Get ready to enjoy some high quality western entertainment at the Iron Door Playhouse next weekend.  Cowboy Poets and Musicians from around the region will be gathered at the playhouse for a series of performances to raise money to repair and replace the theatre’s roof.  The organizations involved have members that spread from Oregon to Wyoming, Idaho and Utah.

Free performances are scheduled from 1:00 p.m. through 5:00 p.m. on Friday March 25th and Saturday March 26th.  The free performances are open to the public, and will feature a variety of music, poetry, and storytelling styles. Performances at 6:30 p.m. through 9:30 p.m. will feature selected acts, and cost $12.00 at the door.  An ad in this week’s Enterprise will save $2.00 off the door price.  The funds raised from the event will be donated entirely to the Playhouse for the roof, so come out to support your local theatre.

The free events will feature sign up times for those interested.  The event will ultimately feature over twenty musicians, poets, and storytellers who are dedicated to the Western tradition of Cowboy poetry in its various forms, as well as the bands Manystrings and Saddlestrings.

Brian Arnold, from Hooper, UT will be performing with Saddlestrings, and says that last week’s Cache Valley Rendezvous was a major success for the Cowboy Poetry scene.  The band, and the organizers of next week’s event, hope to duplicate the excitement in Malad.  “This is something I do just about every chance I get,” he laughs.  “We haven’t been up to Malad for a while, but we’re definitely trying to resurrect the event up there.”  Arnold has been involved in both the poetry and music aspects of the events, though he jokes that “I’ve mostly done poetry when I broke a string and had to fill some time.”  

Modesty aside, Arnold recently won a trophy buckle for his skills with words, and wide praise for his skills as a musician.  “It think it’s all important.  We try to preserve the Western way of life through poetry, music, and telling stories.  Malad is a perfect place for it,” he says.  He has been a fan of the music since he “bought [his] first tape from Chris LeDoux” and been loving it ever since.  He describes his band as covering everything from the same Chris LeDoux to Garth Brooks, and all the country ground in between.

Advanced tickets for the event can be purchased at CWC Video in Malad.  The event is sponsored by the American Legion, Cowboy Poets of Idaho, and the International Western Music Association.