Tickets for Cowboy Poetry Gathering on sale

The 29th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, the nation’s greatest celebration of the American West, its people, culture and traditions, will take place Jan. 28 to Feb. 2 in Elko, Nev.

Ticket for the gathering are on sale now.

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering features performances of poetry and music from the cowboy and ranching occupation and also presents exhibitions, films, workshops, dances and discussions — all centered on land-based culture in the American West, its traditional arts and the challenges it faces in the 21st century.

This year’s gathering will host “butteri,” cowboys from Italy, who have their own unique poetry, music, gear and traditional techniques, but still have much in common with their counterparts in the American West and cattle cultures across the globe.

The butteri are from the Maremma region of Italy, where they have been raising and herding the large lyre-horned Maremmana cattle for centuries.

The Italian cultural exchange is part of the Western Folklife Center’s ongoing effort to build understanding among herding cultures worldwide and is exclusively sponsored by the E. L. Wiegand Foundation.

More than 50 poets, musicians and musical groups from the U.S., Canada and Italy,  will perform on seven stages at four different venues.

The line-up includes cowboy poets Baxter Black, Wally McRae, Paul Zarzyski, Waddie Mitchell, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Joel Nelson, Elizabeth Ebert and many others.

Music is as integral to the gathering as poetry; the musical line-up includes Don Edwards, Tom Russell, The Quebe Sisters Band, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Brenn Hill, Wylie and The Wild West, Dave Stamey, Corb Lund and The Hurtin’ Albertans, Los Texmaniacs, Cowboy Celtic, The Saddle Cats and more.

The event also features hands-on workshops in traditional western arts such as rawhide braiding and cinch-making as well as songwriting, Italian cooking and rhythm guitar. Three western dances, film screenings, and open-mic poetry and music sessions are also on tap.

Tickets to the 29th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering can be purchased at westernfolklife.org, by calling 775-738-7508, toll-free 888-880-5885, or by stopping in to the Western Folklife Center’s ticket office, 501 Railroad St. in Elko.

The 29th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is supported by the E. L. Wiegand Foundation, NV Energy, Sage Foundation/E.W. Littlefield, Jr., Newmont Mining Corporation, Reds Ranch and many more foundations, businesses and individuals.

The Western Folklife Center is dedicated to exploring, presenting and preserving the diverse and dynamic cultural heritage of the American West. It celebrates the wisdom, artistry and ingenuity of western folkways through exhibitions, educational programs, national radio and television programs, research and preservation projects, the Website, and the premier event —the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. The center nurtures connections among rural and ranching cultures globally, exploring universal themes in working traditions and artistic expression, which we believe are vital links to the past, present and future of the American West.