Shoshone Old West Days returns this weekend

Head on out to Shoshone, California this weekend to enjoy three days of fun at the annual Old West Days celebration.

Year after year Shoshone Village celebrates the rich heritage of the area by bringing together enthusiasts of Western history from all over for a fun-filled time.

"We hold the event in the last weekend of October or the first weekend of November and it brings out a good crowd each year, said Colleen Crow, manager of Shoshone Village. "There will be craft shows, historical talks over at the museum and entertainment at the Crowbar."

Crow said that nothing new has been added this year, they will just bring back the events that have made the three-day celebration a success in the past.

Take a stroll through time at the historical Shoshone Museum, reliving the area's noted past through the memories and writings of special museum speakers.

Speakers include Robin Flinchum, author of "Red Light Women of Death Valley" on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Inyo County Supervisor Matt Kingsley will make a presentation at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Other speakers include Jessica Smith, Lisle Lowe, Cliff Walker and Annette Gill Dubuc.

The Crowbar patio will be rockin' with entertainment Friday evening and all day Saturday, and vendors offering handmade goods in the craft show will be on site for visitors to bring back a memory of the celebration with them.

"People from all over come in and have their own booths to sell things and have great stuff," Crow said.

Attendees can enjoy the area's natural beauty by taking part in a walking tour through the Shoshone Wetlands and can see if they know their flying friends while enjoying a bird-watching trip.

What's a celebration without food? Old West Days has you covered as the fan-favorite deep-pit barbecue returns again this year.

"We have beef that is cooked in a deep pit," Crow said. "We usually have coleslaw and corn on the cob and rolls to accompany the meat."

Old West Days is one of the largest attended events in the area with a large turnout taking place each year.

"We end up have around 1,500 to 2,000 people show up each year," Crow said. "We have people from all around that come, like Pahrump, Southern California, just all over pretty much."

If you're on the fence about attending Old West Days over any other event taking place in the area this weekend Crow said that a variety of activities sets them apart from the rest.

"We just have a great time, with all the entertainment, the walking trails, bird trails, and we got the pupfish pond. People can walk up and look at the pupfish, a fish that was almost extinct," she said.

"We have the caves and just all of the natural things that people can enjoy."

Contact reporter Mick Akers at makers@pvtimes.com. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.