Bronco Billy's offers a garden

The corner "garden" in front of Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill and Saloon is as changeable as the season. This month it features a horse with a "Don't Fence Me In." corral facing one way and a "John McGee boot-grave" facing the other. Photo by Tom Chace

Among the wonderful things about Sisters are the downtown corner "gardens," many maintained year-long by the Sisters Garden Club. Most have living flowers and shrubs during the spring and summer months adding color and warmth to the business area.

One of the most unique fronts at what old-timers still call "The Hotel," now named Bronco Billy's Ranch Grill and Saloon, is at the corner of Fir Street and Cascade Avenue. This "garden" is not one of the garden club varieties but is maintained by the owners of the restaurant.

We've all heard the saying, "If you don't like the weather now, wait an hour. It'll change." Same with Bronco Billy's "corner garden."

Halloween found it done up with a scarecrow and appropriate weeds, straw and hay bales and seasonable fall decorations. At Christmas there was a cowboy decorously attired as Santa Claus.

Today, it features two sides: One is a cutout horse standing behind a corral fence on which is painted, "Don't Fence Me In" on one cross bar and "Mind Your Fences" on the other.

The second side is a grave with a headstone marker: "R.I.P. Here lies the body of 'Big John' McGhee. Rode his horse under a short, little tree." A black hat hangs from one corner of the tombstone with a pair of black boots at the other. In between are daffodils, tulips and a rib cage appearing more likely from a cow than from a man.

The person responsible for this western humor is Shirley McBride, who was commissioned by owners John Tehan and John Keenan, to give their "old hotel" a new look with a western theme in line with the new name of Bronco Billy's.

McBride has an extensive background in theater, working on The Muppets show in New York as well as stage design for other theatrical projects.

"Inside, I built the wagon train and porches," she said. "Upstairs we're starting a gallery of western characters.

"For example, we have a life-size mannequin of a 'little old lady' quilting and there's one of Luigi, an Italian making pasta. I'm now working on a series of western working women," she said.

To see her work go into the lobby through the corner exterior door and up the stairs. Here are the old guestrooms from the days when Bronco Billy's was a hotel. The "two Johns" (Keenan and Tehan) have turned these rooms into private meeting rooms that are available for clubs, organizations or just to get friends together for a private party.

"That's where we're putting in our gallery of western characters," McBride said. "Each room will have a historic, western theme. We'd love to have you take a look around.

"Most people don't know this yet, but Tehan and Keenan are planning on having a dinner theater in the outdoor patio, probably starting in June, with a saloon style vaudeville show," McBride said. "I'm already starting to get ideas together to make the stage and decorate the place.

"I think it will be a lot of fun putting it together as well as a hoot for Sisters residents and tourists" she said.