Winnsboro Center for the Arts presents the 2024 Winnsboro Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering on Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28. The event celebrates the spirit of the Old West and its cherished traditions with performances by acclaimed artists and musicians. In addition to the weekend performances, on Saturday there are fun, free activities for the whole family. A state-wide juried art exhibition — Cowboy Tales — taking place in conjunction with the event that runs from September 25 through November 23.
Friday, September 27:
1:30 p.m. The weekend event starts with Cowboy Culture Conversations featuring Grammy Award-winner and “American Songster” Dom Flemons and Lubbock songster Andy Hedges, who bring to life the Black cowboy experience through song and poetry. Flemons, called one of the most accomplished American folk artists, and Hedges, who recently debuted at the Grand Ole Opry, take listeners on an illuminating journey of the Old West and follow the footsteps of Black cowboys who helped build America.
The Winnsboro Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering features Grammy Award-winner Dom Flemons.
4 p.m. Cowboy and Western Swing Music features Kristyn Harris and Miss Devon and the Outlaw for an afternoon of cowboy and western swing tunes. Harris is the current International Western Music Association (IWMA) Female Performer of the Year and has won that award seven times. Miss Devon and the Outlaw have garnered a number of recognitions including six IWMA Duo Harmony Awards of the Year. Miss Devon is also featured as the singin’, yodelin’ voice of Jessie in the Grammy-winning Walt Disney CD, Woody’s Roundup.
Winnsboro Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering performers include Miss Devon and the Outlaw, who have garnered several recognitions including six IWMA Duo Harmony Awards of the Year.
7 p.m. Three Texans Evening Concert is a cowboy music journey with three true Texas artists. Mike Blakely is a novelist/singer/songwriter from Fredericksburg whose songs have been recorded by a number of artists including Alan Jackson. Kristyn Harris of Burleson returns to the stage with her western swing, “powerful voice and deft musical aptitude” (American Cowboy magazine). Andy Wilkinson serves as the Artist-in-Residence at Texas Tech University’s Southwest Collection and is an award-winning poet, songwriter, singer and playwright.
Kristyn Harris, current International Western Music Association (IWMA) Female Performer of the Year, is performing at the 2024 Winnsboro Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering.
Saturday, September 28:
1:30 p.m. Cowboy Culture Conversations entertains with stories about the history of cowboy poetry around the campfire. The conversation is be led by two accomplished cowboys. Joel Nelson is a cowboy poet awarded the National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2009, the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. Andy Hedges is a songster, storyteller, guitarist and collector of cowboy songs and poems and a returning favorite at the Winnsboro Cowboy Music and Poetry Gathering.
4 p.m. Cowboy Poetry by Folks that Ride Horses brings saddle-tested verses to the Bowery stage. Jay Snider is the current Oklahoma State Poet Laureate and a former bull riding champion. Teresa Burleson is a two-time IWMA Female Poet of the Year and director of the Fort Worth Stockyards Museum. Joel Nelson is a National Heritage Fellow, owner of a 24,000-acre ranch and winner of the 2020 Working Cowboy Award.
7 p.m. Carnegie Hall Cowboys on the Bowery Stage brings Andy Hedges, Dom Flemons and Pipp Gilette, three performers from Hedges’ sold-out Carnegie Hall performance, to Winnsboro. Hedges is known for his stage presence; his performance at the 60th Newport Folk Festival was named one of the “10 Best Things We Saw” by Rolling Stone. Flemons is a two-time Emmy nominee in addition to his Grammy wins. Gillette is the winner of several Western Heritage Awards including one for 2016 Outstanding Traditional Western Album.
Free regional showcases take place on Saturday. At 10 a.m. are fiddler Eugene Allen, poets William Lloyd and John Wook, and singer Frank Locke. The 11 a.m. showcase features poets Randy Walker and Mike Dodgen, and singers Ernie Meyer and Henson Brothers.
Saturday activities include a chuck wagon with cornbread, beans and cobbler; an East Texas Square Dance performance from noon to 1 p.m.; mule carriage rides; corn hole and horseshoe games; drover’s campsite; activities for kids such as face-painting, crafts, corn husk doll-making, Smarty Roping, photos with Whiskey the Horse, and more.
In 2009, Winnsboro was one of the first Texas cities chosen by the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) for its Cultural Arts District program, making it the ideal setting for the town’s unique year-round events. The TCA program supports communities with thriving cultural and artistic resources.
Winnsboro’s Cultural Arts District is anchored by Winnsboro Center for the Arts, whose goal is to bring educational programming, cultural experiences and entertainment to the people of Winnsboro and surrounding East Texas communities. The center is a vibrant venue that hosts concerts, theater productions, art exhibits, classes and workshops, and literary events.
For more information about the town’s Cowboy and Poetry Gathering, and other cultural events, visit winnsborocenterforthearts.com.
