By Dick Perue
GECG Publicity Chairman
Saratoga’s own cowboy musician Daron Little will perform his “Cowpuncher Music” this weekend at the 22nd Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering (GECG) in Encampment. He will be joined by another dozen noted cowboy poets and musicians to entertain at Grand View Park, Opera House and Encampment school.
Kicking off the three-day event Friday evening at 6:30 in Grand View Park will be the open mic poetry and music performance, hosted by GECG Outfit member Jason Swedlund, followed by the traditional, popular Campfire Jam Session, under the direction of Henry Pratte, at the fire pit in the park where you are invited to join the entertainers to pick, sing, tell tales, listen or just watch and enjoy.
An addition this year is food venders at the Park Friday, including Wyo. Bowls and Olio.
Saturday morning will open at 9:00 o’clock with rawhide, leather and horsehair demonstrations by Matteo Abbruzzese and Jeff Freeze at the Park, followed by 4-H kids crafting demonstrating and sale of their works of art at 10:00 o’clock.
Also beginning at 10 o’clock in the Opera House downtown Cowboy Poet Yvonne Hollenbeck will present a quilt show program entitled “Patchwork on the Prairie.”
Lunch will be served by the Encampment/Riverside Lions Club beginning about 11 at the Park shelter.
The free “Western Entertainment Roundup,” under the direction of Jason Swedlund and featuring a dozen cowboy poets and musicians, begins at noon under the tents at the park. Also during the afternoon will be a memorial to those folks who passed away during the past year.
Saturday evening at 7:00 in the Encampment school gym western folk singer and entertainer Steve Moulton will emcee the “All-Star Cowboy Poetry and Music Show” featuring Kevin Davis, Daron Little and Yvonne Hollenbeck. (See accompanying photos and bios of these featured performers.)
During the night show, other activities include a remembrance of Lynn Finney, an auction, plus announcement of the winner of the R. G. Finney framed print, “Mountain Vista”.
Back in the park Sunday morning at 9:30 Cowboy Church will be conducted by Ken and Becky Kreusel, who will be joined by the Berger family and other volunteers.
Again, those planning to attend the events at Grand View Park are asked to take a chair and enjoy a weekend of good, old-fashioned, wholesome entertainment sponsored by the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering Outfit. Seating will be provided at the Quilt Show and Saturday night at the all-star show in the Encampment school gym.
KEVIN DAVIS
is a singer-songwriter from Walters, Okla. He has co-written songs in Nashville with some very well-known writers and been published, as well as countless songs penned by himself. A self-taught guitar player, he has three albums to his credit. His first love is horses and you can hear it in his songs—with most being about faith, family and his Western way of life! This is his first appearance at the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering.
YVONNE HOLLENBECK
is a South Dakota ranch wife who lives on a Clearfield area ranch where she and her husband raise angus beef cattle and registered quarter horses. Hollenbeck writes about a lifetime as a rancher’s wife, whether she is helping outside with the livestock, putting up hay, paying the bills, or feeding a crew, and puts real life experiences (sometimes humorous) into her poetry, stories and weekly articles. Sometimes referred to as the “Erma Bombeck” of Cowboy Poetry, Hollenbeck delights her audiences with both humorous and serious poetry, and has performed at nearly every major western entertainment venue in America and Canada, having been invited to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering at Elko, Nev., a record 20 times. She has performed numerous times in Encampment.
DARON LITTLE
is one of this year’s Saturday night entertainers who cowboys for a living on the TA Ranch north of Saratoga. He also plays cowboy music that he writes from his experiences living the day-to day life and he was named 2009 Top Male Vocalist in the Western category by the Academy of Western Artists. He and his music have received other honors, but Daron mainly just loves what he does and does what he loves, both on the ranch and when he’s making music. Committee member Little has graced this stage many times over the years, having also served as the featured performer, Friday night open mic emcee and entertainer in addition to master of ceremonies.
