Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium: Honoring the cowboy way.
Where to start when talking about the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium?
There’s the exhibits celebrating the cowboy lifestyle, from riding to roping to loving the open range.
There’s the competitions – reining, cooking and even shooting from horseback.
There’s the vendors of the Western Expo selling all manner of items – leather, saddles, boots, hats, artwork, food, food and more food.
And then, of course, there’s the music. There’s always the music.
Country and Western music lovers will have their fill at this, the 27th annual symposium at Ruidoso Downs Race Track, Oct. 7-9. Five venues, four stages, music almost non-stop from dawn to midnight every single night, with a few legendary names you might know.
The marquee performers are on the Ray Reed Stage – named for the founder of the Symposium – in the big tent to the east of the grandstand each night, starting with Dave Alexander and Floyd Domino, at 7 p.m. on Oct. 7.
After that, the Time Jumpers, featuring Vince Gill, Kenny Sears and Paul Franklin, will get the Symposium started off for real, running late into the night.
Ray Reed will also see performers like Billy Mata & the Texas Tradition, Tawnya Reynolds, Johnny Rodriguez and Jody Nix & the Texas Cowboys.
The Larry McWhorter, Tuffy Cooper and New Mexico True stages, located in various locations around the grandstand, will have a continuous rotation of artists, including local band Flying J Wranglers and a Playboy Tribute featuring Tommy Allsup.
Allsup, who famously played with rock and roll legend Buddy Holly, will also perform a tribute to Holly Friday and Saturday afternoons at 1 p.m. in the Turf Club on the third floor of the grandstand.
“We used to hold it in the Hall of Fame, but it just got too crowded,” said event organizer and promoter Sunny Hirschfeld of the popular concert. “Everyone wants to see Tommy Allsup, and he’s just entertaining to be around.” A full schedule of performances can be found at http://www.cowboysymposium.org/music/.
That’s just the music at the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium, what about the grub?
Well, the symposium is home to the annual chuckwagon cook-off, known officially as the Albertson’s Market World Championship Chuckwagon Cook-Off.
Seventeen wagons will set up in the infield of the race track, with the actual competition held on Saturday.
“It’s very prestigious to win this competition, because these are usually the best cooks in the area,” Hirschfeld said.
Wagons from all over New Mexico, Texas, Arizona and even from as far away as Tennessee and Arkansas will make the trip to the Sacramento Mountains for this year’s cook-off.
There’s also tons of events for the kids, including the Kids Round Up rodeo, a petting zoo, Girls Scouts archery, gold panning, essay and art contests, and on and on and on. Admission is free for kids 12 and under.
Whoa! We still haven’t mentioned the Reining Rendezvous, Cowboy Mounted and Borderland Pistoleros shooting competition, and world-renowned art.
“The equestrian stuff is really amazing, the music, the food,” Hirschfeld said. “There’s so much that people get for the price of one admission ticket.”
Everything that’s offered can be found at the event’s official website, www.cowboysymposium.org. There, you can find full price lists of admission, maps of vendors and music venues, a layout of the infield for the cook-off and equestrian competitions, and a fascinating essay on Ray Reed and the beginnings of the Lincoln County Cowboy Symposium.
—Todd Fuqua