Cowboys Arlington is a three-story dance hall that's been hosting line dances and two steps for 21 years. (J. Mark Kegans)
Pull on your cowboy boots; a Texas tradition is taking its last line dance. Cowboys Arlington, which has been open for 21 years in Arlington, will close Nov. 1, according to its general manager Chad Mudd.
He says the company has plans to open in a “really promising location” nearby and is closing because General Motors purchased the property. Cowboys has existing dance halls in Dallas and San Antonio.
“This is not a goodbye but a ‘see ya soon,’” reads a post on Facebook.
Cowboys swing their partners round and round at Cowboys. The 'Cotton Eyed Joe' is a popular song, too. (File)
For years, Cowboys and its sister dance hall Red River have been go-to country clubs for two-stepping. “Back in the ’90s, all the major country stars rolled through here,” Mudd says. “Back then, it was just us and Billy Bob’s booking the big [country] acts.”
The three-story Cowboys Arlington can fit as many as 3,300 people and hosts three sets of music on its big nights, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. On Thursdays, it’s a hot spot for college kids, and it’s the one night where pop and hip-hop are played moreso than country.
In Cowboys’ remaining days at its current Arlington address, it will host College Night Halloween on Oct. 30, where women in costume do not have to pay cover; and a Halloween Party on Oct. 31 where the winner of a costume contest gets $1,500 cash.
But the big night is Nov. 1, when Mudd expects to fill the venue with dancers and drinkers who want to take a twirl on the dance floor one last time.
“I think it’s going to be huge,” Mudd says.
Cowboys Arlington, 2540 E. Abrams in Arlington. 817-265-1535. cowboysdancehall.com.