Cowboys rope in the crowd

cowboys032: Cowboys rope in the crowdTwo days of watching ropin’, ridin’, and ranchin’, brought the crowds out to the Kern County Museum in Bakersfield on April 5 and 6. It was the fourth annual “What A Cowboy Knows” cowboy festival that also featured country and western singers, poets, story tellers, Old West shootouts and shooting competitions.

“One of the highlights was Bennie Martinez whose roping and riding was just phenomenal,” said La Wana Whitley, rental and visitor services supervisor. “It was just spellbinding watching his horse prance, dance and bow to the crowd. And when he stood on top of the horse and did a giant lasso around the horse, everyone just went wild.”

The festival definitely had a family atmosphere. Whitley said the museum gave away 250 cowboy hats to children each day, and, if they had not run out, the number would have been much higher. Once inside the gates there was always a large number of children clustered around Jim Brooks. A tireless entertainer, Brooks spent the majority of both days showing and teaching children how to perform roping tricks.

Back for another year was one of the most popular cowboy acts in the country, legendary Sourdough Slim. Slim has appeared at the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, and Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles.

His popular stage show combines cowboy singing, yodeling and comedy, accompaniment on accordion, guitar, ukulele and harmonica.

“He had the crowd rolling,” Whitley confirmed. “They were howling with laughter.”

Dazzling might be the best word to describe the Parade of Cowboys which took place each day at 11 a.m. “Oohs” and “ahs” were particularly audible for the Charros, Mexican cowboys dressed in their authentic, festive costumes.

For those that just wanted to kick back and be entertained there were some great western yarns spun by poet/storytellers Ken Graydon and Phee Sherline, Molly Flannagan, Pat Richardson, Bud Karrer and Rick Clark.

Those seeking historic action could witness re-enactments of frontier shootouts. The Single Action Shooting Society provided some amazement as mounted competitors while riding at top speed had to shoot out balloon targets.

Others who were into cowboy culture could observe saddle making, silver smithing and rope making done the way it was in years gone by.

In addition to the Brooks’ roping demonstrations, children participated in western costume, quick draw and little range riders roping contests.

When the feet got a little tender from the walking the length and width of the grounds to see all the sights, visitors could simply sit back and travel like the pioneers did in a covered wagon ride.
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