role in managing the family ranch. She became instrumental in the community, helping rebuild town properties, and fighting for local landowners’ water rights all the way to the Texas Supreme Court. She was a producer and was a subject in the 2024 released documentary, Water Wars, that centers on the fight for water rights in the 2007 case Guitar Holding v. Hudspeth County. It won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Texas Feature at the Dallas International Film festival in April of this year.
The Mitzi Lucas Riley Award was established in honor of the 1996 Hall of Fame Honoree Mitzi Lucas Riley. This award recognizes young adults who promote their heritage in the community through education and volunteerism, encouraging involvement in preserving western culture and legacy.
Paola Pimienta is the Ambassador for the Coordination of Charrería in the United States, operating under the organization of the Federación Mexicana de Charrería (FMCH). Her role as reina nacional, or national queen, is a four-year unpaid appointment to promote the sport of charrería, the Mexican rodeo, in the United States. Pimienta, known formally as Paola I (Paola the First), is, to date, the most well-known ambassador that charrería has ever had in the role of advocating for the growth of the sport in the United States. Her work within escaramuza, the only female component of the rodeo, teams executing high-speed intricate patterns horseback and sidesaddle, has been profiled in nationwide television segments, documentaries, and publications, most recently, the March 2024 issue of Cowboys & Indians. In addition to actively competing on multiple teams while fulfilling duties as ambassador, Pimienta was instrumental in the curation of the Museum’s most recent exhibition, Soldaderas to Amazonas: Escaramuzas Charras.
These awards will be presented during the 48th Annual Induction Luncheon and Ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, at Dickies Arena where the Museum will also induct four new honorees into the Hall of Fame.
About the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame honors and celebrates women, past and present, whose lives exemplify the courage, resilience, and independence that helped shape the West. Established in 1975, the Museum is considered an invaluable national educational resource for its exhibits, research library, and rare photograph collection. The Museum is located in Fort Worth’s Cultural District at 1720 Gendy Street and is open Tuesday – Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon – 5 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults (12+); $9 for seniors (65+) and military; $6 for children (ages 3-12) and children 3 and under free with paid admission.
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