Newcomers to the SCV probably think our history begins and ends with planting tract houses on denuded ridges, complaining about Napoleonic HOA management and driving pre-teens to soccer practice. Don't hate these newbies for their ignorance. Sadly, the SCV's connection to Hollywood and cowboy culture remains hidden from many. Western luminaries from William S. Hart to Harry Carey have called the SCV home and even today we remain a key player in modern movie making.

The Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival, taking place from April 23 to 27, celebrates Western culture's effect on the nation, not just our valley. The Western way of life exerts so much influence on us that the SCV's DNA resembles a spinning lasso more than a double helix. Cowboys and their exploits have been imprinted on our collective psyche for decades and the Festival offers a chance to commune with your need for all things Western.

The Festival began 15 years ago as the Cowboy Poetry Festival, a title that scared away some people, mostly men, less comfortable with their more sensitive sides. Fearful of a weekend promising all the excitement of a 48-hour expedition to the Hallmark store to pour over the Arbor Day card selection, too many locals avoided this entertaining festival of leather, performance art and movies.

The Festival takes place at Melody Ranch, Placerita Canyon's honest-to-goodness movie studio. It isn't Schwab's and you won't get discovered for a career in the movies, but the chance to inspect a real working movie ranch is worth the price of admission. This is no tram tour on a back lot bearing more resemblance to Disneyland than a real movie studio - this is the real deal, one of Southern California's choicest locations for movie and TV shoots. Formerly owned by Gene Autry, the ranch has been the site of numerous films since 1915. There's more real film history here than in a generation of Oscars broadcasts.

Like most studios, getting inside is tougher than snagging a leading role in the next Clint Eastwood epic. But the Festival doesn't just get you inside the gates, it lets you see all that the Ranch has to offer, especially the Motion Picture Museum and the authentic Main Street with over 65 storefronts recreating a 19th-century frontier town.

Scores of Western gear outfitters will set up shop on site, ready to sell you everything from a saddle to spurs. Here's your chance to stuff your jeans into your boots without facing snickering questions about your style choices. The region's Western aficionados will understand your need for denim and tasseled leather as you browse the wares up and down Main Street. You don't need a fake bowlegged gait to fit in when you can get genuine Western wear to complete the look.

Five stages packed with music, shows, storytelling, and, of course, poetry will keep guests busy throughout both weekend days. Relax and enjoy performances by well-known stars and get to know some new faces.

With the event running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., you'll have plenty of time to work up an appetite bigger than the Grand Canyon. The many food vendors stand ready to fill you up with specialties that real cowboys could only wish the chuckwagon stocked.

Beyond the weekend's festival, consider some of the concurrent events celebrating our Western history. On Friday, April 25, there will be a Gala Dinner and award ceremony at the Hyatt where the 2008 inductees into the Downtown Newhall Walk of Western Fame will be announced. Or get in the oldies mood with the Silver Screen Cowboys & More show at the Repertory East Theater on Wednesday, April 23.

Don't forget the kids. Pull them away from the X-Box and drag them into the real world for some fun that will exercise more than their thumbs. They'll complain on the ride over, but when they get a taste of the blacksmithing demonstration and roping exhibition they'll forget their electronic friends in a hurry. Who knows, maybe the kids' poetry lessons will improve the quality of their text messaging.

There's a reason we don't have a CPA Festival or Regional Sales Manager Poetry readings. Western culture combines the best of the American frontier's can-do attitude and rugged individualism. It packs more excitement into an eight-second bull ride than most sports can produce in an hour. Add the glamour of the movies and the reality of our hometown's history and you've got a weekend to remember. So toss your Stetson in the ring and drop in for the festival; $30 gets a two day pass for adults ($15 for kids).

Visit www.cowboyfestival.org or call the City of Santa Clarita's Arts and Events office at 286-4021 for more details.