National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

About the Event

Join us National Cowboy Poetry Gathering 2025

Schedule:

9:00am-11:00am Doris Daley, Hot Club Of Cowtown, Brigid & Johnny Reedy

If You’re Our Type—The Kind Who Is Up And At ’Em Before The First Birds, We’ll See You At This Special Morning Show Featuring Doris Daley, Hot Club Of Cowtown, And Brigid & Johnny Reedy, With Appearances By Waddie Mitchell And Other Guests. Kick Off Your Friday Right With A Chance To Participate In A Live Auction And Give In Support Of The Western Folklife Center’s Mission. As A Nonprofit, We Are Committed To Keeping Tickets Affordable And Accessible, But Ticket Revenue Only Covers A Third Of All We Do. The Rest Comes From The Generous Support Of Folks Like You!

Photo By Jessica Brandi Lifland

10:00am-3:00pm Bob Echeverria

Learn The Significance Of Carving Makilak (Basque Walking Sticks), And Make Your Own, In This Educational, Hands-On Workshop. A Prestigious Symbol And Instrument For Both Trekking And Defense, The Traditional Makila Can Take Years To Make—From The Initial Cut In A Living Tree, To The Time-Consuming Curing Process, To Carving Designs And Attaching Silver Tippings. Bob Echeverria Will Pare It Down For You, Providing Harvested Sticks Pre-Prepped For Carving. You’ll Also Be Introduced To Other Ingenious, Practical Items That Provide The Canvas For Carving. Never Get Caught Unprepared For Downtime In The Sheep Camp Again. Bring Your Favorite Carving Tool (Pocket Knife). All Ages Welcome.

Photo By Charlie Ekburg

10:00am-12:00pm Amy Mills

If Your Toes Are Tapping But You Need Some Good Moves, This Is A Perfect Dance For You. Rodeo Swing Is The Easiest Form Of Swing Dancing And The Style You'll See At Rodeo Dances Around The West, As Well As At Gathering Dances. Amy Mills Will Teach You The Moves And Keep You Smiling, While Sam Platts & The Plainsmen Provide Live Music. Geared To Beginning And Intermediate Dancers, But All Levels Are Welcome. You Don't Need A Partner To Attend.

Photo By Jessica Brandi Lifland

11:00am-12:15pm Dom Flemons

Learn The Knack Of Clacking The Bones! Described As The American Songster, Dom Flemons Draws On His Extensive Old-Time And Folk Music Knowledge To Teach The History And Skill Behind This Popular Traditional Rhythm-Maker. No Bones Needed—You’ll Be Provided With Your Own Pair To Use In The Workshop And To Take Home With You To Practice. All Ages Welcome.

Photo By Charlie Ekburg

1:00pm-3:00pm Dave Munsick

Webster Defines Harmony As “An Interweaving Of Different Accounts Into A Single Narrative.” Join Dave Munsick, Patriarch Of The Munsick Boys, To Explore How Singing Different Parts Makes A Whole. Unison, Two-Part, Three-Part, And Even Four-Part Structures Will Be Addressed Along With Ideas That Will Help You To Find Your Note In A Crowd Of Voices. Whatever Your Experience Level, Age, Or Register, You Always Have A Part In Group Singing. Let This Seasoned Singer Give You Some Tips On Knowing When, Why, And How To Go About The Business Of Making One Out Of Many.

Photo Courtesy Of Dave Munsick

1:00pm-2:30pm Lone Piñon

Get Moving To The Music Of Lone Piñon, Who Will Teach You A Few Simple And Fun Traditional Dance Steps And Figures. Dances Like La Camila, La Varsoviana, El Valse De Los Paños, La Vaquera, And Others Have Been Danced In New Mexico Weddings And Dance Halls For Centuries. These Dances Have A Deep History In The Spanish-Speaking Ranching Communities Of Northern New Mexico And Southern Colorado And They Are A Proven Recipe For Lots Of Fun. Earn The Rancheros’ Respect (Or Try To!) With These Waltzes And Figure Dances From The Upper Rio Grande Valley. Suitable For All Ages.

Photo Courtesy Of Lone Piñon

1:00pm-2:15pm Gary & Kurin Haleamau, Kristyn Harris, Wylie & The Wild West

Cowboys Are No Strangers To Situations That Call For A Good Yodel. Like Most Cowboy Necessities, Yodeling Has Been Elevated Into An Artform Stamped With Regionally Distinctive Touches And Performed With Range, Skill, And Showmanship. Montana Hollerer Wylie Gustafson Will Wow You With His Mastery Of The Phrase “Little Old Lady Who.” Kristyn Harris Carries On In The Ilk Of “The Queen Of The Yodellers” Rosalie Allen. And, Gary & Kurin Haleamau Share Paniolo Yodeling Like That That Took Root When Cows Took Hold Of Hawai’i. Get Ready For A Pitch-Defying, Coyote-Crying, Lung-Frying Yodeling Extravaganza. 

