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Cowboy Poets of Idaho

23rd National Cowboy Poetry Gathering By Smoke Wade Elko, NV. Elko! Perhaps the greatest cowboy poetry spectacle on earth, the 23 rd National Cowboy Poetry Gathering can be summed up in a single word – Elko! If you are a serious cowboy poet, or a serious fan of cowboy poetry, and you can only attend one gathering a year, then it must be Elko! The Elko National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, held January 27 through February 3, 2007, was like Mardi Gras for cowboy poetry fans. Many entertainment venues ran simultaneously and, after several days it seemed the venues ran around the clock. If there was a single complaint about the gathering, it was that, as a group, folks experienced a lack of sleep. The spectrum of participants was broad. Wide-eyed first timers wandered the venues like kids in a candy shop. Old hands held council in circles of cowboy hats – reminiscent of an ancient forum where Socrates button-holed his listeners while expounding upon a newly developed philosophy. Poetry fans lined up for autographs while the press corps scuttled about seeking interviews and just the right photo opportunity. Elko! The granddaddy of all cowboy poetry gatherings could have been best referred to as "The World Cowboy Poetry Gathering." The cast was international. In addition to the cowboy poets and western musicians that gathered from all corners of the United States, performers from other countries gathered as well. Doris Daley from Canada presented flawless poetry drawing experiences from her agricultural lifestyle. Milton Taylor from Australia performed Bush Poetry at it’s best. Featured cowboys from France, Patrick and Estelle Laurent, known as Guardians of the Carmargue, conducted workshops on bull herding and ranch cooking – old customs from their native country. The Gitano family, Gypsy musicians from France graced one’s ears with their enchanting music. The national cast of performers was equally a rainbow of diversity as well. Fisher poets from Alaska, Moe Bowstern and Ellamara Jo, delighted the audiences with sea shanties and poems of life on the sea and in the cannery. Jerry "Brooksie" Brooks, Utah, dominated as a reciter of cowboy classics that included a coal-mining poem, and Henry Real Bird, Montana, shared stories of Native American traditions and lifestyles. Joel Nelson, Texas, held the audience breathless with his presentation of "Equus Caballus," while Yvonne Hollenbeck held court with her special brand of ranch wife poetry. Sheepherder poets and musicians infiltrated the ranks of the cowboy poets. Mick Lucey, California, Sharon O’Toole, Wyoming, and Martin Goicoechea, Wyoming, and Jesus Goni, Nevada, all intertwined their sheepherder poems and songs with the flavor of their ancestral homelands. Tall tales proliferated as well. Prevaricators, Pat Richardson, California, Jay Snider, Oklahoma, and Dennis Gaines, Texas, squared off during the "Tell Me A Story" session. The stories were not only tall, but windy as well, and down right hard to swallow. Pat Richardson attempted calm one group of disbelievers by explaining that their stories were not true life experiences that were perhaps expanded and stretched a bit to make them more interesting. "Just the opposite," Richardson explained, "Our stories are true life experiences that we have watered down a great deal to make them more believable." Elko! The windy city! Hal Cannon was quoted as saying, "The local ranchers have commented that the number of outright lies per capita greatly increases when the cowboy poets come to town." While thousands of spectators crowded the gathering venues, dozens of featured performers bustled about to make their appointed sessions. Scores of visiting poets and musicians crowded the lobbies, streets and sessions, looking for a chance to perform or perhaps a chance to learn. Often they were seeking only the camaraderie of friends and new acquaintances. The venues seemed to be everywhere – almost non-stop. The Elko Convention Center presented four simultaneous shows through out the day. While large audiences packed the auditorium to watch the shows on the main stage, the three convention rooms drew spectators for the poetry sessions. Across the parking lot in the Jr. High gymnasium, a large audience gathered for the music venue. Downtown at the Western Folklife Center, the G Three Bar Theater remained standing room only through out the week. And as if all this wasn’t enough to occupy the thousands of cowboy poetry fans that gathered in Elko, one could find art exhibits and entertainment at the Northeastern Nevada Museum, workshops at the Presbyterian church and at the Spring Creek Horse Palace, dinner shows at the Great Basin College, dancing at the Elko High School Gym, and open mic sessions at the Duncan Little Creek Gallery. Across town, musicians and poets took to the stage. One could stroll past the furniture store and see a cowboy strumming a guitar in the display window. Or visit the Pioneer Bar in the Western Folklife Center and catch Dave Bourne or Jinny Lowe, Idaho, playing the piano. Casinos and nightclubs hosted major performer productions while jam sessions crowded the early morning hours everywhere. One could stroll into The Stray Dog and catch an after hours performance by Mike Beck, California, or take in the big show at the Stockman’s Hotel & Casino and see Michael Martin Murphey. Some folks preferred a quieter moment. Perhaps sitting in the sunroom at the Elko Convention Center, visiting with Wallace McRae, Montana, about how the gathering began in 1985 or how it has changed. Some chatted with Margo Metagrano about poets and poetry, and about CowboyPoetry.com. Some perhaps visited with one of the Western Folklife volunteers about the workings of their organization. Others were more exuberant. Paul Zarzyski kept everyone on their toes with his own robust style of presenting poetry. Baxter Black was in a league of his own and his antics packed the auditorium. Wylie and The Wild West rocked the crowds with their own brand of western swing, and Waddie Mitchell strolled through the throngs visiting along the way. Somewhere in the midst of all the shows and all the big names wandered the hopeful. Poets and musicians, that for one reason or another were not a part of the invited cast, lined up in early morning hours to sign up for the open mic sessions. With limited available spots, these performers braved freezing temperatures and little sleep to take their place in line, sometimes hours before the Convention Center opened. These sessions were as delightful as the main shows with performers from a broad geographic region putting their best boot forward – hoping that their performance would land them a spot on next years invite list. The Gathering was a project of the Western Folklife Center in Elko. A thousand hat tips must be given to the staff, the volunteers and the directors of the Western Folklife Center. They were courteous, gracious hosts that made all feel welcome and comfortable. For more information about the 2008 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, visit the website www.westernfolklife.org . Elko! Too much to tell about in a single story, too many invited performers to name, yet, the feeling may be captured in a single word – a word that paints a thousand pictures – Elko! Smoke Wade