Cowboy poets and musicians from across the country get back in the saddle for the third annual Western Slope Cowboy Gathering at the Whitman Educational Center on November 2-3. Presented by the Museums of Western Colorado, this event features good, clean family fun and performances from some of the West's best cowboy poets and western musicians, including Terry Nash, Peggy Malone and this year’s featured performer Trinity Seely.

“Trinity is well known throughout the west and has performed internationally,” said Nona Kelley Carver, planning committee member and poet at this year’s event. “She is a singer and songwriter from British Columbia who lives with her husband and children on a working ranch in Montana. She has won numerous awards and has CDs available, as do most of the performers.”

Seely was recognized as the Academy of Western Artists’ Female Western Singer of the Year in 2012. Her song “Cowboy Hat” was also the Western Music Association’s Song of the Year in 2014.

According to the event website, cowboy poetry grew from a time when, after a day of work, cowboys would gather around the campfire to occupy and entertain one another with tall tales and folk songs. This form of poetry grew out of a tradition of extemporaneous composition carried on by workers on cattle drives and ranches.

Performances start at 1 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Admission to daytime performances is free, but donations are greatly appreciated to keep this event going. Evening performances start at 7 p.m. and are just $10 per night for adults; kids under 12 are admitted free.

“Cowboy poetry and music presents some of the cleanest family entertainment today,” said Carver. “We need the morals and respect taught through this type of entertainment in our communities.”

For a complete schedule of events, visit www.westernslopecowboygathering.com or call the Museum of Western Colorado at 242-0971.

Grand Mesa

By Nona Kelley Carver

When God created mountaintops, He threw the book away, and said, “I’ll make Grand Mesa a place where folks can play.”

He flattened out the top of it with pressure from his hand, and planted it with spruce trees. The scale of it was grand!

He used his thumb to imprint the many lakes and streams. He broke the surface of the earth, flowed lava through the seams.

He sowed the seeds of larkspur, and sage and columbine. He dampened it with showers, then bade the sun to shine.

Then He invited bluebirds, and taught them where to nest, walked hand in hand with nature, He really did his best!

He warmed it in the summer so aspen trees could grow, and cooled it in the winter with flakes of sparkling snow.

He filled the lakes with rainbows, caught on the sides of trout, created dens of black bear, and scattered deer about.

He brushed it in the autumn with aspen leaves of gold, and asked the lakes to sparkle with water, deep and cold.

And so, we have Grand Mesa. May all her gifts be shared. A playground in the Rockies of beauty uncompared.