Cowboy Myth Today – 3rd prize in photo contest

This picture was taken in June 2012 during the "Symphony in the Flint Hills" (Kansas) with my old Canon Powershot IS 20. We were invited to this event by the State of Kansas and attended as part of a 2-week research trip KS/OK. The event takes place every year at a different place in the Flint Hills region, in the middle of the prairie (one of the few remaining patches of long-grass prairie), in the Eastern part of Kansas. There is a tent village set up with boothes – food, artwork, crafts, organizations etc. –, there are ranger and other educational programs, carriage tours, star gazing, story telling, live bands and dancing taking place, but the absolute highlight is an openair concert of the Kansas City Symphony, a medley of classical, popular and country-style music. The concert ends exactly at sunset, which is spectacular on its own in this vast prairie land, but local cowboys even improve the "natural show". This picture serves the "lonesome modern cowboy"-cliché very well.

Perhaps this was also the reason it was selected and won third prize in a photo contest organized by the U.S. Consulate/Amerika Haus. We submitted two pictures (one for each of us and Peter's choice apparently was the better one!). First prize went went to a picture of Yellowstone NP, 2nd was one of Boone Hall Alley, LA, 3rd to Peter's cowboy photo. Prizes were presented yesterday at a tourism event in the Amerika Haus Munich after a multimedia show ("Americana" by Dirk Rohrbach) on stage by Consul General Bill Moeller. Ten participants were rewarded with a blown-up, framed copy of their pictures, first three in addition got prices and an invitation to the Independence Day Celebration at the Consulate Munich on July 3rd.

Well, we are proud owners of a huge coffeetable book (same type we write ourselves) on the U.S.A. now (which we had to carry home from Munich on the train), a rain jacket (from one of the sponsors) and an invitation for two to the party (which we will, of course, attend). Also, received a certificate and we will get the framed copy of the picture after the exhibition in the consulate is over on July 4th.