REVIEWS
This is where you can read all about the great Cowboy Gatherings so many people are enjoying.
Turn back to
the GATHERINGS page, and mark your calendar with the
ones you'd like to attend,
and don't forget to thumb thru the Performers personal pages.
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Elko Family Festival The second annual Elko Family Festival was held August 9 & 10 at Elko, BC which allowed all the Alberta Cowboy Poetry Association members participating to add “repeat appearances at Elko” to their resumés. The ACPA was represented at this event by Perry Jacobson, Bud & Jill Stewart, Tex Florence, Shiloh Sharrard and Mountain Mumma. Perry was ably backed up by John Cronin, from Invermere, who also performed several solos much to the enjoyment of the audience. The Entertainment roster was rounded out by local residents Dennis Dilts, Brian Ironmonger and Tim Ross. 114.024954 The Saturday afternoon show played to a small audience who were very enthusiastic in their appreciation of each entertainer’s offerings. These people must have each told a few more people on the Chili / Beef on a Bun Supper break because the evening audience was noticeably larger and just as appreciative. Due to an area campfire ban the Campfire Session was done without a campfire and moved indoors but that didn’t affect the participation or duration, it was almost midnight when the guitars were packed up Jill was given the job of organizing Cowboy Church after the Pancake Breakfast Sunday morning. The “Congregation” was larger than the previous year’s and everyone enjoyed the prayers, songs, poems and stories that were done by our members A weekend Black Powder Shoot was held in conjunction with the Cowboy Gathering and from all reports it was very successful, no thanks to the weather. Many of the participants were in full frontier gear which added to the ambiance of Supper and Breakfast. Their entry fee included the Saturday afternoon show as well as both meals but a heavy rain put them behind schedule so they were unable to join us for that show or Church. Word has it that their competition times will be adjusted next year to permit their attendance and an order has been placed with both the Weatherman and Mother Nature to keep the weekend rain free. All in all it was a very successful weekend. I have
since heard from folks that attended that they really enjoyed it and
that they will be back next year with everyone they can find to introduce
to “Cowboy Culture”. |
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Pincher Creek Gathering June 12 - 15 2008
Arrived
in what felt like the monsoon season on Wednesday am. Very few outfits or
volunteers were around. Thursday,June 12th the rain continued until late
afternoon. Trailers and motor homes were coming in all day. As we
headed for the pavilion and the evening open mike show, the sun was finally
shining. The
Gathering Buckle fetched a good dollar at auction. E Mail them here Dave
Dance
Now here's
Ken Blacklock's take on the great Roast Beef Lined up for
grub, four hundred deep If you lose your
place you will wanna weep Folks are hopin'
they won't run out of food While yodelin'
from stage makes a happy mood While sittin' at
the the table folks gobble the grub Or standin' in a
corner or sittin' on a tub While the line
moves slowly down the hall It looks like
there'll be enough for all Look even a table
spot opens up Room for me and
my plate and cup Good music good
people a meal of delight We're all really
well fed up tonight Roast beef and
beans and potatoes they bake Pincher I love
for my belly's sake You really should
try it if you get a chance But you need to
remember your high water pants |
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Alberta Women of Country
Music & Alberta Men of Country
Music Awards Hoadley Alberta 10 May 2008 Wow! What can you say? The
Alberta Women of Country Music, and Alberta Men of Country Music
Awards in Hoadley, AB was a wonderful and entertaining event. You know an
event is starting to grow wings when the media attends in the numbers that
attended this year. Can you say who was there? This
was a transition year also as Dianne Brandson turned this awards night over
to the Hoadley Community Hall Association. It was seamless though and the
audience was treated to a top notch brand of country entertainment from the
two recipients of the awards Carman
Lindsey and Randy Holler,
as well as from the high quality of talent that surrounded them. An added
thrill for Lindsey was when her award was topped up with a beautiful angel
figurine sent to her by Rita MacNeil.
By
the compliments coming from the audience, this supper show in the Hoadley
Community Hall Association's hands is in good hands and I'm sure it will grow
to its true potential. So take note of AWOCM and AMOCM awards night and start
planning your entertainment shows for 2009 and put down the Saturday of the
Mother's Day weekend for the Hoadley Community Hall. Ol'Ugly |
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Thank You Dianne Brandson Event Organizer Cowboy Poet The first thing that will impress you upon meeting Dianne
Brandson is that she is a passionate bundle of energy who always gives
everything in life her best shot. She enjoys promoting and
co-coordinating festivals and charity events, writing and reciting Cowboy
Poetry, dabbling in western art and writes for several local newspapers.
