photos by Jared Boyd

There were plenty of events to tip one's Stetson to last weekend, as Durango played host to its annual Cowboy Gathering. The three-day event featured a true taste of the West, with entertainers from throughout the country, including performances by cowboy poets and country-Western musicians; a Saturday morning parade, billed as "Colorado's largest motorless parade"; and the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo, which was held in conjunction with the gathering at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. There also were a few unscheduled surprises over the weekend, including a cowboy on a white horse who galloped into the Wild Horse Saloon on Friday night for a few laps on the dance floor before swooping up a maiden and heading for the door. The following morning, spectators lined Main Avenue sidewalks for a look at proud horsemen and women as they sauntered by on their steeds. Later on, an array of folks headed to the Strater Hotel to be romanced by some of the finest cowboy poetry and songwriting of the day.
A couple dances to a slow song preformed by "Jody Nix and the Texas Cowboys" Friday night at the Wild Horse Saloon. Molly Watson, the 2005 Fiesta Days Queen, pulls rollers from her hair before saddling up for the parade. Fiddler Ken Mikell practices backstage before playing a piece with his partner Lyn Mikell at the Diamond Circle Theatre. Gay Nell Delling, left, and Camille Schrock relax in the shade as a horse and carriage pass by during the parade. Two men sit atop their wagons at the train depot waiting for the parade to begin. Long shadows of men, women and horses painted the streets before the motorless parade began on Main Avenue Saturday morning