THE GAZETTE.
March-April 2006 • Year 12, Number 2.
Cowboy Festival Gallops Into Newhall.
By MICHAEL FLEMING
Cowboy Festival Manager, City Of Santa Clarita.
Shine up those spurs and dust off those ten-gallon hats — the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is riding back into town!
The best performers in Western entertainment will help celebrate the city of Santa Clarita's Thirteenth Annual Cowboy Festival from April 26 through April 30 at the Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio and other venues in Santa Clarita.
The Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival attracts Western singers, balladeers, storytellers and poets from all over the country who embody the spirit of the Old West. It is considered one of the premier festivals of its kind.
"The Cowboy Festival has become a tradition in Santa Clarita," said Mayor Laurene Weste. "We attract visitors from all over the country and beyond who love the cowboy way of life and the celebration of Santa Clarita's Western heritage."
City Manager Ken Pulskamp is credited with starting the Santa Clarita festival after visiting a similar event in Elko, Nevada. The city held the first annual festival months after the devastating Northridge earthquake of 1994. Finding its original festival site — the Hart High School auditorium — in shambles, the city scrambled to find a new venue. The Veluzat family, owners of historic Melody Ranch, generously offered their property for the event.
The studio is the current home to the hit HBO series, "Deadwood," and is the perfect venue for the popular Western festival.
The 2006 Cowboy Festival lineup looks to be one of the best yet. Featured performers include some crowd favorites — the Sons of the San Joaquin, Don Edwards, Waddie Mitchell, Lorraine Rawls and many others. A full performance schedule is available online at the festival website, www.cowboyfestival.org.
This year's kick-off events include the Cowboy Couture Fashion Show, a Women Artists of the West event at Hart Hall and an "Art of the Chuckwagon" demonstration at Heritage Junction Historic Park.
On Friday night, April 28, four simultaneous Cowboy Festival events will be going on, ensuring that everyone has the chance to "cowboy up!"
The popular Spaghetti Western Family Dinner Train, hosted by the Fillmore and Western Railway Company, will offer fun and food for the whole family.
The Walk of Western Stars ceremony will give folks the opportunity to enjoy a star-studded evening out to honor the accomplishments of stars of the silver screen. The event actually begins on the sidewalks of Newhall at 3 p.m. with the unveiling of new plaques for the Newhall Walk of Western Stars, and concludes with a gala dinner at 7 p.m. at the Hyatt Valencia Hotel and Santa Clarita Conference Center.
Meanwhile, Singer Don Edwards and other musicians will explore the history of Western music at the "Legacy of Violence in Western Song" event at the Autry Museum.
Finally, The Canyon Theatre Guild will present a special production of the popular musical "Oklahoma!"
Be sure to save some energy for the weekend, when the Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio opens its doors to the public for entrance to the annual Cowboy Festival. Guests are transported by shuttle to the ranch, disembarking to the sounds of cowboy music and the smell of authentic cowboy peach cobbler.
Five separate music stages will feature ongoing entertainment throughout the weekend. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children under eleven years of age each day and include entrance to the Cowboy Gear Show and Gold Rush Food Court.
On Sunday, you can begin your day at 8 a.m. at The Master's College with Cowboy Church. Admission is free. Also on Sunday, Atlasta Ranch will host a Carousel Ranch Benefit Trail Ride from 8 a.m. to noon. Each of these activities is a great way to get in the cowboy spirit before you head out to Melody Ranch.
Some events sell out, so buy your tickets early to avoid being left out of this Santa Clarita tradition.
A special two-day weekend pass is available, and the city offers a limited number of "Friends of the Festival" packages, which include admission to Melody Ranch for both Saturday and Sunday; preferred seating at all Melody Ranch Stage shows; all-weekend access to the Melody Ranch VIP Hacienda with catered food and beverages ... and much more.
For more information about the 2006 Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, to subscribe to "eNotify" e-mail notifications or to buy tickets, log onto www.cowboyfestival.org. Tickets are also available by phone from the city's Festival Box Office at 1-800-305-0755.
©2006, Old Town Newhall USA. All rights reserved.
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