Lewistown hosts the annual Montana Cowboy Poetry Gathering and Western Music Rendezvous the second weekend in August and I was fortunate to attend Saturday afternoon and evening.
In addition to good music, we had the greatest time listening to a variety of poets. The poets write from personal experiences and definitely from their heart. Each 45 minute session I attended had attendees laughing so hard at times we could barely stop. Performing poets ranged from grizzled old cowboys to young farm and ranch wives and the variety of their subject matter was amazing.
Saturday night’s headliner was Red Steagall, noted for his “In The Bunkhouse” radio shows and magazine columns.
Red gave a wonderful performance, over two hours with no breaks, in a packed and quite warm auditorium. What a guy! I bought one of his music and poetry CDs so I can re-live the performance.
The poetry gathering also had a western vendor show with a good variety of products. After rearranging the back of my car, we were able to haul back everything purchased!
In between the poetry show and Red Steagall concert we enjoyed a delicious dinner at The Mint in downtown Lewistown. I was pleased to hear they were featuring several locally grown meats on their menu specials.
All in all, a great time was had at the Montana Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Lewistown.