You can’t find many places further from somewhere else than Elko, Nevada. This city of about 20,000 sits halfway between Salt Lake City and Reno; 230 miles from the former and 288 miles along one of the loneliest highways in America from the latter. It is also home to the controversial National Cowboy Poetry Gathering that takes place this year from January 30 to February 4, 2012.
Though this town, its Western Folklife Center and the Gathering were spotlighted in a Senator’s recent list of wasteful federal spending. From my point of view, support of the arts is always welcome, but this program would probably survive in any case through private foundations, businesses and individual donors. Politics aside, the poetry here is as moving as that performed anywhere in the world and it resonates with the soul of the region. The Gathering also focuses on regional food, culture and agriculture.
Make sure to take time to listen to cowboy poet Joel Nelson recite his classic poem “Equus Caballus” above. It is moving, poignant and delivers a dramatic message. If money from Washington can help produce this, it’s the right medicine.
The Western Folklife Center puts it this way:
The poetry, music, workshops, films, discussions, exhibits and dances that compose the Gathering honor Elko and other rural communities across the West where people work on horseback.
With its strong horse and cattle culture, Elko is a natural place for this celebration. “People always wonder why we hold this event in such an out-of-the-way place at such an inhospitable time of the year,” says Charlie Seemann, Executive Director of the Western Folklife Center, which produces the Gathering. “It’s when ranchers and cowboys are the most available. At other times of the year, they are calving, haying or shipping. This is their event and we want them to be here…and the journey to Elko is part of the experience.”
Once they arrive in Elko, visitors will find an old-time western town with real working cowboys, and much more. The town has a thriving Basque culture and several famous Basque restaurants, all-night casinos, legal brothels, some of the largest gold mines in the world, and incredible views in every direction. “Elko during the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is an experience like no other,” explains Don Newman, Executive Director of the Elko Convention and Visitors Authority. “This little town comes alive with people. You can listen to an incredible musician one minute and find yourself sitting next to him or her at the bar swapping stories the next. In addition to the entertainment, people come to the Gathering to make new friends, drink Basque Picon Punch, eat the biggest steak and the best lamb they’ve ever had, shop, people-watch, and have an experience they’ll never forget. And they almost always come back for more.”
Tickets to the 28th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering can be purchased at www.westernfolklife.org, by calling 775-738-7508, toll-free 888-880-5885, or by stopping in to the Western Folklife Center’s ticket office, 501 Railroad Street, Elko.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
