The neon allure of the Mint Bar, Sheridan's famous 118-year-old watering hole that has anchored Main Street since 1907, will be beamed nationwide in December when the historic establishment is featured in a series highlighting Western culture on RFD-TV.
The episodes are scheduled to air Dec. 8, Jan. 12 and Jan. 14 as part of a six-episode collection featuring Sheridan that’s included in RFD-TV’s "From the Heart of America” series profiling inspiring characters across the West.
"If the walls at the Mint Bar in Sheridan, Wyoming, could talk they'd tell us a lot of stories," Wild Rides TV notes in promotional materials. "And with all of the vintage photos and brands on the wall you know, when you're there, that you're in a cowboy mecca."
A two-person crew visited during Sheridan's rodeo weekend in July to capture the bar's atmosphere and interview staff about its storied past.
Kat Deeds, the bar's general manager and resident historian, said the production focused on what has always defined the establishment.
"Cowboys and rodeo and Western history is all a big part of the Mint Bar," Deeds said.
The crew filmed during one of the bar's most electric moments — when the Sheridan community corps marched through downtown after the rodeo parade, stopping at various establishments to play for packed crowds.
"We waited at the bar until they got there, and we filmed that with the packed house and the crowd going crazy," said Kevin Holten, executive producer of the series.
That footage won't appear in the first episode, but will be featured in subsequent installments.
The Mint Bar in Sheridan casts its neon allure on viewers of RFD-TV in December and January, with General Manager Kat Deeds sharing the bar’s history and meaning to the community. 
The Mint Bar in Sheridan casts its neon allure on viewers of RFD-TV in December and January, with General Manager Kat Deeds sharing the bar’s history and meaning to the community. (Mint Bar) 
The Mint Bar in Sheridan casts its neon allure on viewers of RFD-TV in December and January, with General Manager Kat Deeds sharing the bar’s history and meaning to the community. (RFD-TV, Wild Rose Productions) 
The Mint Bar in Sheridan casts its neon allure on viewers of RFD-TV in December and January, with General Manager Kat Deeds sharing the bar’s history and meaning to the community. (Mint Bar)
Living Museum
The Mint Bar has operated since 1907, and the building has never housed any other business. The famous neon sign was installed in the mid-1950s and has been lit ever since, becoming a regional landmark.
"And that's what we're famous for. That's our iconic neon. It's been voted one of the top cowboy neon in the country,” said Deeds.
Promotional materials for the series include a photo showing the Mint Bar in earlier days with its initial, non-neon sign, as well as a slew of other historic signs down the street, including one announcing Grain Belt Beer on tap, and another reading simply, “SADDLES. LEATHER. GARMENTS.”
A clutch of cowboys in clean jeans and polished boots stands by the curb, while women and children mill about on the sidewalk.
Today inside the bar, there are cattle brands burned into the wooden beams by a man named Tuffy, who was paid in whiskey for his work.
The oldest photograph hanging in the bar dates to 1908 and is located above the elk on the wall. Those photographs will never change — they're grandfathered into any purchase agreement for the bar, according to Sheridan Travel Tourism.
Deeds, who has worked at the Mint since 2011, has made it her mission to learn every piece of the bar's extensive history rather than leave customers' questions unanswered.
"I really do feel like it's such an important part of history,” she said. “And I love sharing it with people.”
RFD-TV Profile
Holten said his production team approaches every episode by seeing locations through the eyes of the people who know them best.
"What we're really doing is we're seeing the bar through Kat's eyes in this episode," Holten explained. "We just feel that if our viewers don't need to get to know these people, how can they trust what they're saying? It makes the episode that much more powerful."
During filming, Deeds shared stories that moved her to tears — particularly one about an elderly rancher who visited daily for a Coke and conversation — not to be confused with John Zingg, who Mint patrons recently celebrated with a fundraiser.
"One day he brought in his family and introduced him to me," Deeds recalled. "And then one day, his family came in without him, and they let me know that he had passed away."
She attended his funeral, sitting quietly in the back. During the eulogy, the family mentioned Deeds and how much those daily visits meant to him.
"I still use this when I'm training new people," she said. "You don't know the impact you're having on somebody when they're coming in. And even five minutes of kindness a day makes a huge impact."
After the service, the entire family came to the Mint and ordered Cokes.
It doesn't take long for The Mint Bar to start filling up once the sun goes down. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
An 8-foot-long snakeskin is among the artifacts that decorate The Mint Bar in Sheridan. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
A variety of swag is available for purchase at The Mint Bar in Sheridan. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
These brands were made by a man named Tuffy, who liked to drink whiskey while he worked. Occasionally, the brands start to get a little crooked. That's the point where Tuffy was sent home for the day. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily) 
The booths are a little quieter than the rest of the bar. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)
Succession Story
The second Mint Bar episode, airing Jan. 19 and 20, will feature owner Ryan Wagner, whose personal story is lovingly wound into the story of the bar.
Wagner and his wife Stephanie purchased the Mint in 2022 from Monty and Wes Buckmaster, who had owned the establishment for 32 years — longer than any previous owners.
Wagner's connection to the bar runs deep. He worked there as a bar back during college before becoming a professional golfer and eventually running one of Sheridan's golf courses. His family has roots in Miles City rodeo.
"He grew up in Miles City, was a great athlete, played football in college," Holten said. "He's married with kids and he's battling cancer."
"It's a teardrop or two," Holten said of the episode. "But he is still into the history of the Mint. He really enjoys owning it for that reason."
Both Wagner and Deeds proved well-versed in the bar's past, Holten said, allowing the production to cover the Mint's history from multiple perspectives.
“It's about their individual lives, how they ended up there,” he said.
For Deeds, the television exposure represents an opportunity to share what makes the Mint special with audiences who may never walk through its doors.
"I love the bar for what it represents for itself and the history. I love that it brings people together," she said. "You see people meeting for the first time, so many love stories have started here. People come here to celebrate and to mourn.
"You get to meet people from all over the world. You never know who will walk in here."
The Mint Bar episodes are part of a broader slate of Wyoming-focused programming airing on RFD-TV and The Cowboy Channel through the winter.
Gov. Mark Gordon and his wife Jennie were also interviewed for two separate episodes scheduled to air Jan. 12 and 14, the same dates as the first Mint Bar episode.
Additional Wyoming programming includes episodes on Joey's Fly Fishing in Sheridan, Wyoming Wildlife Trust Director Bob Budd and Candy Moulton from the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Episodes air Mondays at 7 p.m. on RFD-TV, with replays Wednesdays at 4 p.m. All episodes are subsequently posted to the Wild Rides TV YouTube channel.
Contact David Madison at david@cowboystatedaily.com
David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.
