Western Folklife Center
{{short description|Cultural center}}
The Western Folklife Center is a nonprofit cultural center in Elko, Nevada that hosts exhibits, theater, music, and poetry events that celebrate the history and landscape of the American West. Every year the center hosts the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.{{cite news |last=Rieber |first=Andy |date=2015-05-10 |title=Cowboy Culture, Alive and Well |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/cowboy-culture-alive-and-well-1423610106 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=2020-11-27}}{{Cite web|date=2020-01-28|title=Real cowboys write poems. Here's where to hear them.|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/nevada/cowboy-poetry-gathering-elko/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128220334/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/nevada/cowboy-poetry-gathering-elko/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 28, 2020|access-date=2020-11-28|website=Travel|language=en}}{{cite news |last=Nagourney |first=Adam |date=2011-04-11 |title=For Cowboy Poets, Unwelcome Spotlight in Battle Over Spending |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/us/politics/11cowboy.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-11-27}}
History
The center was founded as the Utah Folklife Center, in 1980 by Hal Cannon. In 1985, it became the Western Folklife Center, expanding its focus to the wider rural culture and history of the Western US.{{Cite web|last1=June 14|first1=AnthonyMillard {{!}}|last2=Reply|first2=2015 at 11:11 am {{!}}|date=2010-01-08|title=About|url=https://westernfolklifecenter.wordpress.com/about/|access-date=2020-11-28|website=Welcome to the Western Folklife Center|language=en}}
It contains a 300-seat theater and a 20-seat black box theater in addition to the gallery space.{{Cite web|title=Western Folklife Center|url=https://travelnevada.com/museums/western-folklife-center/|access-date=2020-11-28|website=Travel Nevada|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Where We Are|url=https://www.westernfolklife.org/where-we-are|access-date=2020-11-28|website=Western Folklife Center|language=en-US}}
The center is headquartered in the Pioneer Building, a historic hotel, office building, and saloon built in 1912–1913. The site of the building in 1868 was the location of the first saloon in Elko, which was in a tent. The old saloon room with its 40-foot bar, built in 1890 of mahogany and cherry wood with mother-of-pearl inlay, is a celebrated feature of the center. It is used as a proper bar during special events.{{cite news |last=Wohlwend |first=Chris |date=2018-09-26 |title=At the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Tall Tales, Resonant Rhymes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/travel/cowboy-poetry-gathering-nevada.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2020-11-27}}{{Cite web|title=Western Folklife Center|url=https://travelnevada.com/museums/western-folklife-center/|access-date=2020-11-28|website=Travel Nevada|language=en-US}}
From 2000 to 2012, the center produced the radio program Deep West Radio for National Public Radio.{{Cite web|title=Deep West Radio|url=https://www.westernfolklife.org/deep-west-radio-1|access-date=2020-11-28|website=Western Folklife Center|language=en-US}}
Every year, the center hosts a youth festival the week before the official Cowboy Poetry Festival.{{cite news |last=Delaney |first=Cynthia |date=2019-01-24 |title=Field trip fun at the Western Folklife Center |url=https://elkodaily.com/lifestyles/field-trip-fun-at-the-western-folklife-center/article_811f68d3-c232-57bd-84f6-82fc0fe91f5a.html |work=Elko Daily Free Press |access-date=2020-11-27}}{{Cite web|title=Western Folklife Center|url=https://travelnevada.com/museums/western-folklife-center/|access-date=2020-11-28|website=Travel Nevada|language=en-US}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- Official Website https://www.westernfolklife.org
- Official Blog https://westernfolklifecenter.wordpress.com
Category:Tourist attractions in Elko County, Nevada
{{Nevada-struct-stub}}
{{US-org-stub}}