Current Temperature
0.6°C
Log In
Cowboy poetry round-up a tip of the hat to western heritage
Posted on April 11, 2024 by Taber TimesPoll
Loading ...Recent News →
- M.D. of Taber council meeting briefs from April 9
- VAB Jets plate plenty of runs over the weekend
- Smile Cookie campaign returns in support of FCSS
- Time to rethink our thirsty lawns?
- AWARE group sounds warning about water issues
Recent Blog Posts →
By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On April 13, the Taber Cowboy Poetry & Western Music Round-Up will showcase wordsmiths and musicians who celebrate the heritage of the West and the roots of our grasslands. The event has been drawing salt of the earth folks together for more than two decades, beginning with an annual event hosted by members of the Taber Irrigation Impact Museum.
The Round-Up runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Taber Community Centre Auditorium and will be a family-friendly event featuring well-seasoned musicians and poets, up-and-coming artists, and student performers. Admission is by donation and anyone from singles to large families can experience it.
Headliners Doris Daley and Doc Mehl will be on hand to celebrate the spirit of the West. The Taber Cowboy Poetry (TCP) Facebook group describes Daley as “an Alberta ranch girl whose love of wordsmithing has made her one of North America’s favourite Western poets, emcees, and Western humourists.” Daley was born and raised on a family ranch in the foothills of Alberta, and her “sparkling poetry” has taken her to campfires, highways, roundabouts, and gravel roads near and far. She has appeared in concert with the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and with the Saskatchewan Opera Company.
Originally from Colorado, Al “Doc” Mehl now calls Black Diamond his home. His grandfather raised six children on a family homestead in central Kansas, and Mehl’s connection to that life remains intact. “With one foot in the past and one in the present, Doc weaves the history and the mystery of the West into his original ‘west-clectic’ poetry and music,” the TCP Facebook page says.
Valerie Beyer is the treasurer and an organizer for the Round-Up, and her enthusiasm for the event is palpable. She explained that cowboy poetry hearkens back to an era when storytelling was a predominant way of life; one that distilled the experiences of life on the open range for pioneers, homesteaders, and range-riding cowboys. She said that cowboys and early settlers were far less reliant on the written word and kept their stories and experiences alive through an “oral tradition,” one that included songs, poems, and frontier tales told around an open campfire or on a dirt floor in a simple, early farmhouse. It was a gathering place for farming families or groups of wranglers to share their experiences of hardship, discovery, and humour as they struggled to make a go of it in a wide land of opportunity.
Beyer discussed the appeal of cowboy poetry in an age that has moved on from the bare simplicity of the early Canadian West.
“Western roots are deep and music, story-telling, and cowboy poetry are a vibrant component of our history. Hosting events like the Taber Cowboy Poetry & Western Music Round-Up enables the ties to a bygone era to remain strong,” she said. “It preserves the heritage of the people, word, and song of an important way of life. Through intergenerational gatherings, the sharing of music and oral traditions, interest is sparked in maintaining a connection, keeping traditions alive and paying tribute.”
She said that while the event has a special appeal for ranchers, farmers, and rural folks, it can also rekindle an appreciation for that receding era amongst modern urbanites. So yank those dusty boots out of the closet, grab that ten-gallon hat, and saddle up your horses (or SUVs). Head on down to the Round-Up.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.