PANOLA COLLEGE TO CELEBRATE TEXAS CULTURE

In celebration of National Cowboy Poetry Week, April 16-22, Panola College and the B.F. and Mary Payne Fund for the Preservation of Texas Culture proudly present the, “Cowboy Sunset Serenade.” The program will begin at 7:00 pm on April 20, in the Q.M. Martin Auditorium. It will take a historic look at the origins of the American Cowboy through songs and poetry.

Group members Frank Roberts, Linda Kirkpatrick, and Joe Wells have performed at the Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Alpine, the National Cowboy Symposium in Lubbock, the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium in Ruidoso, Folklife Festival in San Antonio, Buffalo Soldier Day on the steps of the capitol in Austin, and numerous schools, elder hostels and other events. The group is also part of the Texas Commission on the Arts Touring Artist program.

Frank Roberts began his singing career at Texas A&M University, where he majored in Parks and Recreation. After college he joined a country/western band and played in clubs in Ft. Worth. In the late 80’s he left Ft. Worth and began his career as an Interpretive Ranger at Garner State Park. Roberts writes many songs and stories that he uses in the programs he presents about the cowboy.

Linda Kirkpatrick was born and raised on a ranch in South Central Texas.  Her ranch life experiences are the foundation that she used to research and write about cowboys, cowgirls, and life in the west.  She began putting all of this research and knowledge into stories and rhyme about nine years ago.

Individually and as a member of the group, Cowboy Sunset Serenade, she has performed at major cowboy gatherings throughout the states of Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Nevada and Utah. Many of her stories and poems can be found in her book, Somewhere in the West and in the Academy of Western Artists, Cowboy Poetry Book of the Year, The Big Roundup.

Joe Wells is a rancher and real estate agent in Leakey, Texas. He grew up on a ranch between Leakey and Camp Wood and left just long enough to obtain his degree. Later he realized that ranching was his heritage and in his blood, so he left the city and returned to the ranch where his heart had always been. He recently won first place in the poetry contest at the Cowboy Symposium in Camp Wood, Texas.

The public is encouraged to make plans now to visit Panola College on April 20, for an enjoyable evening of classic cowboy poetry and stories of the cowboy experience. The show will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Q. M. Martin Auditorium. There will be no admission charge for this event.

This event has been made possible by the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Foster Murphy who established the B.F. and Mary Payne Fund for the Preservation of Texas Culture. For additional information please call 903-693-2000.