For some, the joy of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering begins early in Elko. Volunteers arrive in the days before the event with all sorts of creativity and specialty skills to help the Western Folklife Center with production. Here we take a look at the main stage set construction at the Elko Convention Center during the 39th Gathering. Filming made possible by the E. L. Wiegand Foundation. Elko DBA Everything Elko Elko Area Chamber Elko Daily Free Press City of Elko Parks and Recreation Elko

Good morning from the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering on the Road at Ahern 😂 #westernfolklifecenter #cowboypoetrygathering #ahernhotel #vegashappenings #auctioneer | Western Folklife Center

Ever since the first year of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, the Gathering has featured a keynote address discussing a topic relevant to cowboy poetry, ranch culture, and the contemporary rural West. “Big Jim” Griffith, one of the event’s founders, delivered the very first keynote, a wonderful primer and introduction to cowboy poetry that set the tone for the first Gathering in 1985, and all the ones that followed. Jim Griffith was a folklorist based in southern Arizona, established the So

Brigid Reedy and Cora Rose Wood enthusiastically carry on the yodeling tradition. From the archives, at the 26th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in 2010. Happy World Yodel Day! | Western Folklife Center

👢 Boots on the ground, 📖 Stories in the air, 📝 Elko calls the poets— 🪑 Come pull up a chair. The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering event is in full swing in Elko. Have you been? Western Folklife Center, Elko Convention & Visitors Authority #CowboyPoetryGathering #ncpg2026 | Travel Nevada

"See him standing, shiftin' haunches, at the Elko County Fair...." Pipp Gillette and Lloyd Wright cover Waddie Mitchell's poem, "Trade Off" at the 30th Gathering. The 100th Elko County Fair celebration was postponed until 2021. Reports are that it was a great way to spend the Labor Day weekend! #TunefulTuesday | Western Folklife Center

We are reposting this video at the request of a member who wants to share it with her book club. As we look to the upcoming 40th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Emily Nielson reminds us of the importance of teaching poetry to our children. Elko High School English teacher Emily Nielson delivered one of three keynote speeches at the 34th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. Emily shares the story of when the Western Folklife Center pitched the idea of bringing cowboy poets and reciters into Elko-a