There’s a lot more than Lacy J. Dalton riding around the Monterey Conference Center corral. The Christmas Art and Gear Show (10am-4:30pm Sun) gives attendees a chance to purchase jewelry, saddles, clothing and books, with a majority of the goods made by Central Coast artisans. Cowboy Church (9am Sun) brings 11 of the 15 attending artists together for a unique performance benefiting the Salvation Army. Some of the top acts include:


Juni Fischer


(7pm Fri, 10:30am Sat)


Known for sporting technicolor cowboy boots, the California native’s recently released an album, Let ‘er Go, Let ‘er Buck, Let ‘er Fly, earned her the Western Music Association Entertainer of the Year award.


Saddle Cats


(3:30pm Sat, 1pm Sun)


Calling themselves a “western swing pocket-orchestra,” these felines on horseback are known for tackling just about any form of traditional music with hootin’, hollerin’, twangy enthusiasm.


Waddie Mitchell


(7pm Fri, 7pm Sat)


Known simply as the Buckaroo Poet, even here, Mitchell writes stirring high-plains prose like, “Blood, Sweat and Steers.”


The Quebe Sisters


(7pm Fri, 1pm Sat)


Fiddling together since the youngest was 7, these gals produce three-part harmonies reminiscent of the legendary Andrews sisters of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” fame.


Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum


(7pm Sat, 9am Sun)


This duo proves the San Francisco Bay Area grows good bluegrass. For 20 years, Lewis’ and Rozum’s dulcet voices have mixed with precise picking in many folk ballads.


Dave Stamey


(10:30am Sat, 1pm Sun) 


Winner of the coveted Will Rogers Award from the Academy of Western Artists, this vocal vaquero says he prefers delighted audiences to being stomped by angry horses.


Chris Isaacs


(3:30pm Sat, 9am Sun)


A real-life cowboy who manages to compose humorous poetry between shoeing horses and herding cattle on Arizona ranches. His mule packing expertise has earned him the nickname, “Packsaddle Poet.”