A celebration of Western culture and music kicked off with Western musicians, lasso and line dance lessons at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area on Sunday night.
The evening brought out friends and families to the famed rocks to enjoy the wild West theme.
Sarah Brewer, regional park superintendent at Vasquez Rocks, has been volunteering at the park for years and is always trying to find fun and unique ways to enjoy the park.
“Well, people just love this place, which I can understand. I grew up volunteering here. My parents volunteered here for my whole life. So, I can see the appeal of why people love to come here,” Brewer said. “It means a lot to a lot of people. And it’s one of those things where it’s great if you can kind of mix up the fun things you get to do at a place that you love.”
She added that events like this are important for their broad impact.
“We try to tell a bigger story. So Western music, you know, you typically think of, you know, a white male cowboy on a white horse riding into the sunset. But Western music is so complex and so rich and layered so we have all of these things that we want to build on that here,” Brewer said.
Brewer added that all groups deserve to be celebrated and understood through various types of songs.
“This is a great encapsulation of a lot of the things that people did and felt back then also. So, some songs are very happy, some are about being just hopelessly in love. Some are about loss and heartbreak. Some are about being far from home,” Brewer said. “So, it’s something that everybody can resonate with and the more you can do that and the more you can bring people together who may not always see eye to eye is really important for all of us.”
Tayler Rismanchi came with her husband, Cameron, her son, Connor and some of their family, friends and fellow Cub Scouts of Pack 695.
“Just to recognize the beauty that we have around us, you know, I know a lot of people say, ’Oh, it’s the desert,’ but there’s a lot of beauty to be found out here. And a part of Cub Scouts is adventuring and exploring that and appreciating it,” Rismanchi said.
Rismanchi added that seeing her kids having the best time and watching them run and play is her favorite part of the whole event.
Western singer-songwriter Michael Tcherkassky went on stage and performed some traditional Western songs that he has loved all his life.
“I just enjoy it. I enjoy the people. I’ve met some wonderful, wonderful people, you know, just from singing cowboy songs,” Tcherkassky said.
