The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering (formerly: Elko Cowboy Poetry Gathering) takes place in Elko, Nevada, US. William Wilson secured funding from National Endowment for the Arts in 1985, and Waddie Mitchell and Hal Cannon organized the first gathering. Now an annual event, the gathering showcases poets, musicians, musical groups, and plays of cowboy poetry at various venues around the town. The inaugural year featured 40 poets, and an audience of less than 1,000. In 2000, the U.S. Senate proclaimed the event's new name. At the 25th anniversary gathering in 2009, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the keynote speaker. Other participants have included Riders in the Sky, Georgie Sicking, Ian Tyson, and Baxter Black.
The Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering, held in 1987 at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, followed the original event in Elko. Alvin G. Davis, who attended the exposition in Alpine as a cowboy poet, launched a comparable group in Lubbock with the formation in 1989 of the American Cowboy Culture Association, which co-sponsors an annual National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration held annually on the Thursday through Sunday after Labor Day.
Video National Cowboy Poetry Gathering
References
Maps National Cowboy Poetry Gathering
External links
- Official website
- A Guide to the Cowboy Poetry Gathering collection, 94-08. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno.
Source of article : Wikipedia
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