Jim Hawkins, Cowboy Poet

 Ice in Dallas, Snow in Atlanta
5th Annual Southeastern Cowboy Gathering
March 6-9, 2008
Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia

 

It was said many times during this gathering that the Booth Western Art Museum is a treasure for the Southeastern United States.  The truth is this museum is a treasure for those of us in the east and west of the Mississippi.

This is the 5th year that the Booth Museum has hosted the cowboy gathering and even though they had some weather woes, it went beautifully.

The museum itself is a state of the art facility with western archives and western art that rival any museum in the country.  They are affiliated with the Smithsonian so they are able to have exhibits from DC as well.  Their interactive area for the children was especially impressive, combining history lessons and cultural lessons with fun!

Jim Dunham is the Museum’s Director of Special Projects and his knowledge of western historical events and western movie trivia is astounding and entertaining.  As part of the gathering, Jim’s trick gun show was not to be missed!

Doc Stovall has worked with the local schools and his work should be commended.  Keeping the art of cowboy poetry alive is critical and Doc’s efforts have really paid off.  There were several school kids that participated in the poetry contests and they did a great job.  The competition was stiff!   Jim Hawkins, Andy Hedges, Jim Dunham and Doc Stovall also performed at the schools during the days of the gathering and the children were very receptive and excited about the Gathering.
In the cowboy hats:  Jim Hawkins, Doc Stovall, Andy Hedges, Jim Dunham with students

Throughout each day, although there was some snow and cold, the smell of the chuck wagons wafted through the air.  The competitors did not let the weather slow them down a bit. Kent Rollins was stuck in Dallas for about 16 hours because of the ice on the wings but he and his wife eventually arrived with no luggage!  Kent participated in all his shows and got to judge the cooking as planned.


The featured performers Friday night were Jim Hawkins, Andy Hedges, Kent Rollins, Doc Stovall and the Tumbleweed Cowboy Band, Jerry Warren  and Jim Dunham.  It was a great show in a wonderful theatre in the museum itself.
Andy Hedges, Kent Rollins, Jerry Warren and Jim Hawkins

Saturday night’s show featured Red Steagall, who brought along Rich O’Brien. They performed to a full house in the Grand Theatre in downtown Cartersville. Cartersville has a wonderful downtown area and being in this theatre was a neat experience.

Red’s arrival was touch-and-go for a while due to weather as well.  He was stuck in Atlanta due to snow on his arrival day.  But, just like Kent, Red made it and performed like the stand-up performer that he is!

Doc Stovall and the Tumbleweed Cowboy Band

Having the benefit of tagging along with one of the performers, a highlight was in the hotel lobby each night after the shows.  Each evening would find an impromptu jam session going on for a couple hours into the morning. Doc Stovall is a gifted musician and vocalist who can play and sing anything if you name that tune or start singing the words!  He knows every song ever written and has penned some great songs himself!  Billy Puckett can make "Twinkle Little Star" sound like a classical piece and fires up a stringed instrument like nothing you have ever heard!  Andy Hedges joined in with his guitar and Jim and I sang along with every song we knew the words to. Tom Kerlin and Don DeFoor pulled out guitars and did all the songs they knew.  We had a ladies church group stop and hang out with us at one point.

For folks who spend most of their time in the eastern half of the country, this gathering is like a drink of water!  Having the option of seeing top notch Cowboy performers in a great little town like Cartersville is a gift!  Doc Stovall, Jim Dunham, Cartersville itself and the Booth Western Art Museum have put together a gathering not to be missed no matter where you are from!

© 2008, Karen DeCicco Hawkins