Hill Country Magazine - Summer 2008Brazos Bottom Cow'ographersBy JOHN HALLOWELL, Photos by JOHN HALLOWELL | ||||
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 Co-founder and chief “bad guy” Chuck Clark gives some last minute instructions to fellow Cowographers (the name was taken from a line in a Gene Autry movie) in the photo below.  |
What do you get when you combine seventy costumed volunteers, several hundred props, a big trailer and a very imaginative sense of humor with a sincere love for the old American west? That’s easy; you get the Brazos Bottom Cow’ographers- recently recognized by the Texas House of Representatives and named Texas Ambassadors for the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce. But don’t think it’s easy for the seventy volunteers they devote long houses and many weekends to set up their “town” (Brazos Bottom) and perform in all kinds of weather, camp out wherever they can and barely get home in time to go back to work Monday morning. Nine years ago, John Coleman and Chuck Clark enlisted six volunteers and a few props for their first performance. Now, they regularly have fifty or more for their well-attended (and critically acclaimed) shows. There are cowboys, lawmen, outlaws, gamblers and ladies (some hang out at the church, and some hang out at the saloon). Almost every other weekend (and more than that during the summer), they take their portable town, their costumes, their guns, their sound system and their well-rehearsed skits to another town. There are always a lot of laughs and lots of shooting, but much of the detail is carefully authentic. You can learn a lot from the Cowographers even while you’re having fun. The pictures for this story were taken at the 4th Annual Chuck Wagon Cook-Off and Heritage Gathering in Boerne, but we’ve seen the Cowographers in Goldthwaite, San Saba, Copperas Cove and Bandera, too. This summer, they’ll be featured at Kingsland’s July 4th Aqua Boom and the Celebrate Bandera event over Labor Day weekend. Then, of course, they’ll be some of the stars at the Ogletree Gap Heritage Festival in their hometown of Copperas Cove this October. If you’re going to be traveling the Hill Country, make a point of seeing the Brazos Bottom Cow’ographers! | |||
While the Brazos Bottom Cow'ographers certainly enjoy doing what they do, there is considerable sacrifice involved. Dozens of volunteers give up their weekends to work hard in uncomfortable conditions. Their efforts have been recognized by the Texas Legislature and appreciated by thousands of delighted spectators. They have also been named Texas Ambassadors for the Copperas Cove Chamber of Commerce. They are the largest such group in the nation. |  | |||
Contact the Hill Country Magazine at:www.hillcountrymagazine.com
Contact the Brazos Bottom Cow'ographers at:www.cowographers.com
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"The Good, The Bad, and the Very, Very Pretty"Hill Country Magazine - Used with permission | |
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