Entertainment by Cowboy Celtic to Highlight Western Gala.

The City of Santa Clarita's 2007 Walk of Western Stars will honor legends of the silver screen on Friday, April 27, 2007, beginning at 3 p.m. on the sidewalks of old town Newhall and culminating with a western gala dinner at the Valencia Hyatt Hotel at 7 p.m. Hosting this year's Gala is former Walk of Stars award winner and legendary cowboy balladeer Don Edwards, with entertainment provided by David Wilkie and Cowboy Celtic.

Topping this year's honorees is long-time actor Harry Dean Stanton, currently starring in the television series "Big Love," filmed in Santa Clarita. A character actor with hound-dog eyes and the rare ability to alternate between menace and earnest at a moment's notice, Harry Dean Stanton has proven one of the most enduring and endearing actors of his generation. From his early days riding the range in Gunsmoke and Rawhide, Stanton has stood the test of time. If Stanton's face is familiar, it's probably because his credits on the small screen are numerous, including: Bonanza, Gunsmoke, Rawhide, and How the West Was Won.

Billed Dean Stanton in his early years and often carrying the weight of the screen baddie, Stanton gunned down the best of them in numerous early Westerns before a soulful turn in Cool Hand Luke showed that he was capable of much more. Though a role in The Godfather Part II offered momentary cinematic redemption, it wasn't long before Stanton was back to his old antics in the 1976 Marlon Western The Missouri Breaks.

In 1984, Stanton essayed what was perhaps his most dramatically demanding role to date in director Wim Wenders' Paris Texas. Cast as a broken man whose brother attempts to help him remember why he walked out on his family years before, Stanton's devastating performance provided the emotional core to what was perhaps one of the essential films of the 1980s.

Also being honored on the 2007 Santa Clarita Walk of Western Stars is Phil Rawlins. Born in Glendale, California 77 years ago, Rawlins is a long-time stuntman who doubled for Clint Eastwood in "Rawhide." He also rode shotgun on the stagecoach in "Gunsmoke," as well as doubling for Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, and Don Murray.

Rawlins worked as a second assistant director in "Fury," and as first assistant director at Warner Brothers Studios. His credits include "Hawaiian Eye," "Cheyenne," "Bronco," and "77 Sunset Strip." Rawlins is a long-time Santa Clarita resident, making his home in Placerita Canyon where he enjoys cowboying on his ranch.

Rounding out the honorees for 2007 are the Sons of the San Joaquin. A long-time Santa Clarita Cowboy festival favorite, the Sons of the San Joaquin offer an upbeat, airtight, three-part family harmonies. This sound has carried Joe, Jack, and Lon Hannah from church and community gatherings to places like Switzerland, where traditional cowboy music is even more revered than modern country music. In the Arabian Peninsula they found enthusiastic receptions from people who regard their own traditions to be a close parallel to our cowboy heritage.

Since 1992, the Sons of the San Joaquin have recorded several albums. One of them being "Gospel Trails" which features some of the Hannah's favorite hymns. One of the selections, "In the Sweet By and By", features a special appearance by the late Dale Evans Rogers as lead vocalist.

A lifetime of family singing combined with their true love of cowboy music has the Sons of the San Joaquin in constant demand. Family is the key word for the Sons of the San Joaquin. Joe, Jack and Linda, and Lon and Susan consider anyone who has ever picked up a rope, watched an old Western, or hummed a cowboy tune, to be part of their family.

A portion of the proceeds benefit the Carousel Ranch therapeutic riding program. Tickets for the

Walk of Western Stars dinner gala are $100 per person and are available through the City of Santa Clarita at (661) 286-4021 and online at cowboyfestival.org.