Left to right, photos by Jerry Melrose:
Paige Overton, the powerhouse solo singer and rhythm-guitarist of the four-member Country and Western combo hailing from Las Vegas, where they play on The Strip in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s facility fronted by Blake Shelton. The current hair-dresser, encouraged by their $10,000 windfall, harbors high hopes of further success as a professional musician. “Oh my gosh,” she gushes, “we feel great! There’s some pretty awesome bands today, to be honest with you, and we were just trying our dangest to bring it. I feel quite elated. I’m really grateful. We made some really great connections with the other bands: some great friends and, hopefully, we can meet up with them in the future, too. This is just the beginning for a lot of us.” Jake Ryan Shepard (with beard and shades), their inventive lead-guitar player, notes, “We’ve been working on this band for about two years. We’ve gone through a couple of iterations. You know, you’ve got to find the right guys. We’ve had the right guys probably since March. I think we’ve landed with this drummer and bass player. We’re enjoying it a lot! So, we’re gonna stay with this iteration.
The illustrious cast of Dr. Buck’s Wild West Comedy Gunfight and Stunt Show, along with their “Big Iron” Gunfighter Showdown, Old West Magic, and Bullwhip Shows are (left-to-right): Jeff McCarroll as “Shorty”, Andrew Moore as “Sourdoh”, Mike Gerrard as “Tom B. Stone”, “Dr. Buck Montgomery” as himself, Jackson as “Jackson” and Rick Wyckoff as “Lightnin’ Rick.”
The annual Western Legends Longhorn Cattle Parade, emblematic of the inspiration for Kanab’s designation as “Little Hollywood USA” hearkening to another era around a century ago recalling the three entrepreneurial Parry brothers, whose namesake lodge in the background remains to carry on that tradition. Lizzie (left) and Dusty Reese are the flag-bearers.
Jack George, high school senior from Quemado, N.M., humorously reciting “The Horse Trade” by Sonny Hancock to an enjoyably attentive audience, including his fellow Cowboy Poetry practitioners (leftto- right): Jeff Carson, Sam Deleeuw and Andy Nelson.
Fast becoming an ever-widening popular event among locals and Rez horse folks alike, the annual Leon Brinkerhoff Memorial Team Roping and Dutch Oven Dinner at the Kaneplex Arena sports non-stop action in the pursuit of bigtime prize-money and Jackpot purses available to a constantly changing array of alternating header and heeler combos. The first division is for an open class of competitors, and the other later run is exclusively for ages 15-and-under, as well as 50-and-older in any combinations thereof. Such are these pictured young cowhands, Jake Brinkerhoff (left) of Glendale and JW Reese of Kanab.
Veteran character-actor, cuttinghorse competitions winner and 2014 inductee as a member of the Multicultural Western Heritage Museum, Barry Corbin, graced the Star Panel Discussions moderated by Dr. Buck and signed photos for fans while visiting Kanab from his small cattle ranch home. Speaking of Kanab and environs, the Texas native visiting with his wife Jo, drawled that he wanted it known that, “This is the most beautiful area in the United States of America. And it’s also got the best weather. Now, I come from Ft. Worth. It’s been 105 everyday, but down to 91 at night. Here, well, it can get hot in the daytime; but soon as the sun goes down, it cools off and you’re livin’ in high cotton here, I’ll tell ya!”
