<\/p>\n
Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering is celebrating three decades of entertaining this weekend, and Sam Noble has been with it the entire time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they first put the Cowboy Poetry Gathering together here, we were doing Cowboy Church services for the high school rodeo team,\u201d he said. \u201cThey asked me if I would do the Cowboy Church service for the first Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and I have been doing that now for 30 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noble grew up on a farm-ranch operation in Bayfield, where his hard work on the ranch was paired with hard work off the land.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always lived on a ranch and had cows up until the last few years when I\u2019ve retired,\u201d he said. \u201cI always had to have a real job to support my ranching habit, so I worked for La Plata Electric for 43 years. It was work. It made an old man out of me quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said since starting with the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, he has been writing and reciting poetry ever since. You can find him two nights a week at the Bar D Chuck Wagon, where he recites cowboy poetry in the chapel. He also attends cowboy gatherings all over the West.<\/p>\n
This weekend, Noble will be performing with other entertainers during Friday and Saturday nights at the Henry Strater Theatre and will host Sunday morning\u2019s \u201cA Cowboy and his Creator\u201d event, also at the Strater.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the night shows with all the different cowboys,\u201d Noble said. \u201cHere in Durango, we try to keep the night show real cowboy: We try to make sure that the entertainers we have have some real cowboy experience so that their stories are real.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for Noble\u2019s stories, he shared one of his favorites, a story about what happened to him when he was 17:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was a kid, I only had two pairs of boots: I had a pair of irrigation boots and a pair of cowboy boots. Back then, the cowboy boots were all leather soled, and the soles wore out quickly if you were walking a lot. We had to take them to a boot and saddle shop and have them half-soled every once in a while. Ours was Charlie Martin\u2019s Boot and Saddle Shop that was in Bayfield.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I headed down there with my boots \u2013 I had my irrigation boots on because I was probably going irrigating anyway. I started to go into Mr. Martin\u2019s saddle shop and some fancy-dressed guy jumped in front of me, carrying a real fancy pair of boots; I suppose he was probably a cowboy poet or an entertainer (laughs). Mr. Martin had a counter that went all the way across his shop, and it had a little lift-up door in the center of that counter, and that\u2019s where he did all his business.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis fella set his boots up there and he said, \u2018Mr. Martin, I need these boots half-soled by this afternoon.\u2019 And this is the way I tell it, and it\u2019s pretty much truth: Charlie Martin had false teeth somewhere. He said, (Noble starts talking like he doesn\u2019t have teeth): \u2018You see all them boots I have over in the corner? I\u2019ve got to fix all them boots before I can fix yours. You see all them saddles I got over there? I got to fix all them saddles before I get to your boots.\u2019 The man picked up his boots and stomped out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went over and set my boots down on the floor and I set up on his little counter there and visited with him a little while. Charlie liked to visit, he was an old guy, and I reached down and picked up my boots and set them on the counter and I said, \u2018Charlie, I\u2019ll check back with you in a few days, I need these half-soled.\u2019 He said, \u2018I\u2019ll probably have them this afternoon.\u2019 And I say the moral is: Never rush a craftsman.\u201d (Laughs)<\/p>\n
Noble said the annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering is important because it is one way to keep Western heritage alive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have not only poetry, we have the chuck wagon breakfast and the cowboy parade, which is motorless, which means it\u2019s mostly horses and people. Those things help keep the cowboy world alive,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are still some cowboys around if you look in the outer reaches.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for those who have never attended a cowboy poetry gathering, Noble has some advice:<\/p>\n
\u201cJust come and listen. You\u2019ll enjoy it,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019ve never heard of it before, you\u2019ll learn about it and learn that it is very entertaining.\u201d<\/p>\n
katie@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Friday Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering celebrates 30 years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5961,5843],"tags":[1980],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-97651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-and-entertainment","category-living","tag-durango-cowboy-gathering"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97651"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=97651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering schedule<\/h4>\n
\n All day: Poets in the Community. Special performances in schools and other venues.
