Cowboys Stars Saddle Up for Piney Woods

9/20/2007 Stephen L. Betts Forget Kid Nation. Want to experience the real Old West for yourself? Take a trip to the first annual Piney Woods Cowboy Gathering in Linden, Texas, from Oct. 4-7 as America’s top cowboys round up for an authentic western weekend. Among the musicians performing will be Michael Martin Murphey, Suzy Bogguss, Don Edwards and Red Steagall. Campire serenades, western-swing dancing, chuckwagon vittles, a dusty trail ride, cowboy workshops, and a two-day working ranch rodeo are just a few of the planned activities for both adults and children. The Piney Woods Cowboy Gathering is a fundraising event for the Murphey Western Institute's Western Legacy Library, and other nonprofit organizations. Michael Martin Murphey, an East Texas native, recently announced the Murphey Western Legacy Library and Artist & Writers Retreat will be built in Linden with the goals of "supporting education, research and artistic endeavors related to the preservation and perpetuation of the cultural and historic legacy of the American West." For more information visit www.pineywoodscowboygathering.com.