Planning a large outdoor festival for late July might seem like a bad idea to some folks. Not the kind expected for the city's Day of the Cowboy festival, says Jim Coplin of the Apache Junction Chamber of Commerce, who's coordinating the event.

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"We're dealing at this point in the summer with Arizonans. They're used to the heat," Coplin says. "They might not like it, but they're used to it."

The Day of the Cowboy, a national event being celebrated at four spots in Pinal County, is a celebration of the rough life lived by the men and women who tamed the wild western territories. That makes it a fit for the summer, Coplin says: If polar bear clubs in Minnesota can get people to plunge into icy water, asking Arizonans to brave some summer heat shouldn't be too hard.

"We're using defiance of the weather as an excuse for fun," he says. "You cannot understand Arizona unless you've been here in the summer." (Just in case, organizers are also planning events for the morning hours and providing plenty of water.)

Day of the Cowboy is taken seriously in Apache Junction, Coplin says.

"There are a lot of wannabe cowboys and dime-store cowboys, but there are some real ones out there, too," he says.

And what exactly is a "real" cowboy?

"Loyalty, courtesy, respect, independence," he says. "Those were the qualities that kept you alive back then, and I think there are still a lot of people in Apache Junction that still live by that creed."

We asked some of the cowboys taking part in the festival for their take on what it means to be a cowboy. Here's what we heard back.

DARRYL WEBB, TRIBUNE

The Turkish Cowboy

"Cowboy Dan" Knodl is the owner of Mammoth Restaurant and Saloon at Goldfield Ghost Town, host of Apache Junction's Day of the Cowboy celebration.

Cowboy credentials: Became a cowboy in September 1977, shortly after he moved to America from Turkey, where he was born. He got his first cowboy hat and took a job at one of Arizona's tourist spots. "I thought cowboys were crazy people, I really was afraid of cowboys, to be honest with you," he says. "But then I got here and I loved it. I think if you grew up with freedom you can't understand how much it means. God bless America."

Cowboy wisdom: "God made them big and small, Smith & Wesson made them equal."

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Miss Trixie Rose

Tia Coleman plays the madam of LuLu's Bordello at Goldfield Ghost Town and will be judging the celebration's mustache contest at 11 a.m.

Cowboy credentials: Coleman was raised on a ranch in Montana, but she says being a real cowboy has nothing to do with bola ties and spurs. "Owning a horse doesn't make you a cowboy, boots do not make you a cowboy. Being loyal and courteous and trustworthy - and not being afraid to step in doo-doo - makes you a cowboy."

Cowboy wisdom: "Work hard, play harder."

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Wayne and Pancho

Wayne Richardson of Apache Junction will ride his 1,700-pound longhorn steer, Pancho, at 10 a.m. in the parade down Goldfield Ghost Town's Main Street.

Cowboy credentials: Born and raised in Montana, where he worked as a cowboy. Broke a longhorn steer, which he rides with a saddle. "He bucked me off a lot, and one time I got up and said, 'Look, Pancho, either I'm going to ride you or I'm going to eat you,' and he got the message," he says. "It does take a pretty good hand to break one of them fellers."

Cowboy wisdom: "Are you going to lie there and bleed, or are you going to cowboy up?"

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Pioneer Pepper

Pioneer Pepper - even his wife calls him that - of Mesa will perform during the day at the festival grounds.

Cowboy credentials: A lifelong fan of western music, Pepper, an ex-police officer from Illinois, moved to Arizona in 1995 and has been making his living performing since then. He says being a cowboy is having a love for a simpler time and place. "I think everybody has, somewhere in their heart, some cowboy in them."

Cowboy wisdom: "Many thanks. A cowboy knows how to be courteous and how to treat a cowgirl, and that's what they'd say."