Part 2: Documenting the Morrison Cowboy Celebration
(see Part 1: The First Morrison Cowboy Celebration)
Out of Morrison’s 150-year history, you could easily miss the Cowboy Celebration, which ran for only five years, 1996-2000. This month, we’ve spent some time refreshing our memories of these stirring days, when western singer-songwriters and cowboy poets graced the stage at the Morrison Town Hall. Thanks to the efforts of videographer Donna DiGiacinto, who recorded the 1996 and 1997 events, we can even give you a sample of what it was like to be there in person.
Historical Morrison Cowboy Gathering 1996 -97
Some of our performers have passed into history, others we’ve lost track of, and some you can find still working their trade today, sharing stories and songs of the Old West. Donna captured rare footage of legendary Pete Smythe at the 1997 celebration; he died in 2000. We lost Sean Blackburn, of mustache and musical fame, in 2005; Bill Barwick and Liz Masterson followed in 2017. Poet Dennis “Slim” Fischer died in 2023. We honor their legacy, and are happy to bring you a taste of their time on the Morrison stage.
We’ve also been retrieving the story of the celebrations, as it was reported on Morrison’s website at the time. Thank you, Internet Archive, for keeping these old pages accessible! Links below open in new tabs.
Morrison Cowboy Celebration Homepage, as of 2002 (pdf)
Selections from the 1996-97 Celebrations (video, 2:42:38 minutes)
1996 Celebration– a few photos (by Mary Jordan, pdf)
Review of 1998 Performances (pdf)
Summary of 1999 Celebration and Review of 1999 Performances (pdf)
Morrison History 
This was a really fun reading and listening experience for me – thanks so much for sharing it all!!! Liz B
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