Cowboys Ain’t Dead Yet: A Festival, A State of Mind

By Tonya Poole, 4-22-06

If spring has you itchin' to get out and enjoy the warm, dusty sunshine this week, saddle up and hit the road for southern Utah to catch this year's Cowboys Ain't Dead Yet Festival in Panguitch April 24th-29th. The event gives festival-goers a chance to immerse themselves in real cowboy culture, complete with cowboy poetry, barrel races, dutch-oven dinners, a genuine rodeo and more. Held in conjunction with a National Senior Pro Rodeo, the festival will be held at the Triple C Arena on Highway 89 in colorful Bryce Canyon country. Come as an observer, or a participant! While you're there, be sure to take in some of southern Utah's other treasures.

Bryce Canyon National Park
If you haven't taken in the cathedral spires (hoodoos) and rich, red rock of Bryce Canyon, this is your excuse to come explore some of the most unique geologic landscapes in the world.

Cedar Breaks National Monument
The visitor's center and scenic drive are still closed for the season through late May, but a drive out to Cedar Breaks to catch a glimpse of some of the area's spectacular scenery won't disappoint desert landscape lovers.

Kodachrome Basin State Park
Named by the National Geographic Society for its saturated red rock and bright blue skies, the park features towering monoliths and “chimneys” rising from the sandstone.

Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
A fitting name for a high and expansive landscape, with raw displays of natural and human history woven throughout. Plenty of recreational opportunities for outdoor lovers.

Markagunt Plateau
Standing at the headwaters of the Virgin River, the Markagunt Plateau was once considered by John Wesley Powell to be among the most beautiful and ecologically diverse landscapes in the American West.

Historic Panguitch City
Named for the Paiute word for “big fish”, Panguitch is a hot bed of history and culture, from its Native American roots to Mormon settlements to modern-day cowboy territory.

Panguitch Lake
With 10 miles of shoreline and year-round fishing, Panguitch Lake lives up to its name with some of the largest rainbow trout in southern Utah.

Paunsagaunt Wildlife Museum
A tribute to desert history and wildlife, the museum includes artifacts, fossils and pottery in addition to its wildlife exhibits. The gift shop offers a wide variety of options to take a little bit of the wild desert home.

Anasazi State Park Museum
Once a bustling village of the Anasazi, the museum stands today as an ancient tribute the confluence of native cultures. Archaeologists have revealed more than 100 structures at the site.

Cedar City, Utah
Considered to be the gateway to southern Utah, Cedar City marries cultural and historic character with wild west attitude and recreation.

The Dirty Devil River Basin
Home of the wild and wicked Fremont River (also known as the Red River), the basin is rich with canyons, cliffs, waterfalls and wildlife.

For more information about the Cowboys Ain't Dead Yet Festival, call 435-676-8949 or send an email to contact@triplecarena.com. [End of article]