Deadwood celebrates Wild West

| Tuesday, June 13, 2006

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DEADWOOD -- Deadwood will have a big party June 16-18 as it celebrates old western lore and the legend of Wild Bill Hickok.

Wild Bill Hickok, whose given name was James Butler Hickok, was a western lawman during the expansion of the Great Plains and west after the Civil War. Hickok traveled to gold camps because of gold rushes in Colorado, Montana and South Dakota.

Hickok came to Deadwood in 1876 and worked a gold claim for six weeks. While he was sitting in a bar, Jack McCall shot him in the back, and Hickok's death left an indelible mark on the historical flavor of the city.

Wild Bill Hickok Days offers fancy pistol-handling, old west parades and free concerts.

The event begins Friday, June 16, with a fast-draw shootout to benefit Easter Seals, western re-enactors and a "Wild Bill Hickok Wild West Parade" on the streets of Deadwood. The shooting begins at noon, but participants are asked to arrive at 11 a.m. for instructions. The event includes a series of concerts, fast-draw shooting competitions and a Main Street parade at 7 p.m. Friday.

Concerts

A trio of musical acts will perform at 7 p.m. Friday at the Adams Museum in a fundraiser for the Homestake-Adams Research Center.

King Straggler, a band with John Hawkes of the "Deadwood" television series, will perform, as will Kenny Putnam and Hank Harris. Concert-goers will be able to talk to the musicians and get autographs. A $25 donation is requested, and reservations are required. Call 578-3724 to reserve a seat.

Several free concerts will be on Deadwood's Main Street on Saturday.

Starting at 5 p.m., the lineup includes the Sacred Cowboys featuring W. Earl Brown of the "Deadwood" television series, King Straggler, Kory & the Fireflies and The Little River Band.

King Straggler will play at the Adams Museum at 7 p.m. Saturday as part of a fundraiser. Reservations are required, and a donation of $25 is requested. The event will feature the band in an intimate setting where guests can talk to musicians and get autographs. The concert is a fundraiser for the Homestake-Adams Research Center, scheduled to open in Deadwood in the next two years. Call 578-3724 for reservations. There is no admittance to this concert without a reservation.

Sunday will offer free concerts at 4 p.m. Performers include King Straggler, the Sacred Cowboys and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

World Fast Draw

Saturday will feature top fast-draw competitors when the World Fast Draw Championships begin at Ferguson Field in Deadwood.

Thousands of dollars in cash and prizes will be awarded during the championships.

The annual event has been advertised by Brad and Susan Hemmah of First Gold Hotel.

The event is a timed sport using single-action, .45-caliber, Western-style six shooters.

Rules require that the ammunition be .45 caliber long Colt cases with no more than six grains of black powder behind a wax bullet, or a .45 cartridge drilled out to accept a shotgun primer - no powder necessary - with a wax bullet.

The guns should be .45 caliber single actions with a minimum barrel length of 4.5 inches, with no external alterations are allowed other than smoothing the hammer knurling. No aluminum barrels or cylinders are allowed and front sights are optional.

The shooting style is "thumbing and fanning." The shooting finger must be out of the trigger guard and the barrel of the gun must discharge in front of the holster.

Pre-1900-style holsters without steel liners are accepted. Holsters must be worn on the side of the leg.

Time clocks measuring to the thousandth of a second are used to sort out the fastest shooters.

For more information, call 642-2573 or e-mail cowboyfastdraw@mato.com.