| Cowboy poet Lee Jeffs recites one of his poems. |
Cowboy poetry comes to the Emery County Historical Society every year at the August meeting. This year was no exception. Mike Williams, president of the historical society began by thanking Glendon Johnson, owner of Castle Valley Outdoors, that has been the setting for the annual poetry fest for the past few years. He also thanked Jim Fauver and Jonathan Fauver who were acting as hosts for the evening at Castle Valley Outdoors.
Kent Petersen was introduced and acted as emcee for the evening’s festivities. “This is a great facility here at Castle Valley Outdoors. The Johnsons have to be commended for taking a rundown homestead and changing it into a world class resort,” Petersen stated. He then introduced the first performer of the night.
Roma Powell began a recitation about cowboy poets. She began with the history of when cowboys first began making rhymes. It seems, according to Powell, that cowboys have always made rhymes, but when the ranching life began to dwindle and cowboys were no longer in demand, it was only then that they had time to put the rhymes to paper.
The next performer was Shaun Tomsich. He sang and played guitar for the historical society. His first song was Don’t Fence Me In and he followed that with Peaceful Easy Feeling.
Ross Nordell was next on the list of performers. “We came here tonight from Manti. We made it a little bit quicker that the pioneers did,” Nordell said. He read several poems, all of his own composing. The first was Home to Utah, followed by Cowboys Eden, then The Cowboy and the Computer.
Eve Jackson read a poem she wrote about raising and gentling a colt. Tomsich again sang two more songs, King of the Road and I Walk the Line.
| Members of the Emery County Historical Society meet at Castle Valley Outdoors for their annual cowboy poetry and songs. The annual event takes place during the August meeting of the historical society. |
Petersen introduced Evelyn Huntsman who sang two songs. Her first was a ditty which named the state in the United States called What Did Della Wear? Huntsman finished with I Never See Maggie Alone.
Lee Jeffs was next on the program. He recited a poem about Calving Time and finished with a humorous one about bulls.
Petersen, as emcee, then took a few minutes to recite some of his poems. His first was called the Definition of a Cowboy, the next was Reincarnation by Wally McRae. He then took requests for the audience and recited a poem about boots, and another about the game of golf.
| Shaun Tomsich sings at the Emery County Historical Society’s evening of poetry and song. |
Tomsich finished the evening’s entertainment with three songs. The Green, Green Grass of Home, another he wrote with Jim Pyper about having 20-20 hindsight, and topped it all off with Happy Trails To You.
Hazel McMullin added to the finale of the entertainment and told a joke about a bull.
The entertainment was completed with Dutch oven cobbler and ice cream which was prepared by Gary Kofford and his wife, Glenna.
The Emery County Historical Society meets once a month. For more information about joining the historical society, call Mike Williams at 286-2241.