14th Annual Southeastern Cowboy Festival & Symposium

For Immediate Release Press Contact: Tom Shinall, TMP Director of Marketing [email protected] 770-387-1300THE SOUTH’S LARGEST WESTERN THEMED EVENT RETURNS TO THE BOOTH14th Annual Southeastern Cowboy Festival & Symposium, October 20-23 at Booth Western Art MuseumCARTERSVILLE, GEORGIA – Make plans now to attend the 14th Annual Southeastern CowboyFestival & Symposium, October 20-23 at Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia. As thelargest Western themed event in the South, thousands of participants are expected to visit the four-dayFestival & Symposium, which is packed with events such as gunfight re-enactments, Native Americandancing, art-related events with Featured Artist Merrill Mahaffey, concert by Featured Entertainer MartyHaggard, children’s activities, Cowboy Church, and so much more!The Festival & Symposium begins Thursday, October 20 at 9:00 am with Passport to the West.Exclusively for students, this school program is designed to educate children (grades 2-12) with rivetingperformances of “From East to West” by Native Americans Laura Alcorn and Little Big Mountain. Viewfull encampments of Southern Plains and Eastern Woodland Indians and learn the differences betweentribes. Discover what Native American life was like from both the male and female perspective. Additionaldemonstrations of pottery making, blacksmithing, spinning, chuck wagon cooking, flint knapping, beekeeping, and life at a trading post will fascinate students as they take this educational journey through theWest. Admission to the school program is $5 for students, $3 plus tax for adults, and free for classroomteachers. Educators interested in bringing their students to Passport to the West should call 770-387-3849 to schedule their group. Passport to the West is also available on Friday, October 21 from 9:00 amto 1:00 pm.The Festival & Symposium opens to the public Thursday afternoon, October 20. Booth MuseumMembers and guests are invited to attend the opening of the exhibition 65 Years of Chasing Sunlight:The Art of Merrill Mahaffey. Merrill Mahaffey completed his first painting in 1950. He says he has beenon a quest ever since, “chasing the sunlight across the land trying to capture the exact luminosity thatmakes ordinary places magical.” Known for his highly detailed paintings of rock formations, canyon wallsand mines, Mahaffey contrasts light and shadow to great effect. Through nearly 30 paintings, thisexhibition highlights the best of his work over the last 20 years. Mahaffey will conduct a gallery walk at4:30 pm in the Temporary Exhibition Gallery. Refreshments will be served in the Atrium from 5:30 pm to7:00 pm. At 7:00 pm in Bergman Theatre, Booth Museum Members and guests are invited to hearMahaffey discuss his life as an avid outdoorsman and artist who has redefined the great westernlandscape with his brush. MORE

Page two, Cowboy Festival & SymposiumThroughout the day on Friday, the 14th annual Western Art History Symposium will be held in BergmanTheatre from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm with four sessions, each lasting 45 minutes with time for questions andanswers, and a break for lunch. The Western Art History Symposium is included with generaladmission to the Museum. At 10:30 am, Edward S. Curtis: The Shadow Catcher. Christopher Cardozois widely acknowledged as the world’s leading authority on Edward S. Curtis. He has collected Curtis’artwork for four decades and has the worlds’ largest and most broad–ranging Curtis collection. Cardozohas created and curated one–person Curtis exhibitions that have been exhibited in major museums inmore than 40 countries. At 11:30 am, Pueblo Pottery Past and Present. Charles King, owner of KingGalleries in Scottsdale, AZ, is an author, lecturer and expert on Southwestern Pueblo pottery. For morethan 20 years King has represented work by Native potters focusing on quality and innovation. At 12:30pm, a lunch buffet in the Booth Ballroom will include a salad bar, spaghetti with meat sauce, bread sticks,corn dogs, assorted chips, cookies, chocolate cake, and sliced apples with caramel for only $11.00 + tax.At 2:00 pm, Bountiful Beauty: Basketry and Beadwork. William Faust, owner of Faust Gallery inScottsdale, AZ has 30 plus years of experience in buying, selling, and appraising American Indian Art andJewelry. His lectures are famous for their insight, knowledge, and highlighting the historic and currenttrends in American Indian Art. At 3:00 pm, Words of Wisdom on Southwestern Weavings. SteveGetzwiller, owner of Nizhoni Ranch Gallery in Sonoita, AZ, is a connoisseur of fine Navajo weavings.Navajo weaving of today has become a fine art, and continues to evolve. Steve has witnessed many ofthese changes in recent years and works tirelessly to cultivate the continuation of this indigenous art formof the Southwest.At 10:00 am on Saturday, October 22, the Museum’s Festival Grounds will open with three stages ofcontinuous entertainment, children’s activities and a Western marketplace. New this year, the CowpokeCorner Children’s Stage will feature short interactive skits geared toward children including Jessica’s WildWest Magic Show, Refuse the Rat and Garbage Bag Puppet Show, Mary Musgrove and JamesOglethorpe skit, Wild West Bingo, and a Music Show with Peach Picker! The Music Stage will featureWilliam Harjo performing the Native American Flute, Natalie Goodwin singing folk & family songs,Banjolicious pickin’ bluegrass/folk/country, all-star Western band Back in the Saddle, and Westernsinger/songwriter Phil Helton keeping it traditional. Throughout the day attendees will also be entertainedby living history demonstrations and skits on the Wild West Festival Stage. Performances include “EastMeets West: Native American Life and Culture” with Native Americans Laura Alcorn and Little BigMountain, re-enactments of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, trick and fancy roping with cowboy BruceBrannen, plus traditional Native American dancing, The Art of the Bullwhip demonstration with cowboyPotshot Parker, plus the “Reel West” with Booth Museum Director of Special Projects Jim Dunham. MORE

