[BCMA] Fwd: Barkerville celebrates a century of cattle-drive culture at the Cowboy and Drover Jubilee

Tue Sep 6 14:03:29 PDT 2011

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Barkerville celebrates a century of cattle-drive culture at 
the Cowboy and Drover Jubilee
Date: 	Tue, 6 Sep 2011 13:41:19 -0700
From: 	James Douglas <JDouglas at barkerville.ca>

*_For Immediate Release_*

**

*Barkerville celebrates a century of cattle-drive culture at the /Cowboy 
and Drover Jubilee /*

September 6, 2011 (Barkerville, BC) -- From the earliest 19^th -century 
goldfield cattle-drives to the square dance fervor of the 1940s and 
'50s, Barkerville has been proud to play venue to more than 100 years of 
cowboy culture. This September 9^th to 11^th , the historic town will 
honour that century of cowboy music, spoken word, and dance at the 
/Barkerville Cowboy and Drover Jubilee/.

The weekend-spanning event starts Friday, September 9th with 
registration for the first annual "Northern Star" amateur singing 
competition (sponsored by Vista Radio's 97fm The Wolf) available from 
9:30am until 3:00pm at Barkerville's Visitor Reception Centre, along 
with general information about Jubilee activities. An informal "welcome" 
party at the House Hotel Saloon kicks off at 7:00pm, with open mic music 
and several special guest performances slated until midnight. Admission 
to the party is free (as is entrance to Barkerville after 3:00pm) and 
food and beverage can be purchased at the House Hotel throughout the 
evening.

Breakfast will be served Saturday, September 10th, at a variety of 
authentic Barkerville eateries. "Northern Star" registration will be 
available from 9:30am until noon at the Visitor Reception Centre, and at 
10:30am an official Jubilee opening ceremony will take place under the 
big canvas tent at the front end of town. Under that same tent at 
11:00am the first round of cowboy poetry will hold court until noon, 
and, according to Barkerville's Visitor Experiences Manager, James 
Douglas, guests are encouraged to take the stage with poems of their own 
- if the spirit so takes them.

"Cowboy poetry grew out of a tradition of improvised composition carried 
on by workers on cattle drives 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_drive> and ranches 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranch> in the mid to late-1800s," said 
Douglas. "After a day of hard work these /drovers/, or cowboys as we 
call them, would gather around a campfire and entertain one another with 
tall tales <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_tale> and folk songs 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_song>.

"We're aim to keep that tradition alive here in Barkerville, and invite 
our Jubilee guests to help us along."

>From 11:30am until 3:00pm Saturday there will be a variety of musical 
performances by familiar cowboy troubadours like Allen Christie, Ed 
Wahl, Gordie West, and Budd Webb, as well as entries by the "Northern 
Star" contestants and a few surprise guests at the Jubilee music stages 
-- Barkerville's Methodist Church, Kelly Saloon, and House Hotel.

A "Cowboy Lunch" fundraiser for the Friends of Barkerville Cariboo 
Goldfields Historical Society will serve-up at noon, and a second series 
of cowboy poems will be slated between 1:00pm and 2:00pm at the big 
canvas tent. Dinner will be served at a number of Barkerville eateries 
starting in the early afternoon, in anticipation of the "Northern Star" 
showcase that will take place at Barkerville's Theatre Royal at 5:00pm.

"We are particularly excited about the Northern Star amateur showcase," 
said Douglas.

"This is our first stab at the event, and the competition is meant to be 
more fun than ferocious, but thanks to our good friends at 97fm The Wolf 
in Prince George, as well as Spruce Capital Feeds and a variety of 
contributors from Barkerville's business community, the prize package 
for our winner is pretty amazing."

The official, adjudicated "Northern Star" showcase, consisting of four 
contest finalists plus several special guest appearances, takes place 
onstage at Barkerville's renowned Theatre Royal, where the ultimate 
winner of the competition will be invited to perform with Newman & 
Wright Theatre Company's 2011 Theatre Royal cast during a special, 
separately ticketed 7:00pm performance of its popular /Gold Rush 
Nuggets/ musical variety show.

Sunday, September 11th will begin with breakfast at various Barkerville 
establishments, and a "Cowboy Church" service at St. Saviour's, built in 
1869, commences at 9:00am. The /Cowboy and Drover Jubilee/ wraps-up just 
past noon, as Barkerville wishes "happy trails" to its cowboy visitors 
until this time next year.

"Whether you ride, play, sing, dance, or just like to whoop it up on the 
trail from time to time, Barkerville is /the/ place to be September 9^th 
to 11^th ," said Douglas. "Thanks in large part to a dedicated group of 
cowboy culture enthusiasts, as well as financial assistance from BC 
Hydro and Barkerville Gold Mines, Ltd., the /Barkerville Cowboy and 
Drover Jubilee/ is a great addition to Barkerville's 2011 fall season.

"We can't wait to see what pleasant surprises the weekend brings."

- 30 -

*About Barkerville Historic Town*

BARKERVILLE HISTORIC TOWN is the largest historic site in Western North 
America (www.barkerville.ca <http://www.barkerville.ca/>).  Barkerville 
is provincially, nationally and internationally recognized for its 
historic significance associated with its place in western Canada's gold 
rush era and the role the gold rush played in BC joining Canada.  
Barkerville is widely known as a "must see" for travel itineraries in 
western Canada.  The historic town is also a significant contributor to 
the Cariboo regional economy and is widely regarded as a unique 
component of the regional identity.

The Barkerville Heritage Trust, as Barkerville's operating and managing 
partner, works in conjunction with the Province of British Columbia, the 
owner and statutory guardian of Barkerville's heritage resources,  to 
ensure that Barkerville is efficiently managed, entertaining and 
educational to visitors, and financially stable as the premier heritage 
resource and tourism attraction for the Cariboo.  The ultimate aim is to 
maintain and enhance Barkerville's position as a nationally significant 
heritage resource and tourism attraction for British Columbia and Canada.

Barkerville is situated 80 km east of Quesnel, British Columbia in the 
foothills of the Cariboo Mountains, close to Troll Mountain Ski Resort 
and Bowron Lake Provincial Park.  The nearby community of Wells (8 km 
from Barkerville) is the service and housing centre for the area 
(www.wellsbc.com <http://www.wellsbc.com/>) and is itself a dynamic 
cultural community, home of Island Mountain Arts, the acclaimed Toni 
Onley Artists' Project, the International Celtic Harp School 
(www.imarts.com <http://www.imarts.com/>), the dynamic indie music 
festival ArtsWells (www.artswells.com <http://www.artswells.com/>), and 
the Sunset Theatre (www.sunset-theatre.com 
<http://www.sunset-theatre.com/>). Wells is also situated close to a 
wide variety of winter and summer outdoor activities.

**

**

*Media Inquiries*

**

*
*

**

*James Douglas*

Manager, Visitor Experiences

and Public Relations

Barkerville Historic Town

Box 19

Barkerville, BC V0K 1B0

250-994-3302 ext. 41

888-994-3332 toll free

250-994-3435 fax

james.douglas at barkerville.ca

www.barkerville.ca

barkerville.wordpress.com

Facebook: facebook.com/barkervillebc

Skype: barkerville.historic.town

Twitter: @barkervillebc

Watch: http://youtube.com/barkervilletv

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