Her latest book of poetry titled "Cow Patties and
Prose" proves that she is a country girl at heart. Brandson credits her strength of character and strong
drive to succeed a direct result of the adversities, trials and tribulations
that she has had to overcome throughout her life. She was born and
raised in Manitoba and grew up on the farm with very little. She lost her mom
at a young age and battles scoliosis of the spine, this has only made her
more determined to reach for the stars.... If you are looking for her she can be found at her
entertainer information service called, "Standing Ovation Entertainment
by Dianne" at www.diannebrandson.com or you may run into
her while she is volunteering for one of the cowboy festivals. This beautiful lady certainly deserves a standing
ovation. Thank you Dianne for all the work you have done in promoting
Canadian talent. By Ol' Ugly |
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BARDS &
BEEF May 3rd,
2008 CROSSFIELD, ALBERTA Over 275
people enjoyed the 12th Annual Bards and Beef Evening on
May 3rd, 2008 which is put on by the Westbrook 4-H Multi
Club. Following the delicious
beef supper which is cooked and served by the 4-H members. Lloyd Dolen, Hazel
Rust, Frank Gleeson and Latigo entertained the crowd. This was a first time appearance at
the event for Lloyd and Hazel, and a second time appearance for Frank and
Latigo (Perry Jacobson, Jim Peace and Graham Allen). Everyone enjoyed the fine Traditional
Western Music provided by Lloyd and Latigo and the humorous poetry of both
Hazel Rust and Frank Gleeson. As
usual, we had excellent feedback on the entire evening. During supper Chris and Sharky Schauer provided dinner entertainment as well as handling the sound. The show was more than ably Emceed by 4-H members Erin Kolodziej and Joe Semenoff. Each year the Westbrook 4-H
Club gives 50% of the proceeds
from the evening to Stars Air Ambulance. They would also like to thank all the donors to the silent
auction held during the evening and to the sponsors which included the
Cochrane Lions Club, SUH Consultants and Cochrane Ford. By Wendy Vaughn |
YODELFEST
2008
Bert
Church Theatre
Airdrie
Alberta
April 27th, 2008 The fourth annual Yodelfest 2008,
on
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Almita's 1st Annual Cowboy Poetry event
Ponoka Alberta
Almita held its 1st Annual Cowboy Poetry event on Friday, April 18 and even despite the weather we had a fantastic night. Our evening started with the Runaways playing for the crowd while we all enjoyed a nice roast beef dinner and then had a brief break and on into the evening. Our entertainment was quite varied and we heard an interesting rendition of The Three Little Pigs, along with a different view of how some might view computer's and their technology. A glimpse into how things were back for the RCMP, to sitting around campfires telling tales to riding horses and helping with the cattle in southern Alberta, and growing up in a female dominated family along with a few good barbs at young Jesse Fowler. We had music from two talented sisters Rhonda Whatley & Cindy Gabert of Ponoka, and young Jesse Fowler is always a pleasure to listen to. It was a great evening and we raised $5000.00 for Stars towards their new helicopter purchase. We look forward to doing this again next year and hope that we can best the weather. Joan M. Parkin Administrative Assistant |
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GOD MUST BE A COWPOKE .. OR.. COWBOY POETRY IN TABER - (Karen Ingram) Set up Friday started with smashed fingers, no stage and a threat of snow, but "God Must be a Cowpoke", because everything came together and we awoke Saturday to a cool but snowless day. Saturday, 9 a.m. and the artists started bringing in
their items for display and sale. We were busy setting out door prizes,
quilt raffle tickets and history books on our sales table while making sure
to save room for the entertainers to sell C.D.'s, Books, etc. The sound
man arrived and before long the system was sounding good. 11:30 a.m.
and entertainers wanting to get onto the Open Mike set started to come
in. There were enough booked by noon that we even ran over time just a
bit. The official show began and we were off and
running. Our Teen performers of Stacey and Becky Domolewski had spent
Easter week on the farm with Grandpa, which inspired some new material -
"Way to go Gramps!". Give the youth a chance to perform
if you can, we have enjoyed seeing these girls mature and grow over the years
that they have been on our stage. Local Talent shone at the show, Dusty
Litchfield sang about Purple Springs, Faded Trails and Local Folks.
