Cowboy Poetry producer for the past 28 years, Diane Pope said it’s a busy job year-round, and one she needs to leave behind. She said she needs to spend time with a family member who is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
She thanked the Heber community and people who have traveled from far and wide to attend the festival known for music and poetry performances.
“Our Heber Valley Western Music and Cowboy Poetry Gathering has had a great run,” she said. “We've had many, many awards over the years. We're going out on top as being the number one cowboy poetry gathering in the nation, and we can all be very proud that we've been part of such a wonderful organization that's done so much for our community and for the life of western music, and cowboy poetry. And thank you, and we appreciate your support.”
She said in recent months, she, the board of the event, local governments and others involved in the planning tried to find a way to hold the events this fall, but to no avail.
It may not be the end, however. Pope said it could return one day, but if it does, it may not be the same.
“When Cowboy Poetry re-emerges, it may have a different face, a little bit,” she said. “It's been proposed by many that we may change it to something more of an upbeat country jam and maybe still include some cowboy poetry, things with traditional poetry and western music. But, we're not making those decisions quite yet.”
More about the Heber Valley Western Music and Cowboy Poetry Gathering is available here.
