After an amazingly successful first year, Western Christmas is back again November 2-4 with a little something for everyone. One of the most anticipated events surrounding the PRCA Columbia River Circuit Finals Rodeo has little to do with riding broncs, but boasts three days of live entertainment, delectable western food and drinks and hundreds of hand-selected western retailers. Thousands of rodeo fans, ranchers and lovers of the western lifestyle from throughout the West will congregate to enjoy this event, all while getting a head start on their holiday shopping.
In its second year, the event in Redmond has grown by over 50 percent into a spectacular 42,000 square foot facility, with over 300 vendors vying for booth space. This larger venue will allow additional space for even more family fun entertainment and room for approximately 100 hand-selected, juried vendors, many of which are well-known Western artists, sculptors and collectors.
The welcoming fine art pieces as you enter the facility will be incredibly detailed cast paper sculptures by Allen Eckman. From that point on, you’ll be amazed by the selection of wonderful western items available for any budget. You will find items for your home, gifts for friends and family, holiday decorations, the hottest western clothing designs and jewelry, all the latest bling for you and your horse, trailers, ranch and farm supply and so much more.
To keep the kids entertained, there will be the Les Schwab Parade of Ponies for children under eight years of age, the Kids Dummy Roping competition for children 12 and under, presented by Lone Star Ropes, pictures with Santa, face painting and many other events and items.
Marty Campbell will be back this year as emcee for the weekend, entertaining everyone as he keeps you up to date on all the activities. An indoor arena has been set up for team roping jackpots on an air-powered action dummy all weekend. There will be appearances and autographs by professional cowboys, cowgirls and rodeo queens. And Sunday morning the stage will host Cowboy Church once again.
“We are so excited to produce this event for all those who appreciate the western lifestyle, fine art and unique quality products. We have worked hard to bring in live entertainment for all ages and create a true experience for attendees,” said Wendie Every, founder of Every Idea Marketing and creator of Western Christmas.
For children’s event entries, dates, times and additional information, visit www.western-christmas.com or email kasey@every-idea.com.
Two Artists with a Shared Passion Paying homage to nature, native culture and the beauty of imitating life
From paper comes form, elegance and grace. Cast paper sculpture has been around since the 1950s, originating in Mexico. Allen Eckman stumbled onto cast paper as a fine art medium in 1987, and instantly recognized the beauty and possibilities for creating high detail, strong, acid-free, pure, fine art sculpture. It took the Eckmans many years to unlock the secrets to the medium. Discoveries included paper formulation, specialized equipment and tool innovations in addition to their unique paper processing methods. Inspired by his Native American culture, Eckman’s passion has been creating intriguing Indian sculptures based on his Cherokee ancestry.
The Eckman Method of cast paper sculpture is a proprietary trademark the Eckman’s officially began in 1988. They have truly perfected the medium of cast paper far beyond any other artists in the world. Their work is considered by many critics to be the premier of the industry. Since the paper is acid-free, the sculptures are all museum quality. “We have really enjoyed the development of our fine art techniques over the years, and have created a process that is worth sharing, said Eckman. “We believe there are many artists and sculptors who will enjoy this medium as much as we have.”
Classes and DVDs of this method are offered at www.eckmanfineart.com.