In the late 1800s, as cowboys and vaqueros drove millions of Longhorn cattle from Texas to points north, a new art form was being born. Cowboy poetry and storytelling started as a way to pass the long hours spent on now-famous trails, such as the Chisholm and Goodnight-Loving. Drovers swapped stories and songs by horseback. Another classic setting for telling cowboy tales, tall or otherwise, was around the campfire after a hard day’s work. The first book dedicated to cowboy songs, Songs of the Cowboys, by Jack Thorp, was published in 1908. Thorp spent 20 years collecting cowboy poems and songs across the American West, eventually compiling them to make the book. The first National Cowboy Poetry Gathering was in 1985 in Elko, Nevada. Organizers aimed to bring modern cowboys together to share their work while honoring the Western way of life.
The tradition has continued in Texas in the years since. Such a gathering is held annually in the community of Winnsboro, an hour north of Tyler. “There are still a lot of working ranches today, and these men and women want to keep the storytelling tradition alive, so they still practice it,” says Donna Johnston, a committee lead for the event.
The Winnsboro Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering is split into two shows. The first one includes Kristyn Harris, a songwriter and yodeler, and Teresa Burleson, a cowgirl poet. Also on the bill is Jay Snider, Oklahoma’s poet laureate. The second show includes storyteller and guitarist Andy Hedges, Pipp Gillette, and Grammy Award winner Dom Flemons. The Cowboy Tales art exhibit in the gallery features about 70 professional, cowboy-themed art pieces.
Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering, Sept. 30. 200 Market St., Winnsboro. winnsborocenterforthearts.com
BIG BEND COUNTRY
ALPINE
Sul Ross State University Rodeo
Sept. 21-23
See the Sul Ross State University rodeo team’s world-ranking performers at the birthplace of college rodeo.
S.A.L.E. Rodeo Arena, US 90 East.
432-208-2333; sulross.edu/rodeo
COMSTOCK
Seminole Canyon History Fair
Sept. 23
Learn about local history and connect with nature. The event includes local organizations with educational booths, fun activities, and living historians. Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site, 434 Park Road 67. 432-292-4464; tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/seminole-canyon
DEL RIO
Diez y Seis de Septiembre Celebration
Sept. 14-16
Celebrate Mexican Independence Day with live music, vendors, food trucks, dancing, and games for kids. Brown Plaza, 305 Cantu St. (830) 719-2330; facebook.com/brownplazaofdelrio
MCCAMEY
Wind Energy Capital of Texas Cookoff and Festival
Sept. 22-23
Test your culinary skills with cookoff competitions in salsa, beans, chili, chicken, ribs, brisket, jalapeño poppers,
