Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival
Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival
Dates	April
Location(s)	Newhall, California
Patron(s)	The City of Santa Clarita
Website	Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival

Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival is an annual event held at the William S. Hart Park in Old Town Newhall, California. Each year, over 10,000 visitors from all around the world attend lectures and performances on multiple stages by famous poets, authors, instructors, musical acts, and dancers, in fields including Western, Bluegrass, Americana and Spoken Word to folk, Native American and Mexican American traditions. Guests participate in cowboy and cowgirl living history through activities such as life around a chuck wagon, roping, bull riding, crafts, games, and trying an assortment of dishes including BBQ and peach cobbler. Guests can also attend a demonstration of plains Tipi living, tours of the historic Heritage Junction town and train engine, appearances by lasso expert Dave Thornbury and gunslinger Joey Rocketshoes Dillon, the Buffalo Soldiers camp, and a Western and Civil War reenactment.

History

The Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival began in 1994 after efforts by city leaders who looked to embrace Santa Clarita’s Western history. The event was first held at Melody Ranch but, due to complications with filming contracts, the event had to be relocated to the William S. Hart Park in 2015. In 2018, the festival celebrated its 25th anniversary.