The Old West. Have you ever really thought about where that actually is? I mean, we have all seen loads of movies about it and heard stories and know names like Dodge City Kansas, Tombstone Arizona, Cheyenne Wyoming, Deadwood South Dakota, El Paso Texas, Virginia City Nevada and Calico California. That’s just a few of them. But if you look at a map and check out where all those places are, you’ll quickly figure out that our town, Golden, as well as several other Colorado towns that were around and thriving back in those days, sit right smack in the middle of any map of the Old West that you dig up.
Yeah, back in the late 1800s, Golden pretty much represented everything you have come to imagine about famous cowboys, gunfighters, gold miners, frontier justice and for a long time, there were probably more horses living here than people. This was the heart of the Old West and that sign spanning across Washington Avenue downtown is no joke. “Howdy folks! Welcome to Golden, where the West lives.”
Of course, we all know that Buffalo Bill is buried up on Lookout Mountain, but the number of other colorful characters that found their way to this town for a while is astounding. There are plenty of good books on the subject, so I won’t go into all that now. Just drop by the Golden Library and ask one of the librarians. They’ll point you in the right direction.
So, with all that history behind us, it’s pretty fitting that each year they choose to host the Colorado Cowboy Gathering here in Golden at the time that the National Western Stock Show is happening in Denver.
2025 marks the 34th year that this has been going on and it will be happening this Friday and Saturday, January 17 and 18 at the Buffalo Rose Event Center.
So, what is it? Well, The Colorado Cowboy Gathering is a festival of Western Music, poetry and story-telling that celebrates cowboy heritage, traditions, and entertainment. And since it’s run by professional poets and story-tellers, I’ll take the liberty of quoting then directly from their website:
“At the double-C G, we believe in a world where a handshake means something. We also believe that the Code of the West is a powerful way to teach our children to live a life of integrity, commitment, and respect. The CCG celebrates the wisdom, artistry, and ingenuity of Western folkways with our two-day event – a vital link to the past, present and future.
Each January, we kick off the new year with sights, sounds and imagery that take you beyond the confines of life in the 21st century. As we carry this tradition forward, we hope you enjoy the tribute we pay to the past and lose yourself in the songs, poems and stories of the artists, as our cowboys and cowgirls give voice to the Spirit of the West!
Cowboy Poetry, like ranching, has its roots deep in the sod and around the glow of campfires, yet is constantly changing with the times. We are proud to present to you the best the genre has to offer, as we reunite with some old friends, and welcome some brand-new faces to the outfit!
Whether you are a neighbor from down the road, or visiting us from afar, we invite you to experience all that a Cowboy Gathering has to offer, and we hope this sampler of each and every artist at this year’s Gathering will find a permanent place on your heart’s playlist!”
Yeah, they kind of have way with words to describe it, don’t they? Anyway, it’s going to feature several well-known folks like The Russellers, Danny McCurry, Kacey/Jenna, Valerie Beard, Doug Figgs, Peggy Malone, Terry Nash, Patty Clayton, Floyd Beard and 3 Trails West. There is an afternoon matinee and evening performances each day and tickets are available in several ways. It’s best to just go to their website at www.coloradocowboygathering.org and check it all out. They have the bios of all the performers there too.
So, saddle up and mosey on over there if you want a real-life Old West experience. After all, you’re here in Golden!
John Akal is a well-known jazz artist/drummer and leader of the 20-piece Ultraphonic Jazz Orchestra. He also is president of John Akal Imaging, professional commercial photography and multimedia production. He can be reached at jaimaging@aol.com.
The post Avenue Flashes: Saddle up and mosey on over to the Colorado Cowboy Gathering appeared first on Colorado Community Media.