More Programs

American cowboy culture owes a lot to the first cowboys, los vaqueros. Los vaqueros were Spanish colonists who pioneered taming the wild horses of the plains and delivering vast herds of cattle across great distances. This performance is a costumed portrayal of the stories of the first cowboy, El Vaquero, by author, performer, stage director, and teacher, Angel Vigil. Vigil is a Colorado Heritage Artist storyteller who has performed nationwide and is the author of six award-winning books on Hispanic and Western culture and arts. The stories of El Vaquero explain the origins of the most powerful and enduring American myth: the cowboy on his horse, riding tall in the saddle, his self-reliant, independent spirit representing all that is good in the American character.

Susie Knight (Conifer, CO) is an award-winning cowgirl poet and western singer/songwriter. In 2023, she was inducted into the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame. The International Western Music Association awarded her the 2021 Spirit of the Cowboy trophy buckle for her devotion to western music and cowboy poetry. On stage and in the saddle since age 3, she continues to guide horseback trail rides in the summer. Susie Knight is Colorado’s Own All-Around Cowgirl Entertainer.