[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 6 (Monday, January 12, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 25TH NATIONAL COWBOY POETRY GATHERING

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 25th National 
Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which is held every January in Elko, NV.
  For 25 years, the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering has been providing 
a forum for the expression and celebration of the artistic spirit of 
those that live and work in the rural West. Through both traditional 
and contemporary forms, this gathering has showcased dancers, 
filmmakers, musicians, storytellers, and poets--each contributing their 
experience of the western lifestyle. From urban areas to rural ones, 
people from across the country gather in Elko every year to listen to 
and experience the artistic soul of the authentic cowboy.
  The first cowboy poetry gathering was held one weekend in January in 
1985. It drew a crowd that included frontier enthusiasts as well as 
skeptics who questioned whether cowboys could also be poets. After that 
first gathering, the poetic nature of the cowboy could no longer be 
doubted, and what started as a small weekend event eventually 
transformed into a weeklong cultural excursion that draws thousands of 
visitors and participants from across the globe. It has reinvigorated 
interest in preserving and spreading the cowboy narrative, inspiring 
other communities to hold similar events throughout the West.
  The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering has created an environment that 
contributes a wealth of riches to our shared western heritage. In 
January of 2009 the Western Folklife Center in Elko will host its 25th 
gathering. I would like to congratulate them on this achievement.

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