About to knock down a few more fences.

For the last ten years The Kamloops Cowboy Festival has enjoyed a phenomenal rate of growth while we have made a point of keeping it cowboy and maintaining the intimate atmosphere that has been such a big part of our success. From modest ticket sales of around 400 in 1997 to a little over 5,000 admissions in 2006, it has been quite a ride.

Spurred on by rapid growing attendance and additional sponsorship, the 2007 Kamloops Cowboy Festival will see some significant changes and a major overall expansion. This year we will be taking over the entire convention centre at the Best Western, expanding the Western Art And Gear Show, and adding more daytime and evening events.

If it aint busted, don’t fix it! As in past years, fans will have a choice of attending evening feature concerts in Calvary Community Church, Friday and Saturday, or the Cowboy Cabaret Dinner Theatre in Forsters. There will also be daytime mainstage performances, open mic sessions, demonstrations and workshops, throughout the weekend. In fact we have not eliminated any of the features that have contributed to the growing popularity of Canada’s premiere cowboy festival. But we have spread out a bit and added some brand new features.

New For The 2007 Kamloops Cowboy Festival:

Country 103 Rising Star Show Case; Thanks to the generous support of Kamloops ‘ newest Radio Station CJKC Country 103. We will be hosting a competition for emerging artists throughout the weekend. Western Singers and Cowboy Poets will compete for a total of $4,000 in prize money, with the winners to be selected during the Sunday Afternoon Feature Performance March 11, 2007.

Country 103 Professional Development Workshops; Also Sponsored by CJKC Country 103, we will feature an expanded program workshops designed for entertainers artists and the general public, in areas such as; songwriting, flat picking(guitar), poetry, promotion, saddle making, hat care…

ALCAN Western Art Show, Presented by ALCAN (The Aluminium Company of Canada) As an added attraction for 2007 The Kamloops Cowboy Festival will feature a juried Western Art Show in addition to an expanded Western Art and Gear Trade show. The addition of a juried art show should attract a broader selection of well known international artists.

Kamloops Symphony Orchestra hosts Cowboy Celtic. March 9 &10 2006, This will be Cowboy Celtic’s first ever symphonic collaboration. It is also the first time the KSO has collaborated with the Kamloops Cowboy Festival, although it won’t be their first cowboy symphony (They pioneered the concept with Ian Tyson 18 years ago.) The two concerts will be held in Sagebrush Theatre. Tickets available through Kamloops live Box office. This event is not covered by The Cowboy Festival Weekend pass.

Kick Off Party And After Hour Jam Sessions –* VIP Parties* Thursday Night March 8 from 7:00 Pm to Midnight there will be a get acquainted party and jam session in Forsters Dinner Theatre. There will be a jam session and After Hours Party in the same location Friday and Saturday Night after the feature concerts. These tailgate party events are open only to: sponsors, entertainers, exhibitors and weekend pass holders. There will be no tickets sold or available to the general public for these events.

Once again the Kamloops Cowboy Festival will be bringing a few dozen of the very best: Cowboy Poets, Western Singers, Songwriters, Artists and Artisans, together for an amazing celebration of our western heritage and culture in Canada’s original Cowtown.

The incredible support received from our sponsors and marketing partners has been a huge factor in the ongoing success of The Kamloops Cowboy Festival. At this point total festival sponsorship committed for 2007 is up more than $20, 0000 from previous years. In addition to our corporate sponsors we have received a lot of help from; The BC Ministry of Tourism Sport and The Arts, Thompson Okanagan Tourism, Tourism Kamloops, The Kamloops Hotel Assn.

New Major Corporate Sponsors so far this year are: CJKC Country 103 and ALCAN. The South Thompson Inn and Guest Ranch has also increased sponsorship to over $2000 joining the list of long time Major Sponsors like: Pollard Banknote, The Horse Barn, The Best Western, NL Broadcasting and Cariboo Press.

Kamloops Cowboy Festival has become a major international event drawing fans artists and entertainers from all over North America. It now encompasses events at a number of venues throughout the City Of Kamloops. The Spirit of The Cowboy is alive and well in Canada’s Original Cowtown!

See You In March!
Mike Puhallo

For festival passes and information; email mikepuhallo@direct.ca www.bcchs.com
or phone toll free within Canada 1-888-763-2224 from the USA call 1-250-579-5667
BCCHS, box 137, Kamloops BC, Canada V2C 5K3

For Cowboy Celtic Symphony tickets contact:

Kamloops Live Box office 1-866-374-5483 Or (250) 374-548 www.sagebrushtheatre.ca