POETRY FANS SADDLING UP FOR NEWHALL; 1999 COWBOY FESTIVAL TO BE BIGGEST ONE YET.Byline: Cynthia Teed Daily News Staff Writer Wagon loads of poetry and picking fans are already circling the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. , ready for this weekend's Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival at the picturesque Melody Ranch. Bunkhouse bunk·house n. A building providing sleeping quarters on a ranch or in a camp. lodging and headline performances are selling out faster than a mule can kick, the valley's restaurants and cafes are readying extra grub for the visitors and the fans, well, they just keep on buying tickets for the festival billed as one of California's finest. Part of the festival's success stems from its Old West setting, an authentic working movie ranch A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated to being used as a site for the production of motion pictures. Movie ranches first came into use in southern California in the 1920s when westerns had become increasingly popular. originally owned by Gene Autry, said city recreation supervisor Chris Daste. ``I get goose-pimply when I'm there,'' Daste said. ``It's just like being in the Old West, you kind of get the feel of what it's like to be a working cowboy.'' Fans can walk down the streets steeped in western atmosphere that's been made as real as possible. TV producers must know a good thang when they see it because the filming of the series ``Magnificent Seven'' now takes place at the historic ranch. And headline performers, with shows sold out for weeks in advance, celebrate more themes than just trains, mama and D-I-V-O-R-C-E. That's not surprising, because savvy fans say these performers stand tall in their creative boots by bringing new ways of artistic expression to traditional cowboy themes and raise cowboy music and poetry to a new cultural level. And Daste agrees - there won't be a lot of steel guitars and the country/western top 40. ``There is a difference between cowboy artistic expression and country/western,'' he said. The big draws this year are the return performances by Don Edwards For other persons named Don Edwards, see Don Edwards (disambiguation). William Donlon Edwards, (born January 6, 1915), usually known as Don Edwards, is an American politician of the Democratic Party, formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives from , Sons of the San Joaquin San Joaquin (săn wäkēn`), river, c.320 mi (510 km) long, rising in the Sierra Nevada, E Calif., and flowing W then N through the S Central Valley to form a large delta with the Sacramento River near Suisun Bay, an arm of San Francisco Bay. , Baxter Black Baxter Black (born January 2, 1945) is an American cowboy, poet, philosopher, former large-animal veterinarian, and radio commentator. Black grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico. and Riders in the Sky. Texan Tish Hinojosa, who organizers had been trying to book since the first fest six years ago, finally found "Finally Found" was the debut single from the Honeyz. This was their most successful single in the UK and worldwide, securing a number 4 position in the UK singles chart and achieved platinum status in Australia [1] Tracklisting # Title Length an open time slot Continuously repeating interval of time or a time period in which two devices are able to interconnect. this year, said city spokeswoman Gail Ortiz. Performances vary from singers such as Edwards to cowboy rider and roper Benny Martinez. Last year, Edwards played Smokey in Robert Redford's ``The Horse Whisperer,'' and he's performed astride a·stride adv. 1. With a leg on each side: riding astride. 2. With the legs wide apart. prep. 1. On or over and with a leg on each side of. 2. his horse galloping along in the Tournament of Roses Parade The Tournament of Roses Parade was established, and first held, on January 1,1890, in Pasadena, California, eight miles (13 km) northeast of Downtown Los Angeles. Rooted in tradition, this parade is broadcast on multiple television networks, watched by upwards of one Fans who missed their chance at tickets for performances of these popular headliners still can attend several performances at Melody Ranch. For a $7 ticket, festival-goers can stroll the streets of Melody Ranch and enjoy entertainment all day Saturday and Sunday. A record-breaking number of fans have booked up local inns. ``We sold out last year and we'll sell out this year as well,'' said Kim Csernay, manager of Comfort Suites. ``We have an Australian couple who came last year specifically for the festival.'' Csernay, who attended the festival last year, said her kids enjoyed the glimpse the festival provides into the cowboy past so much that the family decided to take a trip to see Calico Ghost Town ghost town, term for any once flourishing American community that has been abandoned, generally for economic reasons. While most of the towns have little or no population, they often contain old buildings, which may serve as tourist attractions. , off Interstate 15. ``The festival provides a good family atmosphere where the kids can learn to appreciate western history and culture,'' she said. City cultural arts coordinator Michael Marks Michael Marks, (June 1859 – December 31 1907), was one of the two co-founders of the retail chain Marks and Spencer. Marks, who was born in Slonim, Belarus (then part of Russian Empire and Poland) as Michał Marks of Polish-Lithuanian and Jewish ancestry, emigrated , who has spearheaded the Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival since its beginnings in 1993, with many others, can take credit for the festival's authenticity and economic success. Marks has seen ticket sales increase from 74,000 in 1998 to 92,000 this year. And get the welcome wagon Noun 1. welcome wagon - a wheeled vehicle carrying information and gifts from local merchants for new residents in an area wheeled vehicle - a vehicle that moves on wheels and usually has a container for transporting things or people; "the oldest known wheeled ready because these paying guests aren't stingy stin·gy adj. stin·gi·er, stin·gi·est 1. Giving or spending reluctantly. 