The National Ranching Heritage Center announces the performers and special guests headlining the celebration of Western storytelling, poetry and song on Saturday, Aug. 3.
Western artists Waddie Mitchell, Brigid and Johnny Reedy, Gail Steiger and Ed Ashurst will join cowboy songster Andy Hedges for a special day of Western storytelling, song and poetry at the second annual Ranch Verse.
Daytime programs at the National Ranching Heritage Center and an evening concert at the Cactus Theater will illustrate the heritage of cowboy country.
“Ranch Verse is a rich tapestry of Western culture, offering a diverse program including working cowboy stories, cowboy poetry, Western music, and discussions of the ranching way of life,” shared host Andy Hedges, who produces Ranch Verse alongside the National Ranching Heritage Center. “Attendees from the first Ranch Verse in 2023 overwhelmingly encouraged us to make this an annual tradition. We are honored to return for year two with this outstanding talent lineup.”
Among the artists are Brigid and Johnny Reedy, a brothersister duo from Southwestern Montana bringing their unique style of music—ranging from Cowboy tunes to Western Swing, Rhythm, and Blues—to the Ranch Verse stage throughout the event.
Buckaroo poet and working cowboy Waddie Mitchell of Elko, Nevada, will entertain during both the daytime and evening programming through his true-tolife storytelling, set to the rhyme and rhythm of Cowboy poetry.
Prescott, Arizona’s Gail Steiger is a cowboy, songwriter, filmmaker and poet. His afternoon program will share captivating images, videos, stories and songs from the grandfather, Gail I. Gardner, whose boots he follows.
Ranch Verse will also host a special live audience recording for the popular Cowboy Crossroads podcast. Andy Hedges will interview Ed Ashurst, a Rodeo, New Mexico, working cowboy and author who was the 2019 recipient of the Ranching Heritage Association Working Cowboy Award.
Leading this exceptional round-up of Western talent is Andy Hedges, an acclaimed Western songster, poet and storyteller who recently performed at Carnegie Hall. His album, Roll On, Cowboys, has become an instant classic and includes performances from Ranch Verse artists Waddie Mitchell and Johnny and Brigid Reedy. All four artists will come together for the evening concert.
“The mission of the National Ranching Heritage Center is to preserve and interpret the history of ranching,” said Hedges. “Cowboy poetry and music offer a unique avenue for ranching folks to tell their own story in their own words, so it is exciting to share this artform at the National Ranching Heritage Center with these artists.”
Daytime festivities full of song, poetry and storytelling are free and open to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock. The evening concert will be held at Lubbock’s historic Cactus Theater from 7:30-10 p.m. Tickets for the evening performance are available through Cactus Theater. The complete event schedule, along with artist bios and ticketing link, can be found at on the National Ranching Heritage Center’s website, ranchingheritage.org/ranchverse.
Making it possible to bring this talented lineup to Ranch Verse are the Ranching Heritage Association and the Helen DeVitt Jones Adult & Secondary Education endowment at the National Ranching Heritage Center.
Supported by Texas Tech University and the Ranching Heritage Association, the NRHC is a 27-acre museum and historical park that offers educational programs and exhibits about ranching history and contemporary ranching issues. The center is located at 3121 Fourth St. in Lubbock, Texas, and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free, and the historical park is wheelchair- and stroller accessible. For more information, visit ranchingheritage.org or call (806) 742-0498.