Step back in time as you saddle up for "Old West Days" and get ready for some rip-roarin' fun for the entire family on Sat., June 18, 2016, in downtown Historic Blountville! Brought back by popular demand, this exciting event will run from 10 AM to 4 PM on the Great Stage Road in front of the old Sullivan County Courthouse. Events will take place on the half-hour throughout the day.
See an authentic recreation of the Old West, a unique American experience in the 1870s and 1880s, including Wild Bill Hickok and his exploits, along with the Earps and Clantons. Visit Sallie's Saloon and see Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and some friends move in to finish off the bad guys during a re-creation of the Shootout at the OK Corral near the Old Deery Inn at Blountville.
Hear some old-fashioned Western music, and enjoy some down-home barbeque, nachos, cheese fries, funnel cakes and more! Be sure to visit the Old Deery Inn between the hours of 10 AM to 2 PM!
Old West Day provides a broad and comprehensive overview of the 1800s era that comprised the days of the open frontier, a period that left an indelible mark on United States history and the American character. The event provides an educational day for children to get a glimpse of that golden era that provided the backdrop for the Silver Screen. History.com puts it so adeptly: "Since even before the first cowboy rode onto the silver screen, the world's love affair with the American West has burned bright."
Old West actors and actresses will be portrayed by "The Immortals", a unique group of reenactors headed up by Kent Arnold of Church Hill, TN. Mr. Arnold and "The Immortals" have been portraying Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and others for over a decade at similar events across East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
Hosted by the Sullivan County Department of Archives and Tourism, the event is free and open to the general public.