\n 10 a.m.: Cowboy Poet Train. Departs 10 a.m., returns 3:30 p.m. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, 479 Main Ave. Features performers on every coach and barbecue lunch at Cascade Canyon. Special fares for children and premium coaches. Call 247-2733 or (888) 872-4607 or visit
\n durangotrain.com<\/a>
\n .
\n 10 a.m.: Cowboy Poet Trailride. Rapp Corral, 51 Haviland Lake Road. Mountain ride and lunch with performers Kristyn Harris and Jay Snider. Rent a horse or bring your own. Space is limited, so make reservations early. Call Anne Rapp at 247-8454 or visit
\n rappcorral.com<\/a>
\n .
\n 5-7 p.m.: Western art gallery exhibits and free receptions: Sorrel Sky Gallery, 828 Main Ave.,
\n sorrelsky.com<\/a>
\n . Toh-Atin Gallery, 145 W. Ninth St.,
\n toh-atin.co<\/a>
\n m. Wild Shots Gallery, 842 Main Ave.,
\n wildshots.com<\/a>
\n .
\n 6 p.m.: Cowboy Poetry and Music Evening Performance. Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave. $25. Featuring Curt Brummett, Sam Noble and Ken Overcast. Host: Jay Snider.
\n 8 p.m.: Cowboy Poetry and Music Evening Performance. Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave. $25. Featuring Kristyn Harris, Jay Snider and The High Country Cowboys. Host: Floyd Beard.
\n Saturday
\n 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.: Cowboy Chuck Wagon Breakfast. Corner of Fifth Street and Main Avenue. Tickets in advance or at the wagon: $10 for adults, kids 5 and younger free. For more information, call 749-2995.
\n 10 a.m.: Cowboy Parade. Motorless parade begins at the train depot on Main Avenue.
\n 10:45 a.m.-4:20 p.m.: Daytime sessions of cowboy poetry, music, storytelling and folklore. Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave., and various downtown locations. Free admission.
\n Daytime session schedule
\n 10:45 to 12:20 p.m.: Cowboy Comedy Revue. Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave. Music and poetry from the funny side of ranch life. Tickets $10 in advance or at the door, open seating.
\n 11 a.m.-noon: Western Heritage Tribute. Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Celebrate James Ranch and the James family. Diamondbelle.com.
\n 12:30 p.m.: Cowboy Shootout. El Moro Spirits & Tavern, 945 Main Ave. A re-enactment of the strangest shootout in Durango history. It\u2019s 1906, and Sheriff William Thompson confronts City Marshal Jesse Stansel on the sidewalk in front of the tavern.
\n 1:30-3 p.m.: Youth Show \u2013 Rising Western Stars. Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave. Hosted by Kristyn Harris and featuring young performers with their own special versions of cowboy poetry and music. Tickets $10 in advance or at the door, open seating.
\n 4:40-5:30 p.m.: Poster session. Invited performers and musicians will share their interpretation of this year\u2019s limited-edition print. Toh-Atin Gallery, 145 W. Ninth St.
\n 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free reception. Autographed prints of \u201cSunshine Equine\u201d by artist Poteet Victory will be available for $30 at Toh-Atin Gallery, 145 W. Ninth St.. Visit
\n toh-atin.com<\/a>
\n .
\n 6 p.m.: Cowboy Poetry and Music Evening Performance. Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave. $25. Featuring Kristyn Harris, Jay Snider and The High Country Cowboys. Host: Floyd Beard.
\n 8 p.m.: Cowboy Poetry and Music Evening Performance. Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave. $25. Featuring Curt Brummett, Sam Noble and Ken Overcast, Host: Jay Snider.
\n Sunday
\n 8:30 a.m.: A Cowboy and His Creator. Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave. Inspirational poetry and music featuring many performers. Hosted by Sam Noble. Free admission, open seating.
\n 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday Brunch. Diamond Belle at the Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave. Special brunch menu. For information, call 375-7151. Visit diamondbelle.com.
\n 7-11 p.m.: Fancy Victorian Cowboy Ball. La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. $20 single\/$35 couple. Formal Victorian attire encouraged. Call Mrs. Camp\u2019s Town Ladies and Gents at 903-2467 for tickets and information.
\n For more information, visit
\n www.durangocowboygathering.org
\n .<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"