Western Folklife Center

Western Folklife Center Our Mission
Use story and cultural expression to connect the American West to the world. Our signature event is the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
(287)

It all began as a time and place where Western ranchers and cowboys could gather to share poems about their lives working cattle. Three decades later, the tribe is now a nation of Western poets, musicians, artisans and storytellers, sharing their creativity across the country, telling their stories of hard work, heartbreak and hilarity, and what it means to make your way in the rangeland West. The

38th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering will take place in Elko, Nevada, Jan. 30 Feb. 4, 2023! We will be inviting western poets, songwriters, artists, artisans, and land stewards to bring new and old stories to light as they endeavor to create a West that hosts healthy and hospitable landscapes and agriculture-based communities. More details will be available soon about the artist lineup and schedule, so stay tuned. The Western Folklife Center is a regional nonprofit organization based in Elko, Nevada. The Folklife Center produces programs based on original fieldwork and research among diverse groups of people around the West. We use this information to create exhibits, films, radio programs, recordings and other public presentations. These materials also become a documentary record that is preserved in the Folklife Center Archives. The Western Folklife Center has an exhibition gallery, 300-seat theater, 20-seat black box theater, historic saloon and gift shop. Admission to the Wiegand Gallery: $5.00 Adults ~ Students/Seniors $3.00~ $1.00 Children age 6-12
Members Free; $3.00 for each adult guest. Free admission to all ~ first Saturday of every month.

๐ŸŽป ๐—ฆ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ง๐—›๐—ช๐—œ๐—ก๐—— ๐—ง๐—ข๐—ก๐—œ๐—š๐—›๐—ง! ๐ŸŽถJoin Southwind tonight, Wednesday, June 17, for a lively evening of music at the Pioneer Saloon! E...
06/17/2026

๐ŸŽป ๐—ฆ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ง๐—›๐—ช๐—œ๐—ก๐—— ๐—ง๐—ข๐—ก๐—œ๐—š๐—›๐—ง! ๐ŸŽถ

Join Southwind tonight, Wednesday, June 17, for a lively evening of music at the Pioneer Saloon! Enjoy a toe-tappin' mix of Celtic, Western, and contemporary fiddle tunes in a relaxed setting with friends, neighbors, and fellow music lovers.

๐—™๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜ ๐—”๐——๐— ๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—ฆ๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก!

Southwind features Carolyn Steninger, Ken Harriman, Gregg Lawrence, and Susan Lawrence. Be sure to follow them on Facebook and stay up to date on upcoming performances.

๐Ÿ“ Pioneer Saloon
501 Railroad St, Elko, NV
๐Ÿ•• 6:00โ€“7:30 PM

Bring a friend, grab a seat, and enjoy an evening of great music and good company! ๐ŸŽป๐Ÿ€๐ŸŽต

06/16/2026

๐Ÿค  Rodeo season is here!

The Silver State Stampede, the "Oldest Rodeo in the State of Nevada," returns to Elko June 19โ€“21. Established in 1912, this beloved tradition celebrates the grit, skill, and spirit of the American West.

To get you in the rodeo mood, enjoy a classic performance from ๐—•๐—ฎ๐˜…๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—•๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ธ. Baxter tells of a matchup pitting Texans against Buckaroos in Elko and the chaos that ensues. Baxter Black performs "All Ranch Rodeo" during the "Saturday Special" show at the 27th ๐˜•๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜Š๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜บ ๐˜—๐˜ฐ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜บ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ.

06/16/2026

๐Ÿค โค๏ธ It's that time of year! The โ€œWildest, Richest Rodeo in the Westโ€ returns to Reno for its 107th year, June 18โ€“27, 2026, the Reno Rodeo!

As ๐——๐—ช ๐—š๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ reminds us, "There's no way you'll stand a chance" with a girl who rodeos. ๐ŸŽถ๐ŸŽ

DW Groethe performs "Rodeo Sweetheart" during the "Consternation of Critters" show at the ๐˜•๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜Š๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜บ ๐˜—๐˜ฐ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜บ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ.

A quick reminder: the videos we share on this page are also available on Western Folklife TV. ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—™๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ...
06/12/2026

A quick reminder: the videos we share on this page are also available on Western Folklife TV. ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—™๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ณ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐—น๐—น ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ, so if there's a performance, poem, or song you've been meaning to watch, don't wait too long!

