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A wake-up call to Boot Hill....?

Cowtown adds more new Old West

Wichita's living history frontier town, about to open its 53rd season, will offer more daily activities and costumed re-enactors.

BY BOB CURTRIGHT
The Wichita Eagle

When you go to Old Cowtown Museum in Sim Park this year, you'll need to look for the new entrance on the east side of the living history frontier park -- just beyond the Wichita Art Museum and brick water plant.

There's a low stone wall on the left with the words Old Cowtown Museum carved into it. Behind it, rising behind landscaped hills around the new parking lot, is the new $2 million visitors center.

Right in front is a large bronze Remington sculpture of galloping horsemen.

Wichita's frontier village, showcasing Wichita as a Wild West town circa 1865-70, opens for its 53rd season Saturday.

Old Cowtown is offering more activities with more costumed re-enactors every day, said Jan McKay, executive director.

"We are layering on different experiences beyond our core historic buildings," she said.

Among them are daily horse and cattle drives thundering through the dusty streets at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., daily free wagon rides from 1 to 3 p.m., stagecoach rides and a daily "High Noon" gunfight.

Facilities manager David Abbot said there will be 10 costumed re-enactors every day with 50 to 60 on weekends and up to 200 for special celebrations.

"Every day, we'll have a working blacksmith, carpenter, print shop and farm. There will also be people at the hunters camp, cowboy encampment and saloon," he said.

Also new this year is Cowtown's own pony named Matt Dillon -- after the famed I think they mean "fictional" Kansas marshal, not the movie star -- for daily kiddie rides.

"We had contracts for horse rides in the past, but it got to be too haphazard. We thought it would be better to have our own pony," McKay said.

Another program will "deputize" the first 2,000 children through the gate with a paid adult admission.

"They'll get a badge good for unlimited free admissions until the park closes for the season. It's a money-saving program for families," McKay said.

Throughout the summer, the park will offer 16 special themed weekends, from "Celebrating the Horse" and its relationship to cowboys and Indians on April 8-9 to "Biscuits, Beans & Barbecue" with demonstrations of frontier cooking on April 22-23.

Others will include a tribute to frontier women, a multicultural festival celebrating frontier diversity and a look at frontier justice compared with today.

The complete schedule is at www.oldcowtown.org.

Earth to Boot Hill.... Earth to Boot Hill.... Do you copy?