Cowboy poetry gathering boosts Elko economy

Saturday, Feb. 10, 2001 | 10:07 a.m.

About 8,000 people attended the week-long event that ended Feb. 4, said Charlie Seemann, executive director of the Western Folklife Center.

"People said it was the best one in 10 years or 15 years. We think it brought a lot of people to town," he told the Elko Daily Free Press.

The center doesn't track the economic impact in Elko every year. But the $6 million would be significantly more than the $5 million impact an outside consultant identified in 1992.

Seemann said it's time for another such survey.

"I think that even more than in other years, the businesses were depending upon the gathering," he said.

Local motels were especially counting on the event because of the closure last November of the University of Nevada, Reno, Fire Science Academy, which had been providing a steady supply of guests.

Seemann said additional efforts to attract media and added promotion from the Chamber of Commerce and Elko Convention Center helped bolster attendance, along with a resolution from the U.S. that makes Elko's gathering the official National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.

The cost of putting on the Cowboy Poetry Gathering is roughly $350,000. The ticket sales produced about $250,000, while local sponsors cover the rest, Seemann said.

"Without the sponsors, it wouldn't be possible," he said.

Elaine Barkdull, executive director of the Elko Chamber of Commerce, said she heard nothing but positive feedback.

"They loved it and some already are planning to come back next year," she said.