Payson Proclaims January 6-12 Cowboy Poetry Week

Cowboy Poets of Utah member and local cowboy minstrel, Bill Wright poses for a photo outside the Payson City Council Chambers.

Several notable hats are worn by Bill Wright within the Payson community. The most musically styled among them, perhaps, is that of a cowboy balladeer. This was the hat he wore when he approached the Payson City Council, December 5. He arrived seeking the penning of a proclamation that would designate January 6-12, 2013, as Cowboy Poetry Week.

Wright made the request on behalf of the Cowboy Poets of Utah, of which he has been a participant for the past three years. The organization, Wright notes, is led by President Jeff Coates, with C.R. Wood as Chairman of the Board. Local members include Paul Bliss, Gordon Thomas, who also serves as the Cowboy Poets' treasurer, and Marion Manwill, chaplain and Wasatch area representative.

Minstrels are drawn together for the Cowboy Poets' performances held throughout the year. These delightful gigs include Wright, humming and strumming alongside the talented Kevin Elmer on acoustic and electric guitar.

With the Payson City Council's support, Mayor Rick Moore's signature made Cowboy Poetry Week official. The proclamation highlights cowboy poetry's deep roots in United States, Utah, and Payson history. “[C]owboy poetry dates back to early settling of the west,” it states, “when cowboys would sit around the campfire and tell stories and recite rhymes composed during the long hours in the saddle.”

The timing of Cowboy Poetry Week could not better suit the group and the community, as the Cowboy Poets of Utah will retreat from their saddles for a Payson performance on Saturday, January 12. Poets and musicians will gather around the campfire inside the Payson High School Green Room, at 1050 South Main, from 6-8 PM. Tickets will be available for purchase at a cost of just $5 a person.

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