Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival  Apr. 18-21, 2013 cowboyfestival.org  

 $20/day, $10 child; $30/2 day pass, $15 child. Special performances and tours are sold separately

Founded in 1994, the City of Santa Clarita sponsors the annual Cowboy Festival at the Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio. 24715 Oakcreek Ave., Newhall, CA 91321-1905  melodyranchstudio.com‎

Three stages throughout the ranch with chuckwagon cooking in the Gold Rush Food Court and the mouth-watering Peach Cobbler are some of the highlights to this annual event filled with two days of entertainment at one admission price.

In fact, you might get the impression that people REALLY like the food at this Western Festival event. Why? They spend so much time and effort cooking it, just like the old days out on the range.

When the City of Santa Clarita posted an article about the festival, they listed the reasons to visit and attend this annual city-sponsored event. And among the top 3 reasons to go there,  "food" was mentioned.

"As we continue to count down the reasons to go to the Cowboy Festival, we look at number 3. The food!" says a city newsletter.

For many festival-goers the food is far and away the best part of the day while attending the Cowboy Festival . The food has been written about, talked about and is a big reason many people keep coming back. The Festival hosts standard fare such as kettle corn, but it's the traditional "cowboy grub" that steals the show.

Apparently the Cowboy Cultural Committee come all the way from Visalia and are a Festival hit. The Cowboy Cultural Committee's good-old-fashioned Dutch Oven cooking is a festival standard.

Peach cobbler is out of this world.  A favorite stop at the Festival's authentic chuckwagon is the tastiest peach cobbler this side of Dixie and real down-home biscuits and gravy!  The beans are unbelievable, too. They stick to your ribs and put a smile on your face.

They cook food over hot coals and use old-fashioned coffee pots over fires to keep the brew hot.  Some say the food is the reason they are repeat customers.  In addition to the foods you can buy at the Chuckwagon with a day admission, there are several food events for foodies to sink their teeth into.

A Chuckwagon Dinner Show costs around $40 and for food junkies, it's a must.  Prepared by award-winning Manflo Ranch, the event includes entertainment and the no-host saloon.

Yet another dinner on another event night includes a movie at the ranch.  Melody Ranch Movie Night & Western Dinner will provide guests with a fantastic meal and viewing of legendary Western film director John Ford's classic Stagecoach (1939) on Melody Ranch's Main Street. Seating is limited and only ticket holders will be admitted to Melody Ranch for this event.

So the Cowboy Festival is only partially about the cowboys and entertainment. The grub is a key part of experiencing life on the range, but we suspect they never had a meal quite as good as you'll taste if you check out this event.