By Martin Johnson Well, you’re late for one of them already! It happened last Saturday night at the Red Mule Ranch about three miles east of Fiddletown. Wow! Was it a great time for all who attended? Yes! Yes! And, a resounding Yes! Here is the deal. You bring someone who loves western music and cowboy poetry (if they don't...dump them until you find one that does. That's cow-boy logic...ha ha). Here are the rest of the dates you can choose from: June 24: Virginia Bennett is the headliner entertainer. He is a well known Cowboy Poet and editor of cowboy poetry books. Also, there to entertain you is my favorite group, The Old West (Steve and Leslie Ide and Steve Johnson). Steve Ide is the closest you will ever come to Marty Robbins. He sings El Paso and the crowd is into it. Steve Johnson writes and composes wonderful, original songs. Leslie plays a mean bass and keeps the other two Steve's in line. She is the Master of Ceremony and the group will play at all the Cowboy Campfires except July 29 and August 5th. July 29th will be a double-header with Juni Fisher and Jim King. Juni was the 2005 Academy of Western Artists female western vocalist of the year. In other words, she is good! Now, Jim King's poetry will cause you to bust a button or two laughing. He has been doing cowboy poetry since 1986. August 5th will be Sour Dough Slim (Rick Crowder). He has played from Carnegie Hall to Elko Nevada. August 26th will feature Ron Brinegar 'The Gentleman Poet'. He has warm-hearted poems and humor. September 9th will feature Jim and Karen Ross. Jim is a buckaroo from the Great Basin area of Oregon and a cowboy poet extraordinarily talented. Karen's poetry hits you in the heart and splits a stitch with humor. September 23rd, McAvoy Layne arrives as Mark Twain; I'm looking forward to that one. You'll think Samuel Clemens is there for sure. Now, if you somehow have had your head in the sand and don't know of Red Mule Ranch, or Ron & Marie Scofield, I could write a book about them. Let it suffice to say they built a small cowboy town on top of a hill above Dead Man's Creek in Amador County. Ron is the Blacksmith and uses only tools of the 1800's to refurbish, restore, and bring to life every sort of vehicle of the 1800's. If you have been in the El Dorado Museum, you saw his work with the Concord Stagecoach, and the Studebaker wagon (first RV). He has worked for Movie people, museums, and just plain rich folks for many years. I'm all over the gold country and I stumble into his work all the time. All that, and he can strum a mean GeeTar, and sing along with the thing pretty good. The food was worth the price-- roasted steak, and coffee made the old-fashion cowboy way, ground coffee beans dropped in while water is heated over a camp fire. It could put hair on an Indian's chest. For more info, www.cowboycampfire.com, reservations 209-296-4519. |
