Echos of the Trail begins June 12

A nostalgic weekend of cowboy tales and music will return to Fort Scott June 12-14.

The 13th Annual Echoes of the Trail Cowboy Gathering will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, June 12 with performances of special cowboy and western music, and conclude at 10 a.m. Sunday with a morning church service and chuck wagon breakfast. All weekend events and activities, which also includes vendors selling pottery and crafts, will take place on the Fort Scott Community College campus, 2108 S. Horton St.

"This year we have a wonderful array of vendors coming and some new ones," event organizer Judy Howser said. "We'll have lots of unusual western and southwestern things."

Howser said the event provides entertainment locally for people of all ages.

"It's entertainment close to home and I think that's something people are looking for because it costs so much to travel these days," she said. "It's family entertainment."

The weekend event begins at 7 p.m. Friday, June 12, with a performance by Johnny Kendrick and Sons, Richards, Mo. Kendrick is one of the founders of the Echoes of the Trail event and began his singing career in Branson, Mo. His sons, Jackson and Sam, have inherited their dad's talent and now appear with him at the annual gathering. Kendrick is an authority on and writer of authentic cowboy music, and performs his own traditional cowboy music. He wrote the Echoes of the Trail event theme song and has been nominated for Academy of Western Artists awards, Howser said.

On Saturday, the FSCC Academic Building will be open at 9 a.m. for many indoor events, with entertainment beginning at 10 a.m. A dozen cowboy performers will tell humorous and mournful tales, sing, play guitar and more on two stages.

Throughout the weekend, the halls of the college will be filled with such western-themed items as fine horse tack, deer hide braiding, original western and southwestern art, compact discs, books, clothing, and jewelry. Chuck wagon cooks Denny and Donna Williams of Neosho, Mo., will have pits dug in the ground outdoors to cook up authentic trail food for breakfast and a noon meal on Saturday and Sunday. Mexican food, barbecue, funnel cakes and other tasty treats will be available throughout the weekend.

At 3 p.m. Saturday, the winners of a youth cowboy poetry contest will read or recite their poems. An open microphone period will follow for anyone who wants to read or recite cowboy poetry or stories, sing or play cowboy music. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Kendrick and event co-founder Arnold Schofield will begin the evening's entertainment, followed by a performance by cowboy poet and singer Cliff Sexton and six other cowboy poets and musicians from the four-state area.

A silent auction of western art and other decorative items will also take place Saturday evening.

This year, several cowboy poets and musicians that organizers plan to welcome back include Gerry Allen, Harold Carpenter, Richard Dunlap, D.J. Fry, Sam Kiefer, Joe Lester, Ken Lorton, Donna Penley, Ron Ratliff, Steve Spalding, Neal Torrey, and Jake White. Most of the performers are members of the Missouri Cowboy Poets Association and live in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Many currently raise livestock, work on ranches or in rodeo, and have performed all across the United States and Mexico. Kiefer graduated from the FSCC rodeo program and is now a cattleman. Last year, he recited a well-received poem about the late Dan VandeWynkel, a former rodeo coach at FSCC, Howser said.

The weekend event will conclude at 10 a.m. Sunday with performances of inspirational poems and hymns during a Cowboy Church service. A chuck wagon breakfast will follow the service. Attendees are asked to bring lawn chairs for this event as seating will not be provided.

All proceeds from the event go toward organizing next year's event, Howser said.

"We try to put on a quality show, preserve the image of the American cowboy and the West and help tourism in Fort Scott," she said.

Howser added the event draws about 500 people each year, a majority of whom hail from the four-state area, although some visitors have traveled from as far as Alaska and Tennesse for the event. Many performers and guests return for the event each year out of tradition, Howser said.

Tickets for the event, which will be available at the door and are currently available at Country Cupboard, 12 N. Main St., cost $15 for adults for all shows. Children 12 years of age and younger will be admitted free of charge. Senior citizens will be able to purchase two tickets for $20. Chuck wagon cooks are only asking for a free will offering.

For more information or to obtain a schedule of events, visit http://echoesofthetrail.com or call Howser at (620) 223-0736.