Tickets to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering on Sale September 4

29^th Annual Event Features Cowboys from Italy

ELKO, Nev., Aug. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 29^th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering —the nation's greatest celebration of the American West, its people, culture and traditions—will take place January 28 to February 2, 2013, in Elko, Nevada. Ticket sales for the Gathering begin on September 4 to members of the Western Folklife Center, the nonprofit organization that produces the event, and October 4 to the general public. The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering features performances of poetry and music from the cowboy and ranching occupation, but also presents exhibitions, films, workshops, dances and discussions—all centered on land-based culture in the American West, its traditional arts and the challenges it faces in the 21^st century.

The 29^th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering will host butteri, cowboys from Italy, who have their own unique poetry, music, gear and traditional techniques, but still have much in common with their counterparts in the American West and cattle cultures across the globe. The butteri are from the Maremma region of Italy, where they have been raising and herding the large lyre-horned Maremmana cattle for centuries. The Italian cultural exchange is part of the Western Folklife Center's ongoing effort to build understanding among herding cultures worldwide, and is exclusively sponsored by the E. L. Wiegand Foundation.

The 29^th Gathering will present more than 50 poets, musicians and musical groups from the U.S., Canada and Italy, performing on seven stages at four different venues. The line-up includes cowboy poets Baxter Black, Wally McRae, Paul Zarzyski, Waddie Mitchell, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Joel Nelson, Elizabeth Ebert and many others. Music is as integral to the Gathering as poetry; the musical line-up includes Don Edwards, Tom Russell, The Quebe Sisters Band, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Brenn Hill, Wylie & The Wild West, Dave Stamey, Corb Lund & The Hurtin' Albertans, Los Texmaniacs, Cowboy Celtic, The Saddle Cats and more. Visit www.westernfolklife.org for a full list of participating artists and their bios.

For more information, visit www.westernfolklife.org, call 775-738-7508, or toll-free 888-880-5885. The 29^th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is supported by the E. L. Wiegand Foundation, NV Energy, Sage Foundation/E.W. Littlefield, Jr., Newmont Mining Corporation, Reds Ranch and many more foundations, businesses and individuals.

The Western Folklife Center is dedicated to exploring, presenting and preserving the diverse and dynamic cultural heritage of the American West. 

SOURCE Western Folklife Center