Loomis Cowboy Poets -  Annual Fall Gathering in California

The Annual Fall Gathering of Cowboy Poets in Loomis, California is a popular event celebrating the art of the spoken word. Cowboy poets who sing, yodel, recite and bring a smile or tear to the audience's eyes is a down-home, old-fashioned celebration offering a much-needed community tradition. The poets themselves are professional performers able to gauge the audience and determine what to serve and how to deliver the words. From poems about one's favorite, loyal horse to a story about a cowboy buying a bra for his wife, the well-written tales are served artfully. Deep, rich delivery like a double chocolate cake elates the crowd held spellbound by the sound.

The unique cowboy poetry festival for cowpokes is held at the Blue Goose Fruit Shed, an historic building that's going through some needed renovation. This annual event helps fund the costs of renovation. The former packing shed for the fruit industry once served as a commercial produce facility seen in classic fruit packing labels framed on the walls. The large barn-style building with corrugated steel treatments has become popular for events, weddings and corporate parties. It is booked nearly all year long for special events and for rental meeting space in the town of Loomis.

Waddie Mitchell, Sourdough Slim, Pat Richardson and many other poets as well as Ernie Sites carried on the western tradition of cowboy poetry, music and storytelling in Loomis at the Blue Goose Fruit Shed, 3550 Taylor Rd.

Supported by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant from the James Irvine Foundation, all proceeds are used on the Blue Goose Fruit Shed renovation. The all-volunteer Foundation (501c3 non-profit) is preserving the historic building and converting it to a vital community center. For more information about the South Placer Heritage Foundation and the Blue Goose Fruit Shed renovation, call (916) 787-0878 or go to www.soplacerheritage.org.

Headliner, Waddie Mitchell has performed internationally, appeared on television’s The Tonight Show and Good Morning America, and has been featured in Life, National Geographic and the New York Times. His poem, That No Quit Attitude, commissioned by the 2002 Cultural Olympiad, appeared prominently during the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games. Within Waddie Mitchell’s stories, told in a voice that is timeless and familiar, are the common bonds we all share, moments both grand and commonplace, the humorous and the tragic, the life and death struggles and triumphs that we each recognize.

Sourdough Slim, a.k.a. Rick Crowder combines cowboy singing and yodeling, accompaniment on the accordion, guitar, ukulele and harmonica and a seasoned gift for connecting with audiences to tickle their funny bones. He was honored by the Academy of Western Artists with the 2001 Will Rogers award for "yodeler of the year." Slim's success as an entertainer has brought national recognition with multiple invitations to perform at the most prestigious venues in North America, including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, JHF Center and the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. He has six CD’s and tours the country performing at fairs, festivals and cowboy events.

Pat Richardson turned a lifetime of ranching and rodeo competition into award wining "cowboy poetry, true stories and outright lies" that entertain audiences internationally. Baxter Black once said about Pat's poetry, "If you boiled cowboy poetry down to what's worth savin', this is what the stew would smell like." In addition to being a perennial invited guest at Elko, Pat performed in Denver during the Fat stock show, in Carson City with The Sons of the San Joaquin & Sourdough Slim, had a special appearance at Santa Ynez for the Rancheros Visitadores and had a lot of poems live on Red Steagalls' Fort Worth radio station. His CD -- B.Y.O.S. -- was named Western CD/Album of the Year.  For more information about The Cowpoke 11th Annual Fall Gathering of Cowboy poets and musicians, the South Placer Heritage Foundation and the Blue Goose Fruit Shed renovation, call (916) 787-0878 or go to www.soplacerheritage.org.

For information on planning your trip to this must-see destination, contact Placer Valley Tourism, 300 Harding Blvd., Suite #109, Roseville, CA  95747. Phone: (916) 773-5400. www.placertourism.com