Day Seven: The Western Music Association Showcase and Awards Show!

This morning we made our first visit to the Albuquerque Marriott and the WMA Showcase. There were fantastic music groups, storytellers, and poets performing in the grand ballroom, and lots of fun showcases and workshops taking place in the smaller meeting rooms. Western musicians were jamming in the hallways, and we immediately started making friends. The girls were immediately signed up for the youth chapter of the WMA, and made good friends with "Mustang Mikki," another youth yodeler and performer.

We had a surprise visit from friends back home: Derick and Stephen Burgess, and Roger Smith, who just happened to be in town overseeing a construction project at the airforce base. They visited the Marriott in time to see the girls in the Youth Harmony competition and the Youth Showcase.

The Butterpats at the WMA Harmony Yodeling Competition

The Butterpats at the WMA Youth Showcase

With Devon "Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl" Dawson 

The Butterpats with Mustang Mikki

Daddy and Mama Jane in front of Hopalong Cassidy

Arwen and Lorien were awarded the 2011 WMA Youth Harmony Group of the Year AND the 2011 WMA Harmony Yodeling Group of the Year! They walked onstage twice at the awards ceremony held at the KiMo Theatre in downtown Albuquerque. We are very proud of them, and have had a wonderful day here in New Mexico. Everyone we met at the WMA was so kind and encouraging, and the girls made lots of friends here. We want to come back next year!
Their highlights were to sing for Marilyn Tuttle, (bio) who was judging the harmony contests, and getting to meet and yodel with Devon Dawson, who is famous for being Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl in Disney's Toy Story II.

 Lorien yodeling "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart"

 Arwen yodeling "Whatever Happened to the Yodeling Cowgirls"

The Butterpats performing Arizona Yodeler

The Butterpats performing a medley of western harmony tunes

After the showcase we drove up to the Sandia Peak Tramway. The tram, which carries up to 50 people, rides 2.7 miles on a cable up to Sandia Peak, an elevation gain of nearly 4000 feet. This trip includes the world's third-longest single span, and at times is over 1000 feet above the ground. Although it was 65 degrees in Albuquerque, the top was covered in snow!

Arwen on the Tram

Lorien is not sure she wants to look down

Sandia Peak, 10,000 feet

Looking back toward Albuquerque...

Freezing on the peak

Mama Jane above Albuquerque

The Tram comes back to pick us up

The Albuquerque skyline

Night was falling as we came back down, and the Albuquerque skyline was gorgeous. We went downtown to the beautiful KiMo Theatre, where the awards show was being held. We expecially enjoyed the music of the Bar-D Wranglers (the link is their "Possum Song" that the girls loved). The girls went onstage to receive their awards, then we headed back to the Marriott for Roy Rogers' 100th Birthday cake and celebration. It was a wonderful evening!

Bar-D Wranglers

The Butterpats receive the Harmony Yodel Group of the Year award from WMA president Jon Messenger

The Butterpats receiveing the 2011 WMA Youth Harmony Award

The Butterpats with their temporary certificates

Sitting in the KiMo Theatre

It's not every day we get to eat cake after midnight! This one was for Roy Rogers' 100th Birthday Party