The 17th Annual Stony Plain Alberta Cowboy Festival
Report by Doris Daley

For cowboy poetry and music lovers in Western Canada, all roads lead to Stony Plain, Alberta on Aug 14-16 for the town's 17th annual festival celebrating cowboy poetry, music and art.

Seventeen years means 17 opportunities to grow, refine and enhance this hugely popular event, and each year just builds and improves on the last. Thanks to the support of Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine.

Friday and Saturday night performers were deliberately reserved for their evening performances, guaranteeing huge night crowds and ensuring lots of variety during the day shows. The incomparable team work of Gary and Brett highlighted the Friday night show, while Saturday night's feature showcased one of Alberta's most exciting and enjoyable country music shows: Alberta Country Music Legends Bev Munro, Alfie Myhre, Pete Hicks, Joyce Smith and Randy Hollar delivered a country music blockbuster that folks will remember for the next 17 festivals!

Special guests Sourdough Slim (California) and Sue Harris (Arizona) followed on the heels of 2008 special guest, Montana singer-songwriter DW Groethe. One or two top notch international performers ensures that Stony Plain fans are treated not only to tried-and-true Canadian favourites but also to some of the west's top entertainers.

Huge accolades go to major sponsors Best Western Sunrise Inn and Suites, Boston Pizza Stony Plain, CFCW am 790, Decker Properties Inc, and the PTI Group. Many, many other local businesses make financial and in-kind donations, a real tribute to the level of community support in this great western town.

I haven't been to all 17 Stony Plain Gatherings, but I've sure been to most of them. I remember hail storms, campfires, tall tale contests, mud swamps, outdoor stages, weather so cold you could see your breath, weather so hot that even the shade from a barb wire fence felt good, nights when we danced to great pick-up bands, and almost two decades of laughs and tears on stage.

Volunteers and committee members are among the West's best, and this year's crew, lead by Donna Cowan, was no exception.

It was an honour to be among this year's performers: Eli Barsi, Ed Brown, The Command Sisters, Stewart McDougall, Hugh McLennan, Harry Rusk, Chris and Sharkey Schauer, Bj Smith, The Alberta Country Music Legends, Gary Fjellgaard, Brett Kissel, Sue Harris, Sourdough Slim, Randy Smith and Bryn Thiessen.

The 18th Stony Plain Festival will be another barnburner. Be sure to check out at: www.stonyplaincowboypoetry.com.