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Cowboy
Gatherings
began
as
an
informal
way
for cowboys to rendezvous and swap
stories, poems and trappings. You didn't need to be invited, you just
heard about it and showed up if you could. Today this has developed
into big business which allows only "invited" cowboys to entertain and
sell their wares. Some gatherings even charge cowboys who are trying to
get started as cowboy entertainers to pay admission just to perform in
the so called "open mic" venues. The Crossroads Gathering has thrown
all of that out the window and gone back to the original premis of
cowboy gatherings. We are perhaps the only gathering which allows
entertainers to invite themselves. So far we have 27 acts coming to Van
Horn, Texas on the first weekend in September. We will be accepting any
cowboy entertainer who wants to show up and compete for invitations to
four other cowboy
events.While starting small last year, nearly half of the
entertainers are coming back again this year. One has even started his
own gathering and is making a hire from
Crossroads this year! Cowboy poet and Musician Geff Dawson has had a hard winter getting hit with a lot of snow when he usually gets none. Unfortuneately this has cause him to cancel. However he enjoys teh concept of Crossroads so much he is making a donation which will be given to the winner of a new contest open to all entertainers, and judged by Ralph and Tamara. Everyone who has cowboyed much has known an animal or two (or maybe even a person or two) who didn't know enough to survive, but somehow lived through any wreck they created. In this new contest, who ever comes up with the best poem or song about "Too dumb to live, too tough to die" will receive Geffs donation, however much it is! A big thanks to Geff for his support and the best support we can give is to have you visit his site and maybe buy a cd! All of our day performances are free, as well as the Jam sessions held at the El Capitan Hotel. This year we will also be having a Trappings Swap. Rather than trappings produced as fine art for collectors, our trappings are being offered by local cowboys. We currently have
entertainers show up from as far
away as
western Nevada, Washington, Nebraska and Missoui coming in for this
event. Be sure and check out our entertainer
page. Ralph and
Tamara of Ralph's
Back Porch which also provided us with a live video
feed will also
be back next year upstreaming both audio and video links so once again
we will be seen around the world! The 2010 gathering will be held
during the first weekend of February, so mark it on your calendar.
The
2010
schedule
will
proceed
as
follows:
Friday-Feb 5th-8am to 9am "Local-mic" This session was
inspired by Van
Horn's
own Gary Fuentes who got on stage to tell the story of his father
running mustangs on the Rio Grande just south of town. If you want to
hear some of the history of the area don't miss this!9am to 4:30pm The first half of the performers to sign up will each get 20 minutes of stage time. 6pm
to
8:40pm
Dinner show. Dinner at 6pm with the first 5 acts to sign up
putting on a show. Cost is $20 per
ticket with proceeds going to the
Van Horn Homeless Shelter. Saturday -Feb 6th-8am to 9am "Local Mic" 9am
to
4:30pm
The second half of the acts
to sign up will each get 20 minutes of stage time. 4:45pm
The
10
acts
to
go
into
the
finals
will
be
announced 7pm
to
9:30pm
Finals show. The ten selected acts will each go on stage for
15 minutes. At the end of this show, the winners will be announced by
the on site reps and gatherings participating via internet will be
making their contacts on the phone or via live chat.  Its a lot better than practicing on your horse, plus more
fun!If
your
gathering
is
looking
for a better way to select acts, this is
the best place to look! |
