Experience the arts and culture of the Northern Plains

The 32nd National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Jan 25-30, 2016, will spotlight the flowing grasslands, vast open spaces and indigo skies of the Northern Plains. From the Rocky Mountains to the Dakotas, from the sandhills of Nebraska to the grasslands of Saskatchewan, this expansive land of prairie and woodlands is one of the top cattle producing regions in the world. It is famous for short summers and punishing winters, but also for hardy people, excellent cattle and fine bucking horses and bronc riders. The Western Folklife Center, producer of the Gathering, will present nearly 50 performers at the event, including 16 ranchers, poets, musicians and artists from the Northern Plains of the U.S. and Canada, who will share and celebrate this land of enveloping horizons and expansive hearts. “The Northern Plains are a “hot spot” for cowboy poetry,” said Yvonne Hollenbeck, a rancher and poet living near Winner, South Dakota, and a regular performer at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. “From the many drovers who penned rhymes about their cowboying days with thousands of head of cattle grazing on the lush green pastures, to the beloved early 20th century poet Badger Clark, to modern-day poets such as Wally McRae and Elizabeth Ebert.” The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is an international arts and cultural festival that celebrates what it means to be connected to earth, land and big sky country of the American West. Montana cowboy poet Wally McRae called it “Cowpoke Woodstock,” the coming together of folks united in their passion for all things Western. At the 32nd Gathering, poets, musicians and musical groups from the U.S. and Canada will perform on seven stages at four different venues. The line-up includes Ian Tyson, Don Edwards, Michael Martin Murphey, Waddie Mitchell, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Dave Stamey, Stephanie Davis, Wally McRae, Paul Zarzyski, Elizabeth Ebert, Hot Club of Cowtown, Wylie Gustafson and many more. Visit www.westernfolklife.org for a full list of artists, bios and audio samples...more