Cowboy Willie (Rodeo Grounds)

Cowboy Willy greets rodeo crowds in Willits from a body that once advertised something else. SFGate reported in January 2025 that the 20-foot figure was a Muffler Man, one of the fibreglass giants made to catch the eye of roadside traffic, before it became the face of Willits Frontier Days.

The story begins in 1967, when local businessman Lee Persico spotted a damaged Muffler Man at a Phillips 66 station in Eureka. He told SFGate he did not believe the group paid more than $150 for it. Fabricator Jack Tharp built a fibreglass hat, swapped the boots for cowboy boots and reworked the buckle and branding, and artist Daniel McBride painted the result. According to SFGate, Persico also fitted a speaker and microphone so a hidden person could answer visitors' questions; the equipment is long gone.