Trail ride to be filmed during Echoes of the Trail event

This year, along with the usual array of cowboy poets, story tellers, musicians, and fans, Echoes of the Trail is joining up with RFD-TV's Best of America by Horseback to offer a televised trail ride to the first 100 riders to enroll. Best of America's Tom Seay and Del Shields will ride the mornings of June 7 and 8 on the Raymond and Diann Tucker ranch along with riders from Wyoming, Indiana, Kansas and many other states.

Many of the riders were with Tom and Del when they rode from Mexico to Canada a few years ago, and many will be veterans of other Best of America rides.

Riders will camp on the Tucker ranch with their horse trailer/RVs, and local people may prefer to trailer their horses over for the day.

For $100, riders will enjoy the weekend with Del and Tom, dine at a banquet at FSCC's Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, be filmed for a future TV show, enjoy a horse clinic and entertainment by Del Shields.

For $50, riders may sign up for just one day, which does not include the banquet. To sign up for this very special, televised trail ride, call (540) 829-9555.

Dolly the Trolley will be on hand to transport riders to FSCC for not only the banquet, but other Echoes of the Trail entertainment, such as the Cowboy Poetry and Singing competition on Friday and Saturday nights, the vendors of fine western goods in the Fine Arts Center, a noon chuck wagon meal down by the pond north of the college, and non-stop cowboy music and tales all day Saturday in the Fine Arts Center auditorium. Organizers say that a wagon train may roll in and circle around the chuck wagon.

The public is invited to attend the competition Friday and Saturday nights, and all day Saturday, June 8, to enjoy the music and cowboy poetry of Judy Coder, Harold Carpenter, Geff Dawson, Richard Dunlap & D.J. Fry, Joe Lester, Steve Porter, Ron Ratliff, Cliff Sexton, Royce Smithey, and Steve Spalding. Echoes of the Trail entertainment is only $20 for the entire weekend or $10 each for Friday night, Saturday day, or Saturday night. Tickets are available online or at the door. To enter the cowboy poet/singer contest, performers must send a recording to Echoes of the Trail, 2280 Hackberry Rd., Fort Scott, KS 66701 for consideration. Twelve contestants will be chosen to perform on Friday, June 7 in the Ellis Fine Arts Center. The best five of those will go on to compete on Saturday night, June 8. The grand prize winner will be filmed for appearance on a future Best of America by Horseback show on RFD-TV, and will receive a special buckle. In addition, the best poet will qualify to compete in the statewide cowboy poetry contest in conjunction with the Symphony in the Flint Hills. See http://www.echoesofthetrail.com for contest rules.

Another new feature of the 17th annual Echoes of the Trail Cowboy Gathering will be a pie baking contest. Area homemakers may obtain entry forms at Life + Style on Main Street, the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, and at the Southwind Extension District office at the Bourbon County Courthouse. Only 25 pies will be accepted in the contest, and forms must be completed and returned by May 31. A copy of the entry form is available at echoesofthetrail.com as well. The pies and their recipes will be brought to the Ellis Fine Arts Center on Saturday morning, June 8 for judging. The three best pies will be auctioned off during the Saturday night Echoes of the Trail performances. The other pies will be sold by the slice during the day Saturday in the Fine Arts Center. Part of the pie sale proceeds will go to a local 4-H club. Life+Style will provide special gift baskets to the winners, and trophies will be given.

For more information or to buy tickets to Echoes of the Trail, see http://www.echoesofthetrail.com or call (620) 223-0736.