Bonnie Daisley, Kathy Friesen (sounding like Patsy Cline), D.C. Lund (with
his art and poetry), The Oilers (a group of 7 guys who just love to perform)
and Arne Sorrensen and Alex Savage represented the Taber and Vauxhall
proudly. Ken VanCleave and Noel Smith, out of Lethbridge, had us
tapping our toes to the Johnny Cash tune of Folsom Prison Blues. Ted
Sillito told us many stories with his poetry, the one that sticks out in my
mind was about seniors and the pills they take and wondering how each one
knows what part of the body to go to. Ted brought along his cousin, Ron
Sillito, known for his group "The Outlaws" in Southern Alberta
during the 80's and 90's. Bud & Jill Stewart made it in from Fort
McLeod. Bud has performed for us since our very first Cowboy Poetry in
Taber and this year was number 11. As a matter of fact, Bud credits our
show with helping him to find his lovely Jill. He stopped in at a dance
in Lethbridge on his way home from one of our shows and there she was.
She must have danced her way into his heart and they are still dancing &
performing at every one of our shows. Deen Oseen: loved that
auctioneering song, Ed Brown: all the way from Manitoba with his Prairie Songs
and Country Philosophies, Clayton & Babetta MonCrieff, down from Cayley
performed here for the first time. Bob Westrop, our M.C. made it in
from Pincher Creek in spite of the snow that had fell there. He made
the show work and kept it on time!!! There were several other
entertainers and we cannot forget to mention our Volunteers and Sponsors as
without them there would be no show. Yes indeed, "God must be a
Cowboy", as he let this show be another great one. Back
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Them Dang Cowboys are Acting like a Bunch of 5 Year Olds by Ol' Ugly March 28th and 29th and Cowboy Church on the 30th to boot. Two nights of packed houses where the audiences went from gales of laughter to hand clapping, toe tapping and back to rolling in the aisle in fits of laughter then back to toe tapping and hand clapping music. That was the show called Them Dang Cowboys are Acting like a Bunch of 5 Year Olds held at the historic Dead Dog Saloon in beautiful downtown Domain, MB.
There is no better advertisement then to send your audience home with a full belly and entertainment that leaves'em with a starry look in their eyes and a smile on their lips. And that is what the audience at the Dead Dog Saloon received.
First up on stage was multi-talented Diamond Doug Keith from Domain, MB. If the audience wasn't impressed with his quality and humorous art work as they walked in the door, they were sure impressed with his mastery of the poems and comedy. This guy is one of the more sought after MCs and poets in the West and he soon had the audience laughing at his Will Rogers like wit and poetry. This guy is a master at anything he puts his hands too and his hometown, like the rest of us, sure loves this man through and through.
Diamond Doug brought his daughter, Cody Keith, on stage to show that his talent has moved into her genes and this fourteen year old showed her poise and mastery of poetry to the applause of the audience who know talent when they see it.
Next to hit the stage was Big Ray Martin from Winnipeg, MB (late of the Foster Martin Band). This guy is a special musician and singer. He had the audience either as quiet as a mouse for his ballads or clapping and taping their toes along to his upbeat songs. Look for his CD that will feature a song that he and Doug Keith wrote called Franklin Ranch Wild Horse Buck-off and Dance or something close to that title. It, like Ray Martin, is a winner. If you ever get the chance to bring this guy out to your function then do it, you won't be disappointed.
The next act on the stage was Ol' Ugly from Nanton, AB. This was his second trip out to The Dang Cowboy . . .Shows, and brought back by popular demand. And he didn't disappoint. When Diamond Doug Keith says Ol' Ugly is one of Canada's funniest storytellers, the audience in Domain will back up that statement. He soon had the audience with tears of laughter rolling down their cheeks from his wild tales of trips across Western Canada and his life with Aunt Tilley and his brother, Blue. If you get a chance to see this performer it is well worth every cent.
The evening was wrapped up by Chris and Sharkey Schauer. These two are a perfect ending to a show; mainly because nobody wants to follow them. Christine's pure, clear voice will gentle any raging heart as she draws the audience to her and her songs. The audience love those old songs they sing. Sharkey's talents with the dobro soon had the musicians in the audience drooling in envy. Ray Martin thought so highly of his skills he made Sharkey come up and back him up on his next set that night and the following night. And of course Sharkey sang his crowd favourite song, My Dad Burnt my Dad Burn Guitar to the delight of the audience.
The Cowboy Church on Sunday morning was well attended for having had a snow and sleet storm blow through the night before. Chris and Sharkey and Diamond Doug as well as the minister of the local United Church did a fine job in bringing the Word to the congregation.