2. Scanty or meager: a stingy meal; stingy with details about the past. . Last year, festival-goers dropped about $640,000 into community coffers, crowding local restaurants and visiting the city's shops, he said. THE FACTS What: Santa Clarita's sixth annual Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival When: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Where: Melody Ranch in rustic Placerita Canyon Parking: Shuttles only, $2. Tickets: $7, parking $2. Information: call (661) 286-4079. ABOUT THE FESTIVAL The popularity of the annual Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival is booming. About 92,000 tickets have been sold for this weekend's event, compared with 74,000 last year. Guests are coming from 197 cities throughout California, as well as from 22 states, Canada and Australia. Sponsorships have doubled over the past year, with $64,000 in corporate donations for 1999. The festival's 1998 sponsor book and poster took first place in a design contest sponsored by the state Festival and Events Association. This year's brochure won the top award from the California Trade and Commerce Agency. - Daily News FESTIVAL SCHEDULE SATURDAY California Music Hall 11 a.m. Outlaw Black and Mickey Dawes Noon Ernie Sites and Gary Robertson Gary Keith Robertson (b. 15 July, 1960) in New Plymouth was a New Zealand Cricketer. He played only one Test and 10 one-day internationals for the New Zealand cricket team.. Robertson also played for Taranaki in the Hawke Cup. 1 p.m. Ken and Phee Graydon 2 p.m. Dave Stamey and Les Buffham 3 p.m. Chuck Cusimano and Larry Maurice 4 p.m. Prickly Pair and Larry McWhorter 5 p.m. New West and Dallas McCord 6 p.m. Lorraine Rawls and R.W. Hampton 8 p.m. Ernie Sites and Sky Shivers ($8) Chuck Wagon Stage 10 a.m. Mark Brooks Mark Brooks can refer to these people:
11 a.m. Buckaroo Balladeers and Chuck Powell Noon Prickly Pair and Sky Shivers 1 p.m. New West and Paul Zarzyski 2 p.m. Santa Clarita Valley Concert Band 4 p.m. Lorraine Walls and Paul Zarzyski 5 p.m. Ernie Sites and Larry Maurice 6 p.m. Outlaw Black and Mickey Dawes 7 p.m. Dave Stamey and Larry McWhorter 8 p.m. Chuck Cusimano, Les Buffham and Pat Richardson Cowboy Corner 10 a.m. John Boston-Tales of Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, 11 a.m. Dallas McCord and Erwin Jackson Noon Lorraine Rawls and Larry Maurice 1 p.m. Chuck Cusimano and Pat Richardson 2 p.m. Prickly Pair and Mickey Dawes 3 p.m. New West and Sky Shivers 4 p.m. Outlaw Black and Pat Richardson 5 p.m. Dave Stamey and Les Buffham Melody Ranch Main Street Ongoing Lincoln Bond-Magic of the Old West 11:15 a.m. Smokey Ritter rit·ter n. pl. ritter A knight. [German, from Middle High German riter, from Middle Dutch ridder, from r 12:15 p.m. Smokey Ritter 1 p.m. Benny Martinez 2 p.m. Erwin Jackson 2:15 p.m. Smokey Ritter 3 p.m. Benny Martinez 3:30 p.m. Phil Spangenberger and the Spirit of the West Riders 4 p.m. Erwin Jackson 4:15 p.m. Smokey Ritter 5 p.m. Benny Martinez 6:15 p.m. Smokey Ritter 7 p.m. Benny Martinez SUNDAY California Music Hall 11 a.m. Prickly Pair and Larry Maurice Noon Outlaw Black and Paul Zarzyski 1 p.m. New West and Les Buffham 2 p.m. Ian Tyson Song Writing Workshop ($30) 4 p.m. Buck Page and Riders of the Purple Sage For the western music group, see Riders of the Purple Sage (band) For the psychedelic country rock band, see New Riders of the Purple Sage Riders of the Purple Sage is Zane Grey's best-known novel. 5 p.m. Ernie Sites and Sky Shivers Chuck Wagon Stage 10 a.m. Mark Brooks and Gary Robertson 11 a.m. Buckaroo Balladeers and Mickey Dawes Noon Santa Clarita Youth Poetry Contest 1 p.m. Ernie Sites and Larry McWhorter 2 p.m. Lorraine Rawls and Sky Shivers 3 p.m. Dave Stamey and Larry Maurice 4 p.m. Prickly Pair and Larry McWhorter 5 p.m. Chuck Cusimano & R.W. Hampton Cowboy Corner 10 a.m. John Boston-Tales of Santa Clarita 11 a.m. Dallas McCord and Chuck Powell Noon Dave Stamey and Sky Shivers 1 p.m. Prickly Pair and Pat Richardson 2 p.m. Chuck Cusimano and Dallas McCord 3 p.m. Ernie Sites and Les Buffham 4 p.m. Lorraine Rawls and Pat Richardson 5 p.m. New West and Larry Maurice Melody Ranch Main Street Ongoing Lincoln Bond-Magic of the Old West 11:15 a.m. Smokey Ritter Noon Benny Martinez 1 p.m. Erwin Jackson 1:15 p.m. Smokey Ritter 2 p.m. Benny Martinez 2:30 p.m. Phil Spangenberger and the Spirit of the West Riders 3 p.m. Erwin Jackson 3:15 p.m. Smokey Ritter 4 p.m. Benny Martinez Except where special prices are noted, these events are free with festival admission. CAPTION(S): 2 Boxes BOX: (1) ABOUT THE FESTIVAL (See text) (2) FESTIVAL SCHEDULE (See text) |
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