Western Folklife Center

Last updated

The Western Folklife Center is a nonprofit cultural center in Elko, Nevada that hosts exhibits, theater, music, and poetry events that celebrate the history and landscape of the American West. Every year the center hosts the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

History

The center was founded as the Utah Folklife Center, in 1980 by Hal Cannon. In 1985, it became the Western Folklife Center, expanding its focus to the wider rural culture and history of the Western US. [4]

It contains a 300-seat theater and a 20-seat black box theater in addition to the gallery space. [5] [6]

The center is headquartered in the Pioneer Building, a historic hotel, office building, and saloon built in 1912–1913. The site of the building in 1868 was the location of the first saloon in Elko, which was in a tent. The old saloon room with its 40-foot bar, built in 1890 of mahogany and cherry wood with mother-of-pearl inlay, is a celebrated feature of the center. It is used as a proper bar during special events. [7] [8]

From 2000 to 2012, the center produced the radio program Deep West Radio for National Public Radio. [9]

Every year, the center hosts a youth festival the week before the official Cowboy Poetry Festival. [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elko County, Nevada</span> County in Nevada, United States

Elko County is a county in the northeastern corner of Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,702. Its county seat is Elko. The county was established on March 5, 1869, from Lander County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elko, Nevada</span> City in Nevada, United States

Elko is the largest city in and county seat of Elko County, Nevada, United States. With a 2020 population of 20,564, Elko is currently growing at a rate of 0.31% annually and its population has increased by 11.86% since the 2010 Census, which recorded a population of 18,297. Elko serves as the economic hub of the Ruby Valley, a region with a population of over 55,000. Elko is 21 miles (34 km) from Lamoille Canyon and the Ruby Mountains, dubbed the Swiss Alps of Nevada, providing year round access to recreation including hiking, skiing, hunting, and more than 20 alpine lakes. The city straddles the Humboldt River. Spring Creek, Nevada, serves as a bedroom community 6 miles (9.7 km) from the city with a population of 13,805.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Alpine is a city and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,905 at the 2010 census. The town has an elevation of 4,475 feet (1,364 m), and the surrounding mountain peaks are over 1 mile (1.6 km) above sea level. A university, hospital, library, and retail make Alpine the center of the sprawling 12,000 square miles (3,108,000 ha) but wide open Big Bend area including Brewster, Presidio, and Jeff Davis counties.

The music in Nevada is often associated with the Rat Pack and lounge singers like Wayne Newton playing in Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City. However, Nevada has launched many other notable artists and bands from a variety of genres.

Cowboy poetry is a form of poetry that grew from a tradition of cowboys telling stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wylie Gustafson</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1961)

Wylie Galt Gustafson is an American singer-songwriter who has toured nationally and internationally with his band, "Wylie & The Wild West". The band is known for its blend of cowboy, traditional country, folk and yodeling. Wylie is renowned for his creation of the ubiquitous Yahoo! yodel used in the tech company's worldwide advertising campaign. Gustafson is a fourth generation Montana cowboy and is a 2019 inductee into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame. He is the younger brother of Lieutenant Governor of Montana Kristen Juras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Steagall</span> American singer-songwriter

Russell "Red" Steagall is an American actor, musician, poet, and stage performer, who focuses on American Western and country music genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of San Antonio</span>

The culture of San Antonio reflects the history and culture of one of the state's oldest and largest cities straddling the regional and cultural divide between South and Central Texas. Historically, San Antonio culture comes from a blend of Central Texas and South Texas (Southwestern) culture. Founded as a Spanish outpost and the first civil settlement in Texas, San Antonio is heavily influenced by Mexican American culture due to Texas formerly being part of Mexico and, previously, the Spanish Empire. The city also has significant German, Anglo, and African American cultural influences. San Antonio offers a host of cultural institutions, events, restaurants and nightlife in South Texas for both residents and visitors alike.

R. W. Hampton is an American western music singer-songwriter, actor and playwright. Hampton has achieved both critical and commercial success, winning multiple awards from the Western Music Association and the Academy of Western Artists and four separate Wrangler Awards from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Canyon Productions was a video-production company founded in 1992 by filmmaker Eric Temple. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, Canyon Productions did documentary, corporate and government video production. In July, 2011, Canyon Productions relocated to Ogden, Utah where it now does business under the name of Highway 89 Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Kearby</span> American novelist and inventor (born 1952)

Mike Kearby is an American novelist and inventor. Since 2005, Kearby has published twelve novels and two graphic novels.

Vess Quinlan is an American cowboy poet, whose work has been published in many books and magazines, as well as on various online poetry databases. His writing is based on his real life experiences as a rancher.

Bruce Douglas "Waddie" Mitchell is an American cowboy poet. He sometimes performs his poems with a guitarist playing in the background. Mitchell has made eight CDs including That No Quit Attitude, Lone Drifting Rider and his most recent, Sweat Equity.He and cowboy singer and friend Don Edwards released The Bard and the Balladeer Live From Cowtown. Mitchell has written four books, Waddie's Whole Load, A Cowboy's Night Before Christmas, Lone Driftin' Rider and a 2015 compilation One Hundred Poems. He was chosen to write a poem describing the West for the 2002 Winter Olympics' Olympic Arts Festival. He is a co-founder of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

Paul Zarzyski is a cowboy poet and educator. He is a former bareback bronc rider.

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, is an annual gathering celebrating cowboy poetry produced by the Western Folklife Center, that takes place in Elko, Nevada, United States.

Dominick John O'Malley, also known as Dominick White and The N Bar N Kid White, was an American composer of cowboy songs and cowboy poetry, as well as a writer on Western subjects. He is best known for his song "When the Work's All Done This Fall", originally published as the poem "After the Roundup".

Buck Ramsey, born Kenneth Melvin Ramsey, was an American cowboy poet and singer. He earned a national reputation for preserving cowboy lore and traditions.

<i>Sí, soy llanero</i> 2004 studio album by Cimarrón

Sí, soy llanero is the first studio album by Colombian band Cimarron.

Olivia Romo is an American poet, spoken word artist, and water rights activist from Taos, New Mexico. Her work centers on the cultural significance of water within Northern New Mexico's agricultural communities, particularly focusing on the acequia irrigation system. Romo's upbringing in a family that valued land, culture, and history deeply influenced her creative journey. With a dual degree in English and Chicana and Chicano Studies from the University of New Mexico, she is well-equipped to blend her artistic expression with social advocacy.

References

  1. ↑ Rieber, Andy (2015-05-10). "Cowboy Culture, Alive and Well". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  2. ↑ "Real cowboys write poems. Here's where to hear them". Travel. 2020-01-28. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  3. ↑ Nagourney, Adam (2011-04-11). "For Cowboy Poets, Unwelcome Spotlight in Battle Over Spending". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  4. ↑ June 14, AnthonyMillard |; Reply, 2015 at 11:11 am | (2010-01-08). "About". Welcome to the Western Folklife Center. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  5. ↑ "Western Folklife Center". Travel Nevada. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  6. ↑ "Where We Are". Western Folklife Center. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  7. ↑ Wohlwend, Chris (2018-09-26). "At the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Tall Tales, Resonant Rhymes". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  8. ↑ "Western Folklife Center". Travel Nevada. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  9. ↑ "Deep West Radio". Western Folklife Center. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  10. ↑ Delaney, Cynthia (2019-01-24). "Field trip fun at the Western Folklife Center". Elko Daily Free Press. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  11. ↑ "Western Folklife Center". Travel Nevada. Retrieved 2020-11-28.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.