The American tradition of the rhyme around the campfire after a hard day’s ride remains alive. It’s sure to be well worth the trip to Coulterville to take in the works of four poets who live the ranch lifestyle and fight fiercely for their place in Americana.

In fact, it could be said this specialized and well-established form of verse is true Americana – like no other form of entertainment. Sponsored by the Mariposa County Arts Council, there is no charge to absorb the poetry from a special group of poets who are all local to the Mariposa County area.

While Elko may be the epicenter of this truly Western and earthy brand of speak, the tiny Western town of Coulterville, an easy jaunt from Mariposa, Sonora, and the San Joaquin Valley, will host poets in an event that runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 18, in the Coulterville Park.

Wendy Brown-Barry, a noted and well-traveled cowboy poet in her own right, has stacked the stage with some rhymers with plenty of reason. Her words of the West will be all over this event. She will emcee and perform.

“By golly,” she says, “… I see cowboy poetry as the voice of the real working West.” Barry-Brown has received many accolades and has played the big stage of Cowboy Poetry, the annual festival in Elko, which attracts the best and brightest poets from around the country.

“Wendy has been an advocate and a knowledgeable gogetter that has done a world of good for the whole genre,” said the co-founder of the Elko festival and one of Cowboy Poetry’s biggest stars, Waddie Mitchell.

In addition to Brown-Barry, and possibly her dog “Flash,” an Aussie who has become a favorite of school children all over the area; three others will share their rhymes that promise to make one laugh, and maybe even cry.

Cathey’s Valley’s own young talent, 15-year-old Dylan Marchetti, who was discovered and nurtured by Brown-Barry, is on the bill. The teen has also played the big stage in Elko. Joining the two women are veteran poet and veteran equine veterinarian Madison Seamans of Coarsegold, and Coulterville’s own Keith Keenom, who accompanies his muse with music.

Keenom is a cowboy musician extraordinaire. Retired foreman from the Mariposa County Road Department, Keenom’s true passions are cowboying and music. Born into a musical family Keenom began playing guitar at the age of 12. He joined his first band, The Grisley Mountain Boys in 1978, and began his own band, Shades of Country, in 1982. He was a member of the Cowboy Gospel group, “The Bunkhouse Boys,” when they cut their first CD.

He has opened for the Sons of the San Joaquin, sang cowboy songs for Mule Days in Bishop, and has performed at the Mariposa County Cannonball Cowboy Poetry Gathering. He has also traveled as far as Germany to perform, and has journied regularly to Arkansas to participate in county fairs and music festivals.

In a self-description, Seamans said, “Seamans is a veterinarian, philosopher, author of bad cowboy poetry and art and a sorry team roper. He rode bronc horses’ till his brains came in and retired from rodeo after a career that lasted either seven and a half seconds or 15 and a half seconds, depending on who is tellin’ the story. He was a horse shoer and trainer until he got too old and crippled for that.

Finally, he went to Texas A&M University when it looked like he was going to have to get a real job or go to college. He finally graduated with his doctorate in veterinary medicine in 1985, artfully squeezing four years into 12. He now practices veterinary medicine and lives outside of Coarsegold, with his wife, Sunny Rae, a few horses, a spoiled dog, and variable number of purebred barn cats.”

The Coulterville Park is located at the intersection of Highway 49 North and Highway 132, the John Muir Highway.

Those planning to attend are asked to bring a lawn chair or blanket for park seating. For more information call the Mariposa County Arts Council at 966-3155, email info@artsmariposa. org, or visit www.arts-mariposa.org.

The Arts Council is funded in part by Mariposa County, the California Arts Council a State agency and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal Agency.