It is time to saddle up, dust off your Stetson and head over to Old Town Newhall to celebrate a weekend of cowboy culture at the 29th Annual Cowboy Festival at William S. Hart Park.  The event will feature three stages of free entertainment, more than 15 entertainers, food, vendors and activitie s.  Don’t miss legendary trick roper David Thornbury lassoing guests and demonstrating fancy rope tricks. Thornbury has been thrilling Cowboy Festival fans for more than 20 years.  “At four years old I had a rope in my hand,” Thornbury said. “This is the way I grew up and nothing has changed.” Thornbury will be joined by his grandson.  Casey Miller, city of Santa Clarita events supervisor, said the Cowboy Festival will continue to offer “tried and true” favorites with a few new experiences.  “We want people to feel as if they are stepping into the Old West with living history displays that showcase cowboy life. The blacksmiths will do demonstrations throughout the day and Pioneer Corner is where guests can engage in hands-on activities like candle dipping and panning for gold,” Miller said.  Dave Thornbury uses a rope as a lasso during the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival on Saturday, April 20 at Hart Park. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal Horseshoe Honky Tonk, Watering Hole  “We have line dancing throughout the day and we also have our Watering Hole where guests can cool off with a cold beer from Lucky Luke our official brewery of the festival,” said Miller.  The Horseshoe Honky Tonk features the Bootscoot Bosses Line Dance Crew leading line dancing lessons in the afternoons.  Miller said her “can’t miss” event at the Cowboy Festival is the “Dancing Into the Dusk” late-night line dancing which offers a DJ spinning top country mixes. Line dance instruction will be available throughout the night. Lucky Luke Brewing will be serving beer, wine and seltzers. Grab a bite to eat from the food trucks.  “Dancing Into the Dusk,” Saturday, April 12, 7-10 p.m. Tickets: $10. Visit cowboyfestival.org.  Games, Activities  “We try to embody that Wild West action at the festival where people can participate. We have lassoing, mechanical bull riding, archery and axe throwing,” said Miller. “New this year are some added family-friendly activities included in our Craft Corral, including pinwheels and paper bag puppets. Those are some fun keepsakes from the festival.”  Gilcrest Farms offers Pioneer Corner where guests can experience pioneer life with hands-on activities like candle making, wool spinning, leather stamping and gold panning. This interactive space lets you step into the shoes of early settlers and try your hand at old-time skills.  SCV History Center, Hart Barnyard  The Santa Clarita Valley History Center, which features the Whistle Stop Stage, will also have historic buildings open during the festival.  “The stage is nestled between the locomotive and the historic buildings,” said Miller. “The History Center is the perfect backdrop for our festival.”  The Hart Barnyard will also be open offering guests a chance to visit with the animals.  Food, Vendors  Old fashioned soda, Mexican dishes, BBQ and the festival favorite, Dutch oven peach cobbler are on the menu at the Cowboy Festival, said Miller.  “There are these glazed almonds that are just so delicious,” she said. “When they start roasting these almonds the aroma is wonderful.”  Food vendors include Sausage King, Wild Bill’s Olde Fashion Soda Pop Co., Carter’s Smoked BBQ, Maria’s Catering Mexican Food and Original Kettle Corn, bUONgUSTO Italian Ice, Rhinos Glazed Almonds, The Crazy Cucumber, Sisi Cakes, Far East Cowboys, The Royal Womb (The Royal Bites), Taste of Soul on Wheels, The Flossy Lady, Popn’ Mama, AV Cryo Candy, SCV Rotary Club Peach Cobbler, Rivers End BBQ and Pub and Unforgettable Lemonade LLC.  Other vendors will offer cowboy hats, vintage fashion, boots, leather goods and more.  Ticketed Shows  This year’s festival will include several ticketed events. For tickets, visit cowboyfestival.org.  Cody: An Evening with Buffalo Bill is a captivating one-man show that brings the legendary frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody to life on stage.  The Thursday, April 10 through Saturday, April 12, event will take place at 8 p.m. at The MAIN (24266 Main St., Old Town Newhall). Tickets are $18.  Songs from the Saddle is a heartfelt celebration of the music and poetry that define the spirit of the American West. Presented by the International Western Music Association, California Chapter, this intimate concert will showcase six talented performers that bring both contemporary and classic Western and cowboy songs to life.  This event will be held Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. It will also be held at The MAIN. Tickets are $20.  Californio Fiesta de Rancho Camulos is an authentic Western Music concert featuring award winning song writer Jon Chandler & instrumentalist Ernie Martinez. Enjoy a Southwest Vaquero buffet, an intimate performance, and costumed docent-led tours as you step back in time in the Heritage Valley where the history, myth and romance of old California still linger.  The event, which will take place Friday, April 11 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., benefits the non-profit museums historical preservation. Rancho Camulos is located at 5164 E. Telegraph Road in Piru. Tickets are $69.88 incl. $4.88 fee.  Cowboy Family Night is a night of music, comedy, tall tales and cowboy storytelling. Enjoy music by the Kristyn Harris Trio, learn how to yodel like a pro, laugh at accordion shenanigans and comedy from festival legend Sourdough Slim and his sidekick Robert Armstrong. There will also be a  singalong of some classic Western songs.  The event takes place at the Newhall Family Theatre (24607 Walnut Street) on Friday, April 11, from 7-8:30 p.m. Adult tickets are $11.77 incl. a $1.77 fee. Children under 12 are $6.49, incl. $1.49 fee.  All proceeds benefit Raising the Curtain Foundation, which supports the Newhall Family Theatre for the Performing Arts.  The Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival VIP 2-day pass includes access to the Cowboy Cantina, all day snacks, a BBQ lunch and drinks, festival merchandise and front-of-the-line shuttle.  For information about free parking locations and shuttles, visit cowboyfestival.org.  The post The 29th Annual Cowboy Festival Rides into Town April 12-13  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less