Conversation and Dinner

Tom Gamm by Chris Simon

Today we have a special guest blogger.  Tom Gamm is the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering Logistics Manager.  He hangs all the banners, moves chairs and stages, sets up for the workshops and special events, and makes all of our lives easier.  Today he's talking about one of his favorite events, the Conversation and Dinner series started by Baxter Black, and featuring Red Steagall.  Welcome to the Western Folklife Center.

In the years that I've been helping to stage the Gathering, I've especially enjoyed working on the dinner at the Basque Hall because it is an intimate venue away from thesometimes overwhelming frenzy of the Gatheirng.  Individuals can experience, in a relaxed environment, one of the more iconic figures at the center of our culture.  I don't think we replicate that experience as well anywhere else.

One of the things I've experienced as staff here is how deeply appreciative Baxter, Murphey, and now Red, are of the opportunity they have to engage us, and the passion and clarity with which they embrace their roles.  If you have ever had a chance to work with or be with them when the bright lights aren't on, as I have over the years, you would truly experience that passion.  You would gain an even greater appreciation of their efforts and integrity. 

Please don't miss this opportunity--I've heard there is space at the dinner and I take it on as a mission to urge people to attend.  You will not regret it.

Thanks,

Tom Gamm

Red Steagall

"A Conversation and Dinner with Red Stegall" is on Friday, January 29, at 5:00 pm in the Basque Club House.  To purchase tickets for "A Conversation and Dinner with Red Steagall"  go to the Western Folklife Center's website or call 888-880-5885 (toll free) or 775-738-7508 (in Elko or outside the U.S.).

Curveballs

Welcome to the Western Folklife Center.  Let me introduce myself.  I'm Tamara.  I've been in Elko and at the Western Folklore Center for two-and-a-half years now.  This will be my third Gathering as manager. So it's seven o'clock and I'm still at my desk.  This time of year you can find 90% of the Elko office staff still at their desks after five o'clock, either on the phone or typing away in front of their computers.  We have so much to do still to make the 26th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering the best Gathering yet.  Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprising if you've met any of us), we all are still smiling and making jokes.

Photo Op with the Ringling 5

During the first Gathering that I managed, everyone from WFC staff to artists to audience members would stop me to comment on how calm I seemed.  Truth is, I was calm.  I still am.  Throw me a curve ball, I'll swing.  Set a fire, I'll put it out.  That's what I do.  That's what we all do here.  That same Gathering, I was amazed at how things just got done.  I'd be on my way to the Convention Center to settle a problem when I'd get a call saying it was already solved.  Presto!  I'd think of something I forgot to do when Kathi (the NCPG programs assistant and volunteer coordinator) would call to remind me of the same thing.  It's almost as if we develop telepathy for a few days in January.

We have had a few last-minutes changes to the schedule. Ramblin' Jack Elliott's latest release was nominated for a Grammy award, so he has to leave Elko a little bit early. I'm excited to hear him play some songs from the nominated album A Stranger Here, and can't wait to congratulate him in person.  Check the schedule for other changes and to see who we've got filling in for Ramblin' Jack on "The Long Ride" with Dick Gibford and Corb Lund & the Hurtin' Albertans. There are still tickets available for "The Long Ride."  You can get them on our website, of course.

Everything we're doing for the next two weeks is part of the time-crunch that keeps this job interesting.  One minute I'm talking to an artist, the next I'm sending an email.  The minute after that I'm ordering food for the greenrooms or proofreading the education guide.  Everything we do is varied and important.  Everything we do is leading up to the best week of the year.  I hope to see you then.  I'll be the blur running by with a smile on her face.

-Tamara

It's time for the 26th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

The staff of the Western Folklife Center is hard at work preparing for the big event. After 25 cowboy poetry gatherings, you would think we would have this down to a science. Unfortunately, we don't. It's a moving target. But it's never dull and we thought you might enjoy reading about what happens behind the scenes leading up to the Gathering, and during the week of the event. The Western Folklife Center staff will be sharing our experiences, our excitement and possibly our nervous breakdowns with you as we get closer to January 23rd. During the week of the Gathering, we hope to be joined by other bloggers who will be sharing their thoughts and impressions about performances that touched them and those that didn't, and about the interstitial moments that are sometimes the most meaningful and memorable for Gathering fans and friends. Please join us on our journey to the 26th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, January 23-30 in Elko, Nevada.