TWIN FALLS - The pungent Western odor of leather fills Dean Vickers' store. "We're kind of used to it, says Dean Vickers, 83, as the powerful smell wafts through Vickers Western Wear. The life of 1993's Western Days Pioneer of the Year has spanned both the old West and the new West. He has served real cowboys and Hollywood tough guys.

Born in 1909, Vickers moved to Twin Falls in 1933 from Beloit, Kansas in his 1929 Model A Ford. Vickers has vivid images in his mind of Twin Falls in 1933. He was impressed with the glitter of the "big" city. "There were neon lights along Main Street and on Friday and Saturday nights all the farmers would come to town, so there were lots of people. That was when the Perrine Hotel was still there and Bank & Trust was on the comer," Vickers says.

After working for his uncle, Vickers started his own trucking company. The company hauled bricks for the Lynwood Shopping Center and Twin Falls High School.In 1962, Dean and his son, Jim, purchased a small saddle and harness shop and its inventory for $3,500. They bought the store primarily for "something to do," Jim Vickers said. Another reason was to buy wholesale tack for his registered quarter horses, which were among the first registered horses in Idaho. "They were mediocre," Dean Vickers now says.

The Vickers own three Western stores, including two in Pocatello.

Among Vickers favorite memories are the times movie stars Steve McQueen and Joel McCrea visited his store. The first time McQueen came to the store, he told Vickers he'd like to buy some equipment. Vickers said "OK," but didn't make a fuss. "But I'm Steve McQueen," he told Vickers. "So? As long as the check's still good," Vickers told him. "But I'm Steve McQueen, the movie actor," he said. Vickers proceeded to ask McQueen what his point was. A long friendship ensued, lasting until McQueen died of cancer. "I sent 25 baseball hats to Paramount Pictures once for Steve," Vickers says. Vickers and his family saw McQueen in magazines wearing a hat with the name of the store on it.

Dean Vickers was partly responsible for bringing the Miss Rodeo Idaho contest to the Twin Falls County Fair and Rodeo in the early 1960s.

A love of horses runs in the family. Jim Vickers helps his dad run the store, and Jim's twin sons avidly compete in horse events. Dean Vickers still works an eight-hour day and is in good health. He prides himself on never having had a car accident. He does not plan to retire yet. He wants to wait until he gets older.

As for the honor of being Pioneer of the Year: "Wait until it's over, and then ask me how I feel about it then."