Cave Creek celebrates Wild West Days

Staff Report~ 11/2/2011

Cave Creek’s 9th annual Wild West Days gets under way with the Wild West Golf Classic, a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start, Thursday at Rancho Manana golf course.
The event is the first in a host of activities over a four-day span celebrating Cave Creek’s western heritage, concluding on Sunday. Approximately 15,000 people are expected to attend at least part of the festivities.
Following Thursday’s golf tournament an awards dinner and a silent auction follow at Harold’s Cave Creek Corral at 5:30 p.m. Proceeds from the event benefit the Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce.
The evening concludes with a Miss Wild West Days competition at Harold’s while the Buffalo Chip will host free dance lessons and live music, both at 8 p.m. Listed below are some of the highlights of the festivities final three days.
FRIDAY
- At 11 a.m. Frontier Town will be the site of an arts and crafts fair of the West.
- From 4 – 6 p.m. historians will get a chance to meet a host of Valley icons including Marshall Trimble, Dolan Ellis and Bob Boze Bell among others. Artist Lance Headlee will be signing limited edition Wild West Day posters as a benefit to the Cave Creek Museum
- In the evening, beginning at 6 p.m., Six Gun Entertainment, which puts on Wild West style gun battles in costume, will present “Last Man Standing” on stage in Frontier Town.
- The Buffalo Chip hosts live bull riding at 8 p.m., a twice a week tradition at the restaurant. The finals of the event will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
- Casino Nite, a Fiesta Days Rodeo Fundraiser is set for 7 p.m. at Harold’s.
- 74th Street performing live at 7 p.m. at the Smokehouse and Pour House in Frontier Town
- Cowboy Ballads with Dolan Ellis at 7:30 p.m. at Cave Creek Coffee Company or Babes on Bulls Competition at 8 P.m. at Harold’s.
SATURDAY
At 9 a.m. the Wild West Days Parade and Walk for 100 gets under way. The parade, a non-motorized event, honors United State’s service men and women from the military as well as police and firefighters. Among the participants will be Governor Jan Brewer, Cave Creek Mayor Vincent Francia, Johnny Ringo and 2011 Parade Marshal Bob Boze Bell.
- Following the parade will be a “Remember the Fallen,” cowboy prayer and chuckwagon breakfast at the Buffalo Chip.
- A Wild West period costume competition will take place at 11 a.m. on stage one in Frontier Town.
- Children get into the festivities at 11:30 a.m. when all those ages 4 –7 get a chance to test their rodeo skills during Mutton Bustin’, where they try to stay atop a sheep during a thrilling ride at the Arena on Cave Creek Road.
- At noon there will be pig races at Harold’s and a gun down by Sundown competition at Frontier Town.
- An hour later the bath tub races, won by Bad Donkey last year, get under way at 1 p.m., on Basin Road and Cave Creek Road near Big Earl’s Greasy Eats. That event will conclude with the award ceremony at Big Earl’s at 3 p.m.
- At 2 p.m. the Luv Shack will have their 4th annual Trainers’ Challenge at the arena on Cave Creek Road. For the last 90 days nine trainers have all worked with a rescued horse. Trainers compete to earn the winners title with the best-trained horse. The horses will be available for adoption. The money raised by the event will benefit Luv Shack as well as the International Rett Syndrome Foundation.
- Saturday night will be highlighted by a number of musical performances:
6:30 p.m. Cowboy Balladeers at the Buffalo Chip, 7 p.m. Hawg Wild performs at Smoke House and Pour House in Frontier Town, to Western Acoustic at 7:30 p.m. at Cave Creek Coffee Company, the Pat James Band at 8 p.m. at the Buffalo Chip and then Mogollon and Young Country at 9 p.m. at Harold’s.
SUNDAY
At 10 a.m. Gun Down by Sundown performances on stages at Frontier Town and Harold’s CCK Corral.
At the arena on Cave Creek Road there will be a 10 a.m. soccer game played by horses.
For details and a complete list of events go to wildwestdayscavecreek.