The kudos were flowing thick and fast for Diamond Dough Keith and the people of Domain for bringing this show to the people of Winnipeg and districts. But as an entertainer I want to tell you, the people of Domain are a special breed of folks. They work very hard to put this supper and show on and to make all of us feel right at home. If Doug ever calls you to come out, don't hesitate. This show is growing fast and is a top notch winner. How can it not be with volunteers and supporters like Doug Keith has in Domain; The Home of Romance and Intrigue. |
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Kamloops
Cowboy Festival March 7 9 2008 by
J & L Kerekes
The 12th annual festival brought together the best in Cowboy Poetry, Western music and art, and people. The Festival got going on Thursday evening as arriving performers took to the Forster's Theatre stage to welcome everyone with impromptu music, song and poetry. Friday afternoon, one o'clock, it all broke loose as more than thirty Cowboy Poets, singers and musicians hit two stages, one at the Calvary Church and Best Western's Forster's Theatre across the street. Other than a few breaks to change out entertainers, the shows went on almost non-stop. Good food, and lots of it, seems to be Golden Rule for such events, and the 12th Annual Kamloops Festival stuck to it with dinner theatres and buffet suppers that had moms taking notes. There was more entertainment
at the exhibition hall at the Best Western where performers rotated thru
their sets while western art, clothing, leatherwork, tack and saddlery,
crafts and jewellery booths offered a diverse selection not easily covered in
one go round. A recent addition to the Kamloops Festival, The Rising Star competition,
featured cash awards for vocals and poetry and Hugh McLennan, the man and voice behind Spirit of The West radio was inducted into the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame in recognition of his relentless pursuit and unwavering support of all that is the Spirit Of The West. Congratulations to them all and a huge thanks to the volunteers, sponsors, supporters and fans who make Cowboy Festivals the great events they are. The
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Lloyd
Dolen Feedlot Alley Cowboy Gathering
Strathmore Civic Center
February 2, 2008
The premiere
Cowboy Gathering event of the 2008 season. Lloyd and wife Jeri have set the bar for future
Cowboy Gatherings. Volunteers, sponsors and participants can be proud of a
job very well done! The sell-out crowd put away a great roast beef dinner before
settling back to enjoy the great music and poetry. Bryn Thiessen,
a published Cowboy Poet, MC'd the evening introducing the talent in fine Bryn
form. Proceeds
benefited the Cheadle 4H and the Alberta Cowboy Poetry Association. Thanks for
a great time Lloyd and Jeri. Happy
Trails Miriam Dreher took the stage first and showed'em why
she's captured 15 music awards, including International and Canadian yodeling
awards. Her echo yodeling number is a crowd favourite. Did you know that
yodeling is a genuine communication technique in the Swiss Alps? Look for Miriam at Yodelfest 2008 where you
can pick up her 5 CDs. Singer, songwriter, musician and luthier, Al Owchar,
recalled the legend of the Lost Lemon Mine, in his original song. His love of
music runs from the days of Darcy Scott, on through to the Grand Ole Opry in
the lights with George Jones, Hank Locklin, Slim Whitman, Marvin Rainwater,
Red Foley and Merle Travis. Al Owchar's fifth CD is set for release soon. Cowboy Poet Bj Smith paints stories and poems with
words chosen from a palette of an RCMP career, packer, backcountry guide,
horse trainer and ski patroller. When he's not workin' at sea performing on
cruise ships, he's making humans and horses comfortable for the night at the
Bed Bale and Breakfast he and wife Tina operate at Diamond City Alberta. Bj's
books, Mounties, Mountains and Memories and Legend of the Nahanni are
available now. Bj paired with singer/songwriter Ed Brown for the new CD A
Cowboy Collaboration. It won the Academy Of Western Artists Will Rogers
Award as Top Cowboy Poetry CD of
the year. As an Emcee, a headliner, an illustrator, an artist,
a winner, an award recipient, an entertainer, and humourist, Manitoba poet of
the Year and teller of tall tales, Cowboy Poet Diamond Doug Keith, has won a
pannier full of Silver Buckles. He's been on stage with Brad Paisley and
Keith Urban and was featured in a Canadian Cowboy Culture documentary.
Diamond Doug's been on CMT, CBC and CTV where his poetry, western caricatures
and cartoons were showcased. When Skoal's Airwolf retired, it was Diamond
Doug Keith who was entrusted to capture the spirit of the three-time world
champion buckin horse, in a detailed pencil portrait. Latigo is committed to Keeping it Cowboy with their
original songs and tunes that frame the culture, heritage and heart that is
all western. Perry Jacobson, Jim Peace and Graham Allen have toured western
Canada a couple times, releasing their first CD Kansas In The Fall in 2003
following it up with a second CD, The Drifter, in 2005. Look
for Latigo's third CD in the near future. Lloyd
Dolen, with a pretty good handle on the Cowboy Way, is holding back the
rolling stone of time. Cowboys who came before have entrusted their
history and memory to Lloyd, and he won't let them down. His own compositions
sprinkled in amongst traditional songs may be hard to separate. You know
there's a CD or two comin' from Lloyd, so hold on. |
