Cowboy poets will face a distinguished panel of judges as they compete for the coveted trophy buckle at the finals of the 2018 Kansas Cowboy Poetry Contest tonight at the Flint Hills Discovery Center. There is no charge for admission and the public is invited to attend.
“We invite folks to come out and enjoy the friendly competition,” said poetry contest chair Ron Wilson of the Lazy T Ranch near Manhattan. “We have an excellent field of cowboy poets who earned their way into the finals by performing well at the regional contests.”
The finals will be held at 7 p.m. at the Discovery Center on the night before the Symphony in the Flint Hills. Celebrity judges include Chief Justice Lawton Nuss of the Kansas Supreme Court, Marie Martin from the Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation, K-State Teaching & Learning Center Director Dr. Jana Fallin, Senator Tom Hawk, Manhattan Mayor Linda Morse, and Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
“We appreciate the Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation which is our lead sponsor,” Wilson said.
Contestants are as follows (towns in Kansas unless listed otherwise): Serious poem category: Betty Burlingham, Manhattan; John J. Cannon, Fredonia; Jerry Jones, Salina; Tim Keane, Manhattan; Danny McCurry, Ash Grove, Missouri; Scott Wiswell, Valley Center. Humorous poem category: Betty Burlingham, Manhattan; Jerry Jones, Salina; Tim Keane, Manhattan; Danny McCurry, Ash Grove, Missouri; Dana Moodie, Neodesha; and Scott Wiswell, Valley Center.
State champions at the finals will receive the Saddlejack Bradrick Award, the coveted Governor’s Buckle, discounts and gift certificates from leading western wear stores, and two tickets to the Symphony in the Flint Hills plus an opportunity to present their poems in the story circle after the symphony. In addition, the state winners will be invited to compete in the National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo. It is not necessary to go through the state contest to enter the national rodeo because anyone can enter the National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo directly, but the Kansas winners will have their entry fees paid by the Kansas contest.