Become A Member And Get Free Tickets To This Show!  

Photo By Kevin Martini-Fuller

6:00pm-7:30pm Kristyn Harris, Lone Piñon, Annie Mackenzie, Brigid Reedy

Committing To A Tradition And Making It Your Own Is A Delicate Endeavor. These Fresh Voices Tread The Grounds Of Heritage Oh-So-Skillfully, Balancing Reverence And Mastery With Originality And *****. Kristyn Harris Takes Classic Country, Folk, And Swing At Her Own Speed. Lone Piñon Reverently Study With Elders To Recreate And Revamp Their Region’s Musical Repertoire. Annie Mackenzie Writes Original Rhymes Built On The Foundation Of Classic Cowboy Poetry And Life On The Range. And, Brigid Reedy Recites The Poems Of Her Personal Heroes And Moves Forward The Art Of Cowboy Music. By Lovingly Trodding The Hallowed Ground Of Their Forebears, They’re Breaking Ground Of Their Own And Proving That Everything Old Is New Again. 

Sponsored By Alaethes Wealth, Llc

Photo By Jessica Brandi Lifland

6:00pm-7:30pm Juni Fisher, Pipp Gillette & Lloyd Wright, Andy Hedges, Brenn Hill, Waddie Mitchell, Trinity Seely, Dave Stamey, Gail Steiger 

With More Than 40 Years Of Poeting Under His Belt, Cowboy Poet Icon Waddie Mitchell Has Penned And Performed Many A Rhyme And Verse. Between Ranching And Hitting The Stage, He’s Also Found Time To Record A Few Albums With The Friends He's Picked Up Along The Way. Enjoy A Live Performance Of Waddie’s Album Cohorts & Collaborators Featuring Waddie And His Partners In Songwriting, Juni Fisher, Pipp Gillette & Lloyd Wright, Andy Hedges, Brenn Hill, Trinity Seely, Dave Stamey, And Gail Steiger. From Their Matchups On This Album, To Their More Recent Joint Efforts, You’ll Be Inspired To Jot A Couple Jingles With Your Pals At This Show That Celebrates The Best Of Collaborations With The Best Of Collaborators. 

Photo By Jessica Brandi Lifland

8:00pm-9:30pm Adrian Brannan, Sterling Drake, Sam Platts & The Plainsmen, Dick Warwick

The West Is Not All Cows And Blue Skies. Those Cows And Blue Skies Represent Opportunity, And Some Western-Made Opportunities Are More Upstanding (And Legal) Than Others. From Legendary Mischief Makers To Gritty Escapades, Take A Walk On The Darker Side Of Cowboy Life. From Saloons To Dance Halls, Gambling Dens To More Notorious Establishments, There Is A Lot Of Vice, And Virtue, Lying In Wait. So, Take A Chance And Roll The Dice With Gritty Songstress Adrian Brannan, Honky-Tonking Musician Sterling Drake, Scoundrel-Loving Band Sam Platts & The Plainsmen, And Folly-Finding Poet Dick Warwick. Afterall, You Are In Nevada.

Sponsored By Nv Energy Foundation

Photo By Jessica Brandi Lifland

8:00pm-9:30pm Buffalo Kin, Dom Flemons, Andy Hedges, Jessie Veeder

Two Great American Musics Ride Hard Across The Open Range Of Rural Life. Country And Blues Draw Their Power From Everyday Speech, Emotional Resonance, Lived Stories, And Hard-Driving, Hard-Laboring Beats. Both Sing With The Contributions Of Black Artists, As Does The Cowboy Trade Itself. Join Buffalo Kin, Dom Flemons, Andy Hedges, And Jessie Veeder As They Explore The Crossroads Of These Musical Styles, From Old-Timey Favorites To Contemporary Stylings, Delivering A Bit Of Blues, A Bit Of Country, A Bit Of Cowboy Philosophy. And, One Powerful Show.

Sponsored By Maverick Casino & Hotel

Photo By Jessica Brandi Lifland

10:00pm-12:00am Hot Club Of Cowtown

It’s No Big Secret That Cowboys Love To Dance. Some Show Up And Show Off. Others Sidle In And Quietly Listen. Whatever Your Style, The Friday Night Boogie With Hot Club Of Cowtown Will Make You Smile. The Band Revs Up The Room With Their Trademark Sounds. A Bit Of Bass, A Lick Of Guitar, A Little Fiddle, And A Whole Lot Of Rhythm And Groove. Stretch Them Weary Bones, Step Up To The Dancefloor, And Swing The Night Away.

Photo By Jessica Brandi Lifland

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