Lewiston, Idaho is the setting. for Cowboy Corral, a 13-part
television series full of Cowboy legends and the folklore. Each episode presents
three musicians, poets and storytellers who share their tales of traditional and
contemporary Western culture. The series is available for broadcast on PBS stations
nationwide.
We first learned about Cowboy Corral when our Honored Guest Debra Coppinger Hill wrote to tell us that she and her Outriders
partner Casey Allen are featured in two episodes of the Jeda production.
Other BAR-D pards featured include Louise Dean,
Lariat Laureate runner up Graham Dean, and Honored Guest Mike Puhallo.
The series was filmed in February, 2000, at the annual Lewis-Clark Cowboy Poetry, Music and Western Arts Festival in
Lewiston, Idaho, a three-day event that hosts some of the best poets and musicians from
the US, Australia, and Canada.
The Cowboy Corral site (no longer posted)
included information about this "roundup of entertainment celebrating the Cowboy
Lifestyle," view selected video, and order the episodes on cassette. Following
are some excerpts from their descriptions, used with permission:
The Cowboy Corral is a unique blend of poetry, music, and
storytelling that will entertain and amuse audiences of all ages. . . Each 30-minute
episode includes interviews and performances from three different entertainers who,
through poetry and song, tell the legends and the tales that reflect the heritage and
lifestyle of the western cowboy.
The poetry and musical performances featured on the Cowboy Corral represent the
historical and contemporary culture of the western cowboy as interpreted by entertainers.
It is their goal to preserve the heritage of the West and the cowboy's place in
history.
. . .Listen to historical poems that date back to the Civil War,
stories and songs of cowboys on the open range, cowgirls and their horses, and some tales
so unbelievable, they're called "wide loop" tales. The stories these
cowboys and cowgirls tell may be the truth, they may be fictional, or maybe they're just
plain lies -- but whatever they are, folks are sure to enjoy them!
The Jeda Productions series
is available for broadcast on PBS stations nationwide (contact your local PBS station's
program director and request the series!).
Additional information is
available from Jeda Productions.
