The Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin’s annual Cowboy Christmas Concert and Cowboy Craft Fair take place at the Gibraltar Room Saturday, Nov. 19.
The Cowboy Christmas Craft Fair runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“We have many wonderful vendors this year with a wide selection of wares, including western art, stained glass, knitting, barn board art, jewellery, canned goods, western attire and a whole lot more,” says museum president Mike McDonough.
There will be open mic entertainment and a Chuck Wagon concession throughout the day, along with a silent auction with proceeds going to the museum.
Admission to the craft fair is free. Anyone who purchases museum books or tickets for the evening concert will be entered in a door prize draw, McDonough says.
The concert in the evening starts at 7 p.m. featuring local and visiting entertainers. Tickets for the concert are $20 each and available at the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin, Margetts Meats and The Open Book.
Singer-songwriter and western cartoonist Ben Crane from the Alberta headlines the show.
Crane and his wife Sharmon have two daughters, Stephanie and Jessica.
Jessica will be among the concert’s special guests that will include the lakecity’s cowboy poet Frank Gleeson and the Cariboo-Chilcotin Youth Fiddlers.
Crane finds inspiration in the outdoors for both his music and popular western cartoons. His shows are agriculture-oriented and full of clean rural humour.
Screen-projected artwork creates the most unique aspect of his show, while his daughter Jessica’s accompanying fiddle and vocals illustrate his family values.
His musical stylings are rooted in traditional country, with hints of bluegrass, jazz, blues and swing, and range from old cowboy ballads to recently-written songs of the western lifestyle.
Adding to the collection are straight-ahead gospel songs that pack a punch; all delivered with warm personality and conviction.
Over the past 25 years he has produced six of his own albums and many others in various capacities as producer, engineer, arranger, session player or vocalist.
Several of his projects have been nominated for awards in the U.S. where western music’s current resurgence is at an all-time high.
His albums are also receiving airplay as far away as Europe and Japan.