Cowboy Poets Slated for March 3

The Cultural Arts Council of Douglasville/Douglas County is pleased to sponsor its 16th annual Georgia Cowboy Poets Gathering at Chapel Hill High School on Saturday, March 3. The evening performance begins at 7 p.m.

The show features local performers and members of the Douglas County Cowboy Poets, as well as musicians Bill Turnipseed, David Fillingim, and Justin Hicks. They will sing and yodel, playing guitar, fiddle and harmonica for Old West and traditional cowboy songs. This special event is presented by the Douglas County Cowboy Poets in partnership with the Cultural Arts Council.

Tickets are $10 per person ($8 for CAC members, seniors and students). The 2012 Georgia Cowboy Poets Gathering is dedicated to Bill Mattison, a Georgia Cowboy Poet and performer who passed away in 2011.

For the Saturday night performance, Douglas County Cowboy Poets founders Charlie Holloway and Joel Hayes have organized a fun-filled evening of song, rhyme and verse.

Showcased performers in 2012 include cowboy poets Jerry Warren, recognized by the Georgia State Senate as the “Official Cowboy Poet of the State of Georgia;” Frank B. Wood; Mike Searles, an educator, historian, and author; David Fillingim, author of Will Rogers Medallion Award winning Georgia Cowboy Poets in 2011; Kenny McClure from Fairburn; Charlie Holloway who authored Old Saddles & Good Advice and who is as well and widely known and respected for his traditional cow camp cooking as for his poems; and Joel Hayes who is known as the father of Georgia Cowboy Poetry and who has performed at every Douglas County Cowboy Poets Gathering since the first one held at Hudson’s by the Lake in 1997.

The gathering’s master of ceremonies Frank B. Wood has been performing cowboy poetry for the past 45 years. The 16th annual Georgia Cowboy Poets gathering will feature musical performances by guitarist Bill Turnipseed, Douglasville native harmonica player and poet Justin Hicks now living in Jacksonville, FL, and David Fillingim. More Georgia Cowboy Poets are also expected to perform at the 16th Annual Cowboy Poets Gathering in Douglas County. There will also be surprise guests.