Page three, Cowboy Festival & SymposiumRounding out the Festival Grounds activities, the Cowpoke Children’s Corner will include fun and freeactivities such as art projects, hay bale calf roping, chalk art, Western Town Bouncy House, and the LittleRed Barn Petting Zoo featuring chickens, sheep, goats, ponies, cows, pigs, rabbits, and more! New thisyear, a chalk art competition and demonstration will be led by the students of Harrison and KennesawMountain High Schools. Marketplace vendors will be selling Western art and collectibles, jewelry andclothing, food, pottery, and much more. And, don’t forget to stroll through the festival grounds and interactwith Western entertainers and characters!On Saturday at 7:00 pm in the historic Grand Theatre, Booth Western Art Museum is excited to welcomeinternationally acclaimed recording artist Marty Haggard as Featured Entertainer for the 14th AnnualSoutheastern Cowboy Festival & Symposium. With one of the most famous father’s in music, MartyHaggard shares the behind-the-scenes life of what it was like growing up with his world-famous dad,Merle Haggard. Only a handful of musicians have had an impact on the music industry as Merle, havinginfluenced everything from bluegrass to rock ‘n roll prior to his passing in April 2016. With an intimateacoustic duo set, Marty’s remarkable similarity to his father’s voice will entertain audiences in a concertcovering the lengthy career of The Hag. His love for his Dad and his music inspired him to begin a projectwhich he titled A Tribute To Merle Haggard, “My Dad”. With two tribute CD’s under his belt (andanother one in the works), Marty delivers the songs and stories about his legendary father’s music – asonly a member of the family could! Tickets are $25 plus tax for Booth Museum Members and $30 plus taxfor not-yet-members. Ticket sales are non-refundable. To purchase tickets call 770-387-1300 or visit theMuseum or Grand Theatre Box Office.The final day of the Festival & Symposium will begin with Cowboy Church at 11:00 am on Sunday,October 23. Led by Pastor Jason Lyle, Cowboy Church is a non-denominational service featuringcowboy prayers and Western spiritual music. The Cowboy Festival & Symposium will then continuewith another full day of entertainment, children’s activities and the Western marketplace from noon to 5:00pm on the Festival Grounds. The Sunday schedule for the Music Stage will feature Montie Esworthyperforming original Hank Williams songs and smooth ballads, Western singer/songwriter Phil Helton,innovative bluegrass band the Old Mill Road Band, William Harjo performing the Native American Flute,and an Open Mic session of Cowboy Music and Poetry. Entertainment on the Wild West Stage willinclude demonstrations and performances of re-enactments of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, traditionalNative American dancing, trick and fancy roping with cowboy Bruce Brannen, the “Reel West” and aQuick Draw (gun) Skit with Booth Museum Director of Special Projects Jim Dunham, and The Art of theBullwhip demonstration with cowboy Potshot Parker. On the Cowpoke Corner Children’s Stage, children MORE

Page four, Cowboy Festival & Symposiumcan continue the inspiration from the chalk art competition and enjoy a demonstration of giant bubblesfrom Sweet Pea the Clown and Markey.For more details on the schedule of events, as well as pricing for all activities and events, visitwww.boothmuseum.org or call 770-387-1300.About Booth Western Art MuseumBooth Western Art Museum, an Affiliate to the Smithsonian Institution, is a 120,000 square foot museumlocated in Cartersville, Georgia, where guests are invited to See America’s Story through contemporaryWestern artwork, a Presidential Gallery, Civil War art gallery, and Sagebrush Ranch, an interactivechildren’s gallery. Open since August 2003, Booth Museum is the only museum of its kind in theSoutheast and is the second largest art museum in the state of Georgia. To learn more about BoothWestern Art Museum, visit www.boothmuseum.org. ###Suggested Tweet:Round ‘em up for the #cowboyfestival at @boothmuseum. #explorega #visitnwga #visitmetroatlwww.boothmuseum.org/cowboyfestival/Suggested Facebook Post:Round up the youngins for the South’s largest #cowboyfestival @boothmuseum! Food, entertainment,Native American dancing, gunfight re-enactments, petting zoo, shopping, festival food, and so muchmore! www.boothmuseum.org/cowboyfestival/