For three days recently the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds was the gravitational center of the earth for anyone attracted to Western music and poetry. The Arizona Cowboy Symposium featured 72 performances from Nov. 13-15 as well as Western-swing dances Friday and Saturday night.

KG and the Ranger practice in the Bowman Archive Room of the Stradling History Center before their performance. Photo / Marion Vendituoli

The Cowboy Symposium Association, dedicated to preserving the art, music and poetry of the American cowboy, has produced this gathering at the fairgrounds for the past four years. Previously, the event was held in Tucson, but the group decided that Sonoita was a more appropriate site. According to Ken Whitecotton, recording secretary for the association, “It was time to take cowboy entertainment to where the cowboys live.”

With four stages set up in three buildings and out on the ramada, each act was scheduled to perform twice a day for a 20-minute set. It was a little nippy out by the patio stage. “In between songs we’re doing the fox trot to keep warm,” joked Nancy Ruybal of Laveen, from the group Katy Creek.

Having so many acts performing at the same time generated a sense of energy throughout the fairgrounds. In Pioneer Hall musicians pulled their instruments and ambled through the crowd as they prepared to set up for their sets. Performers sat behind long tables selling their CDs and chatting with fans and their fellow musicians. At nearby tables some people ate lunch or visited with friends.

The Stradling Museum at the end of the hall was open, providing visitors a glimpse into the history of ranching in Santa Cruz County, and also providing a quiet corner for last minute warm-up for groups like KG and The Ranger, from Madison, Wis.

Vendors set up in Gardner Hall. Performances in the Hedgecock Building evoked the feeling of a private concert in a barn.

Journey West, from Phoenix, harmonized beautifully and featured a surprising cowboy clarinetist. Their performance of “Cowboys Are my Weakness” was a particular favorite with the audience. Ken Busy, the male singer of the group sang “Jesus and Roy.” “In church I learned to meditate and Roy taught me to shoot straight,” he sang. “I’m the man I am today because of Jesus and Roy.”

Patty Clayton, a musician from Denver, sang a duet with award-winning musician Juni Fisher, who was in the audience incognito. The musical highlight of the weekend for many was the performance of the Elliott Family Band from Benson. Three generations of Elliotts demonstrated smooth harmonies and solid, on-the-mark instrumentation with guitar, accordion, slide guitar and fiddle.

The Santa Cruz County 4-H Traditional Country Band played on Saturday under the direction of Jim Koweek and vocal coach Katherine Cudney. Wheeler Reece on guitar, Audrey Reece on mandolin, Aisa Reece and Logan McNeil on fiddles, Sommer Koweek on the bass and Loftin Cudney on dobro wowed the audience.

The organizers of the symposium were pleased to have the 4-H group perform. “We want to encourage the youth,” Whitecotton said. The Cowboy Symposium Association funds the Brielle Boisvert scholarship to help a graduating senior in Santa Cruz County pursue an interest in the arts or in agricultural studies. Through the symposium and the scholarship the association is committed to keeping the spirit and the legacy of the cowboy way of life alive.