Explore hundreds more on ๐—ช๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ป ๐—™๐—ผ๐—น๐—ธ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ณ๐—ฒ ๐—ง๐—ฉ, with hundreds of videos celebrating cowboy poetry, music, storytelling, gearmaking, and life in the American West. https://www.westernfolklife.tv/

Not ready to sign up? No problem. There are 20 videos available right now in the โ€œWatch Without Sign-inโ€ section. New content is added regularly by the Western Folklife Center. https://www.westernfolklife.org/

Sign up to watch a selection of free videos without entering a credit card. For a small monthly fee, access our growing library of feature-length films and full shows from the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and help support the creative traditions of the American West.

06/11/2026

๐Ÿถ๐Ÿ„ A good story can be just as satisfying as a good meal.

Renowned camp cook and storyteller ๐—ž๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ ๐—ฅ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ถ๐—ป๐˜€ serves up plenty of laughs with a tale involving a beagle and some mushrooms. Kent shares this memorable story during the "๐™‡๐™–๐™ช๐™œ๐™๐™ฉ๐™š๐™งโ€“๐™„๐™ฉ'๐™จ ๐™’๐™๐™–๐™ฉ'๐™จ ๐™›๐™ค๐™ง ๐˜ฟ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™ฃ๐™š๐™ง" show at the 38th ๐˜•๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜Š๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜บ ๐˜—๐˜ฐ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜บ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ.

Settle in and enjoy a helping of cowboy humor! ๐Ÿค ๐Ÿ˜‚

๐ŸŽป ๐—ฆ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ต๐˜„๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ! ๐ŸŽถJoin Southwind on Wednesday, June 17 for a lively evening at the Pioneer Saloon! Enjoy a toe-tappinโ€™ mix o...
06/10/2026

๐ŸŽป ๐—ฆ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ต๐˜„๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ! ๐ŸŽถ
Join Southwind on Wednesday, June 17 for a lively evening at the Pioneer Saloon! Enjoy a toe-tappinโ€™ mix of Celtic, Western, and contemporary fiddle tunesโ€”perfect for a night of music and good company.

๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป!
Southwind features Carolyn Steninger, Ken Harriman, Gregg Lawrence, and Susan Lawrence. Be sure to follow them on Facebook.

๐Ÿ“ 501 Railroad St, Elko, NV

Remember going to the State Fair? The State Fair of Nevada is back in Reno, celebrating the people, traditions, and indu...
06/09/2026

Remember going to the State Fair? The State Fair of Nevada is back in Reno, celebrating the people, traditions, and industries that help shape our state.

"Featured events will bring thousands of attendees from across the state and include the Nevada Junior Livestock Show, the University of Nevada, Reno Extensionโ€™s 4-H State Expo and the Nevada Governorโ€™s Livestock Sale of Champions. Visitors can also explore a farmers market pavilion featuring locally grown products and watch young athletes compete in Next Generation Youth Bull Riding.

Nevada agriculture contributes billions of dollars annually to the stateโ€™s economy and supports thousands of jobs across communities. Events like the official state fair help connect urban and rural Nevadans while showcasing the work of young people involved in agricultural education programs."

Will you be attending this year? ๐ŸŒพ๐Ÿ‚๐ŸŽก

Celebrate Nevada's communities and agricultural heritage at the official State Fair of Nevada. With livestock youth livestock shows and bull riding, local food and vendors, carnival rides and live entertainment, there's something for every Nevadan!

06/08/2026

Cowgirl chanteuse ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜† pays tribute to the California vaqueros in this performance of "We Were the Vaqueros" during the ๐˜•๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ฏ๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜Š๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜บ ๐˜—๐˜ฐ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜บ ๐˜Ž๐˜ข๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ show "Cowboy Caffeine, Extra Strong."

06/04/2026

๐—ช๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฒ ๐— ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น remembers a cowboy whose character, wisdom, and example influenced his youth and continued to guide him through the years. Waddie recites "Shorty" during the ๐˜—๐˜ข๐˜บ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜›๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฃ๐˜ถ๐˜ต๐˜ฆ show at the 39th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

Address

501 Railroad Street
Elko, NV
89801

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm
Thursday 10am - 5:30pm
Friday 10am - 5:30pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+17757387508

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Western Folklife Center posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Western Folklife Center:

Share