The Cowboy Poetry and Western Music Festival will be presented by Conejo Players Theatre on Fri. and Sat., May 13 and 14 at their theatre, 351 S. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks. Tickets are $25. Reservations may be made by calling (805) 495-3715.

This is the seventh year the Conejo Players Theatre will present the Conejo Cowboy Poetry and Western Music Festival. The Conejo Players Theatre presents a yearlong variety of theatrical events; however, one week a year the theatre goes Western. It is during this special week that they celebrate the Conejo Valley’s rich ranching heritage. Vaqueros, cowboys and ranches are remembered in song, story, and verse.

Audience members are encouraged to arrive early to share in the pre-show entertainment, have a glass of wine or beer, peruse the entertainer merchandise and visit. At 8 p.m. the curtain goes up. Each night there’s a different show, with an equal mix of poetry and music. Following each performance is a backstage reception where audience members get a chance to eat, drink and visit with the performers, and also get a peek at the backstage operations of a theatre.

Gary Robertson will serve as master of ceremonies. The pre-show from 7:15 to 7:45 p.m. Friday features Fiddling John Ryman and on Saturday it will be Dave Bourne Saloon Piano. Friday’s lineup is George Dickey, Mark Birdsall, Pat Richardson, Ken Graydon and Phee Sherline, Buckaroo Balladeers, and the Moonlight Ramblers. Saturday’s lineup features Gary Allegretto, the Kahuna Cowboys, George Dickey, Daryl Knight, Paul Hendel, and the Lobo Rangers.