Despite what its name implies, the Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering is about a lot more than just rhyming words.
The Gathering, which enters its 26th year Thursday, is a full-fledged celebration of cowboy culture that features a range of activities, including concerts, fine art exhibits, panel discussions, horseback rides, train tours and poetry performances.
This year, the event is shining its spotlight on the feminine side of cowboy life by honoring ranch women. Special guests will include Western Heritage Award-winning writer and rancher Teresa Jordan, accomplished Western photographer and rancher Barbara Van Cleve and local ranch women Patti Buck, Carolyn Watson and Sandy Young. There will be a documentary about the life of rancher Georgie Sicking, female poets and a panel discussion focusing on women ranchers.
Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering Coordinator Linda Mannix said ranch women have a long history of grit, resilience and hard work that deserves recognition. With the ranch woman’s mix of softness and strength, her ability to both run a household and pull a calf, she has long been an indispensable part of the culture.
“Behind every man, there’s a woman,” Mannix said, adding that being a ranch woman takes a special mix of qualities. “It takes a lot of inner strength, a strong sense of self, a lot of physical strength, a lot of confidence and an understanding of nature and animals.”
The Gathering will begin Thursday with art exhibits at Open Shutter and Sorrel Sky Gallery and a performance by singer-songwriter Tom Russell at the Henry Strater Theatre. It will continue through Sunday with a packed schedule of horseback rides, workshops, book signings, youth sessions and, of course, plenty of cowboy poetry.
Mannix said Durango’s Gathering celebrates the Western tradition of cowboy poetry – a folk art comprised of tall tales, songs and yarns traditionally recited around campfires. But the gathering, she said, also makes a point to honor Durango’s own colorful ranching heritage.
“I just want to remind everyone of the agricultural roots of Durango and the importance of it,” she said.
The gathering also makes a point of being authentic, Mannix said. Its performers, which this year number 52, all have one key thing in common – each has at one time done cowboy or ranching work.
“They’ve lived the life that they perform about,” Mannix said.
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