The 2017 Kansas Cowboy Poetry Contest will get underway with three regional contests and will culminate with the finals at the Flint Hills Discovery Center.Image may be NSFW.
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“We invite current and aspiring cowboy poets to enter our regional contests,” said poetry contest chair Ron Wilson of the Lazy T Ranch near Manhattan. “The top three qualifiers at each regional contest can advance to the finals which will be held at the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan on June 9.”
Qualifying contests will be held as follows: Saturday, May 6, 4:30 p.m., Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper, 15231 SW Parallel Street, Benton; and Friday, May 19, 7 p.m., Rollin ‘Red’ Vandever Memorial Park, home of the “Wilson County Old Iron Club,” 10392 Jade Road, Fredonia.
To enter, contestants should go to www.cowboypoetrycontest.com to print out an entry form. Contestants can recite a serious poem, humorous poem or both. Awards will be presented in both categories. The finals will be free and open to the public at the Discovery Center on Friday, June 9, 2017 on the night before the Symphony in the Flint Hills.
“We are excited that the Symphony is in nearby Geary County this year,” Wilson said. “We are also pleased to have a new and improved website for the contest.”
There is no admission charge and the public is invited to attend all of these events. State champions at the finals will receive the Saddlejack Bradrick Award, the coveted Governor’s Buckle, discounts and gift certificates from leading western wear stores, and two tickets to the Symphony in the Flint Hills plus an opportunity to present their poems in the story circle after the symphony. In addition, the state winners will be invited to compete in the National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo. It is not necessary to go through the state contest to enter the national rodeo because anyone can enter the National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo directly, but the Kansas winners will have their entry fees paid by the Kansas contest.
For more information or to enter a regional contest, go to www.cowboypoetrycontest.com.
State contest committee members include: Orin Friesen, President, Kansas Chapter of Western Music Association, Benton; Jeff Davidson, Eureka; Brad Hamilton, Hoyt; Geff Dawson, Alma and Ron Wilson, Manhattan. For more information, visit www.cowboypoetrycontest.com.
