“Dinner for the Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival” to be held at Cibo Ristorante Italiano

MONTEREY, Calif. - April 5, 2014 - PRLog -- Here’s our own version of a “Spaghetti Western!” right here in downtown Monterey. Don your cowboy hat, put on your boots, and come celebrate the Cowboy Way of Life with some Western fun and delicious Italian cuisine at the “Dinner for the Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival” at Cibo Ristorante Italiano, 301 Alvarado St., in downtown Monterey on Monday, April 28th from 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Make advance reservations at (831) 649-8151 and be sure to mention the Monterey Cowboy Festival. Enjoy an eclectic blend of live musical entertainment throughout the evening while you dine. There will be great foot-stomping performances by the New Monterey Amigos (featuring Craig Collord, Spence Myers, Dave Sweigert, Rebecca Stone and others), the Old Lost Cows (featuring Dixie Dixon), and other musical surprises. To support this special organization, Cibo will donate 20% of the dinner proceeds of the evening to the Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival (a 501c3 non-profit).  This is a special preview event for the Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival that will take place November 21-23, 2014 at the Monterey Conference Center.    .

About Cibo

Founded in 1990, the award-winning Cibo Ristorante Italiano offers Italian cuisine, gourmet pizzas, cocktails, fine wines, cordials, and more. Cibo (pronounced chee-bo) means “food” in Italian, but it’s more of a feast for the senses. This beautiful, spacious and comfortable moderately priced upscale restaurant features an intimate yet vibrant atmosphere which is accentuated with expressive art in the form of photography, paintings, sculpture, hand-blown glass and live jazz. Fusing the best of old and new world Italian cuisine, Cibo offers an eclectic delicious menu from gourmet pizzas to multi-course dinners. Families are welcome and there is a special children’s menu, Cibo features a $3 Happy Hour with a tasty small bites menu daily from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm and dinner is served nightly from 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm. Cibo presents live music 6 nights a week. On Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, the cool sounds of jazz accompanies dinner from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Enjoy a party atmosphere and a lively mix of soul, funk, and R&B dance music on Fridays and Saturday nights from 10:00 pm -1:30 am. www.cibo.com

About The Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival

The Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival is a popular annual event for all ages. It celebrates Monterey's contribution to our western heritage with cowboy poetry, music and a first class Cowboy Art & Western Marketplace. The festival brings together people from all over the United States and Canada to enjoy and learn more about the "cowboy way of life," including its culturally diverse history, including the Vaqueros and Californios and the Mexican and Spanish traditions, plus its current values and cowboy culture.

The Festival's outstanding 2014 performer line-up includes multi-award-winning performers - the best of the best: Juni Fisher, Dave Stamey, Cow Bop, Tom Russell and many others to be announced. Tickets will go on sale on June 1, 2014.

The festival has many shows scheduled over the three days plus a fabulous Cowboy Happy Hour with Meet and Greets with some of the performers on Friday night. There is also a Late Night Jam Session on Friday night, a Saturday Night Dance with a Best Dressed Cowboy and Cowgirl Contest, the Cowboy Art & Western Marketplace, a Vaquero Breakfast, Silent Auction and adult Open Mic. There is a special Sunday morning Cowboy Church which benefits The Salvation Army and features many of the top performers of the weekend.

There are different performance sessions throughout the weekend that fits everyone’s schedule and interests, with a great mix of cowboy music and poetry. Come out and celebrate the “Cowboy Way of Life” in a comfortable indoor setting in beautiful downtown Monterey on November 21-23, 2014!

About the Cowboy Art & Western Marketplace

The Cowboy Art & Western Marketplace features over two dozen artisans that offer an array of interesting items for Christmas gifts and collectors, including outstanding Western art, photography and books, clothing, (hats, jewelry, handmade boots, belts, purses, jackets, etc.), custom and antique saddles, Navajo blankets and much more.

About the Cowboys in the Schools Program

The Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival also coordinates the popular “Cowboys in the Schools Program” with a special educational event that will be held at the Carmel Valley Trail and Saddle Club in early October, 2014 for hundreds of visiting schoolchildren. During the school year, volunteers work with local educators to introduce the concept of Cowboy Culture and the influence of the vaquero to a diverse group of elementary school students. This "Cowboy Way of Life" program helps to teach youth self-esteem, ethics, values, writing, art and history. Young people also participate in the "Open Mic" event during the festival weekend. Monterey County has a long historic cowboy tradition that is celebrated at the Festival events.

Sponsors are now being sought to underwrite the costs of the Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival.  For more information about the Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival, to become a valued sponsor, or a volunteer, visit the website at www.montereycowboy.org.