Scott Reesor performs on stage during the afternoon show Saturday at the 2024 Western Music & Cowboy Poetry Event for the Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry Foundation.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Saturday saw boots, hats and horses decorate Medicine Hat College as the Medicine Hat Cowboy Poetry Foundation hosted its major annual event.
This year brought not only the 16 slated performers for the afternoon show and the four high-profile guests who made up the evening, but no less than 45 open-mic contenders taking the chance to share their music and poetry with a new audience.
“We have a chuckwagon supper, and we have three guests that we’re honouring, two of which have been inducted into the Canadian pro-rodeo Hall of Fame,” said cowboy poetry foundation president Jen Zollner. “We’ve interviewed them and written poems about them and videoed them. And the other one of our guests, our honoured guests, is Gena LaCoste, and she has been very generous about giving her art for the three books that we have published.”
This year’s event welcomed a fantastic turnout, said Zollner, especially to the afternoon show, which for the first time ever charged no admission fee. The dinner saw roughly 80 tickets sold, which is was heartening to see for organizers.
“This is very exciting. I’m wanting Medicine Hat to be the place to have this kind of gathering, like Maple Creek has been in the past,” said Zollner. “I want Medicine Hat to be the cowboy poetry place. If people bring their friends and all show up next year, we can make Medicine Hat the hot spot for Western music at this once-a-year event.”
The foundation would like to thank the Medicine Hat College for its support in allowing them to host the event there year after year.
