The Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering enters its 24th year of celebrating the cowboy way of life — romanticized and otherwise.

It's presented this year on Jan. 17-20 at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, the re-purposed former Golden Junior and Senior High School, at 710 10th St.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, plus matinees at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and 10 a.m. Saturday. Cowboy Church is at 10 a.m. Sunday. See the website for schedule of entertainers at www.coloradocowboygathering.com. This is the second year in Golden for this unique event, which spent 10 years at the Arvada Center and has been wandering to various venues since.

Each show will be different. There is a special focus on cowboy poetry, an art form that grew out of long days in the saddle. Cowboys would gather around a campfire at night and entertain each other with tall tales and songs.

Poets, Western singers and old-fashioned yodelers will spin songs and stories about the happy times and rough times experienced in life in the Old West — the West of legends, films and books. And they will look at contemporary life as well.

Performers include: Eli Barsi, Sam DeLeeuw, Bill Barwick, John Schaffner, Skip Gorman, Pop Wagner, Mike Blakely and Ernie Martinez. Also: Bary Ward, Liz Masterson, Jon Chandler, Yampa Valley Boys, Patty Clayton, Gary McMahan, Al “Doc” Mehl, Doris Daley, Chick Pyle.

Some are local musicians who have appeared at the Littleton Museum over recent years.

Families are welcome at these performances and programming is fashioned for kids age 8 and older, especially at themed matinees, where there will be stories of cattle drives and life on the plains.

When the munchies strike, there will be cowboy grub served from the Authentic Chuck Wagon, owned by John Schaffner. Hours: 5-7 p.m. Friday, Saturday; 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Ticket prices vary, see website, or there is a super ticket for all six shows.