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Festival organizers with two-way radios flashing on their hips and over 100
hard-working volunteers did their very best to make everyone feel welcome and
to ensure everything ran smoothly. This event increases in popularity each year
and Forsters staff was very helpful, working diligently to make folks comfortable.
Their delicious buffet dinners were plentiful with lots of variety and they were
speedy in setting up extra seating for the over-flow crowd after the dinners in
the theatre. That was even needed for the kick-off party on Thursday night!
A huge crowd of weekend pass holders came to listen to a mix of Rising Stars "jam"
with some of the
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Gordie West and
Mike Dygert |
seasoned performers. These jams continued after the features
every night and even spilled over into the Green Room. Singer/musician Gordie
West, bass player Mike Dygert, along with honky tonk piano player Jinny Lowe from
Idaho, entertained folks in fine style during the dinner hours. As part of the
after dinner show, can can dancers Les Folles Jambettes brought their lively act
down the aisles and danced to some music reminiscent of the gold rush days.
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Jinny Lowe |
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In the festival store, photos of poets and pickers were highly visible above their
products and the room was large and accommodating, complete with signing table.
The huge room across the hall held The Western Art and Gear Show and 50 artisans
and trades people displayed their excellent works. Among the most unique was
Jordan Straker's magnificent woodcarvings, pieces of the west so life-like you'd
swear they were real! Jordan donated one of his carvings to the BCCHS to raise
funds for future art show prize money and the lucky bidder went home very happy.
All 43 performers, ranging from preteen to octogenarian, were uniquely talented and
well-received by appreciative audiences. Eleven Americans added greatly to the
success of the festival and one of them was the oldest--eighty-seven-year-old,
award-winning poet Georgie Sicking. She was as sharp as a tack and proudly told
her stories with a style befitting a true "cowboy". There were many standing
ovations throughout the weekend and no performer received more than singer/master
guitarist Ed Peekeekoot. He gets my vote as the "all-round entertainer" of the
festival. His charisma, humour and talent that just wouldn’t quit, lit up the stage.
He literally became one with every instrument he played...and I counted four.
He even had the
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One of Jordon Straker's Wood Carvings |
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northern lights magically dancing on his guitar strings, but when he
played "Malaguena", the crowd went wild! He cheerfully accompanied other performers,
including one of the Rising Stars, and filled in spots where entertainment was needed.
I also commend the enthusiasm of Horse Crazy, three fun-loving gals from Washington
State. They are talented singers/musicians in their own right, but their harmony
is outstanding!
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Ed Peekeekoot |
They just love to perform and that comes across every time they step
up to the mics. One time, in the open mic area in the Fireside Room at the Calvary
Community Church, only four people were in the audience, but Horse Crazy entertained
as though there were five hundred ... but it wasn't long before the room was full. One
of the gals from this musical group won the commemorative 2009 Kamloops Cowboy Festival
silver belt buckle which was raffled off and you couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.
Congratulations, Jennifer!
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Jennifer with
her new buckle |
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Naomi Bristow |
Performers had alternate sets on main stages at Forsters and the Church and open mics
were set up in the Fireside Room and in one corner of the Trade Show area. These small
stages were also utilized for the two preliminary rounds of the Rising Stars Showcase,
where judges based their findings from a list of requirements on their ballots. The
final round was presented in the dinner theatre on Sunday afternoon and the winners
of each category, one for poetry and one for music, received a cheque for $1,000 from
CKJC Country 103, the sponsors of the event. Eleven-year-old singer, Naomi Bristow
from Ontario, won the hearts of the judges and audience with her polished stage presence
and superb yodeling and cowboy poet, Mel
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Mel Brown |
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Brown from Alberta, rhymed some great cowboy logic to rack up the votes. Tiffany
Dowhan, Scott Laitre, Frank Ritcey and Lyn Melnechenko also lined their pockets with
$500 each as runner-ups. Congratulations
go to all!
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Many other award presentations took place at the festival: an Art of the West
Exhibition and Sale with several categories; the BCCHS Student Scholarship Awards
(one for cowboy craft, one for written word and three art awards); the Joe Marten
Memorial Award for the promotion and preservation of Cowboy/Western Heritage in the
province of BC; four inductions into the Cowboy Hall of Fame; one fundraiser silent
auction for saddle maker, Don Loewen, who had been hospitalized and another silent
auction of many western products for the BCCHS Student Scholarship funds. There were
also several workshops and seminars throughout the weekend and I attended Gary
Fjellgaard's hour on songwriting. About 35 novices bent their ears to Gary's
expertise as one of our country's most creative songwriters.
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Photo by Liz Twan
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John Schnurrenberger
received the Joe Marten Award for his western art.
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This photo, by Liz Twan, is of John Schnurrenberger holding the plaque that goes with
the Joe Marten Memorial Award for the Preservation of Cowboy Heritage in BC. Also in the
photo are Mike Puhallo and Traudl Marten who presented the award to John.
The Monarch District Girl Guides, under the leadership of Linda Puhallo, served up
some great vittles all weekend, which included two dinner entrees for about 140 people
both Friday and Saturday nights. This played a great service for folks who wished to
stay in the Church area to watch the evening presentations instead of attending
Forsters' dinner theatre shows.
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Abe Zacharias |
Sunday's Cowboy Church was packed to capacity (about 800) and Abe Zacharias welcomed
them in by singing some wonderful gospel tunes like "Jesus, It's Me Again". Nine of
the main stage performers participated in the service with spiritual poems or songs.
The Church's Pastor Don, who has a great sense of humour, came in carrying a match on
the end of a stick and presented this "redneck flashlight" to Mike Puhallo. After
Mike's story about having a recurrent dream, which in reality had saved his wife's
life, Pastor
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Bryn Thiessen |
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Don's joke about "seeing the light only once", got the crowd's attention.
Poet/preacher Bryn Thiessen followed that up by advising everyone to pay attention to
the signs and to trust God because He's in control.
The Festival ended with one last dinner theatre show where 100 seats were reserved
as a token of appreciation to the many wonderful volunteers. Without them, the
organizers and all the generous sponsors, the festival could not have taken place.
I just know there were many special moments of this event that are "bound" to draw
folks back again next year and I'll bet they’ll bring some friends along too.
by Mag Mawhinney
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