Old Tucson and Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Host 22nd Annual Ted Walker Youth Day

(Old Tucson will host over 3,000 fourth, fifth and sixth graders from Tucson and Pima County school districts during the 22nd Annual Ted Walker Youth Day on Thursday, January 26, 2012 from 9am to 2pm. The children will receive complimentary park admission and lunch donated by the Dan Felix Memorial Foundation and Pima County Parklands Foundation.

The event, which features Wild West entertainment and educational exhibits, is designed to provide a fun-filled day of activity and education to local area school children who might not otherwise have this opportunity. This year Old Tucson will present its new educational Living History programs covering topics like Schools on the Frontier, History of the Stagecoach and Sheriffs of the Old West throughout the day.

Co-sponsored by Old Tucson and Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, Ted Walker Youth Day is a one-of-a-kind field trip for students, allowing them a chance to learn and to have fun outside the classroom. Named for former Pima County Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Ted Walker, the event is dedicated to enhancing the childhood experience for Southern Arizona kids.

Old Tucson will be open to the public until 2:00 pm during this event.

Got a hankerin’ for some genuine Western music?  You won’t want to miss the Cowboy Music Festival returning to Old Tucson for its second year.  Presented in conjunction with the Western Music Association Arizona Chapter, the festival will feature the music tradition that was born right here in Tucson performed by some of today’s top Western music artists.

Check back for more details in the coming weeks.

Join Old Tucson on Friday, March 30 thru Sunday, April 1, 2012 for a rip roarin’  good time during Wild West Days – salute to our heritage, culture and history.  Enjoy Kowboy Kal’s display of Western skills like roping and bull whip handling along with vintage musical entertainment by the inimitable Sourdough Slim and cultural displays and performances celebrating our historical diversity.

Check back for more info in the coming weeks!

Old Tucson is pleased to again welcome the Old Pueblo Gunfighters for the “Gunfight at Old Tucson” on Saturday, January 14, 2012.  Old Pueblo Gunfighters is a Cowboy Fast Draw club that is affiliated with and sanctioned by the Cowboy Fast Draw Association in Tucson, Arizona. Fast Draw competitors of all ages shoot at targets with wax bullets. The fastest competitors who accurately hit targets are the winners. Visitors to Old Tucson on Saturday, January 14^th, can catch the live action and try the sport themselves under Old Pueblo Gunfighters supervision.

Cowboy Fast Draw is the newest and oldest shooting sport today. This sport transports participants and observers alike back to the era of Colt’s release of the Peacemaker in 1873. From that year through the 1890′s, the American West was unlike any other culture in the world. Cowboy Fast Draw Association members recreate it with wax bullets and the best equipment available of the 1800′s: single action revolvers and center fire cartridges. Fast draw competitors are timed to see who is the fastest as at drawing and successfully hitting targets while shooting single action .45 caliber western style six shooters.

According to the Cowboy Fast Draw Association website, CFDA members are -  “out to capture the feel of the Peacemaker in your hand, the smell of holster leather, and the exhilaration of reacting as fast as you dare while remaining cool-headed enough to hit your mark as you compete head-to-head in classic old west fashion.” 

Old Tucson has been immortalized in over 300 feature film and TV Westerns and is Hollywood’s most famous western movie location. Regular admission is $16.95 for adults (ages 12 and over) and $10.95 for children (ages 4-11).  Children ages 3 and under are admitted free of charge.  For more information about Old Tucson including upcoming events, operating hours and the Arizona Resident discount (available for regular admission only), please visit our website at www.OldTucson.com or call us at 520-883-0100.  Old Tucson is located at 201 S. Kinney Rd, Tucson, AZ 85735. 

 For more information about Old Pueblo Gunfighters, visit www.oldpueblogunfighters.com.

The Old West has been romanticized in books and movies with some of the best movies made right here at Old Tucson. But real life in the Old West was about survival. You could smell it in the leather, see it in the art, and feel it in the cold steel of a Colt. See fabulous collections of Old West antiques, Hollywood Western film memorabilia and more at the 7^th Old West Round-Up cowboy collectable sale on Friday, January 20 through Sunday, January 22 at Old Tucson.

Featuring many of the items that were instrumental to surviving and thriving in the Old West, the collections of Old West memorabilia include antiques, collectables, vintage firearms, hats, spurs, saddles, old pawn jewelry, silver and turquoise Indian jewelry, beadwork, basketry and rugs. These not-to-be-missed items will capture the imaginations of cowboy, old west, and Native American enthusiasts alike.

If it’s Hollywood Westerns you’re interested in, indulge in memorabilia from “Hoppy” (Hop-Along Cassidy), Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.  Book aficionados will find first editions and the hard-to-find books they’ve been looking for. We can even find you a 10-gallon hat, shaped and fitted for any cowboy, cowgirl or collector.

Old West Round-Up has a firm reputation for presenting quality items to match anything offered, anywhere. The cowboy collectable show and sale is an opportunity for serious collectors as well as novices and folks looking for western style home furnishings to purchase long searched-for treasures.

Join Old Tucson, Where the Spirit of the Old West Comes Alive, at the 7^th Tucson Old West Round-Up. Show hours are Friday, January 20 and Saturday, January 21 from 10am to 6pm and Sunday, January 22 from 10am to 3pm.

Show only admission is $8.00 per person.  On Friday, January 20 and Sunday, January 22 ONLY visitors may purchase a combination ticket good for both the Old West Round-Up and Old Tucson admission for just $18.00 per person.

For more information, call Round-Up Productions at 406-834-3603 or 406-925-2787 or visit www.oldwestroundup.com. 

The completion of Old Tucson’s much anticipated Heritage Square will be celebrated with a Heritage & Harvest Festival on Friday, November 25 thru Sunday, November 27.  Events hours are 10 am to 5 pm each day.

The design of the 12 new Heritage Square building sets was led by Art Director Gene Rudolf, credited with creating sets for more than 20 films including Young Guns II, The Great Gatsby, The Right Stuff, Raging Bull, Marathon Man, Three Days of the Condor.

 “We are pleased to present this new addition, reminiscent of the look and feel of Old Tucson before the 1995 fire, to our guests.  The empty space in town square is now filled with fully-dressed movie quality sets that pay homage to Old Tucson’s impressive and proud film history,” said Old Tucson CEO and General Manager Pete Mangelsdorf.

Heritage Square also provides the perfect backdrop to Old Tucson’s new informative Living History presentations depicting what life in the Old West was really like.  Hosted by period characters, these presentations introduce guests to Schools on the Frontier, Sheriffs of the Old West, and History of the Stagecoach, among others.  A special holiday presentation, Christmas in the Old West, discusses Christmas traditions, decorations and gift giving.

Throughout the weekend, the Heritage & Harvest Festival will celebrate local culture and heritage with displays and discussions. Guests will learn about the Buffalo Soldiers from 10^th Calvary E Troop Tucson and the contributions of the Chinese to Tucson’s rich history. Harvest elements include a farmer’s market featuring displays and produce from local farms, and products made with local ingredients. Farms scheduled to be on hand include San Xavier Farmers Cooperative, Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm & Ranch, Wilhelm Family Vineyards, Arizona Cactus Ranch and more. Old Tucson Living History presentations and signature entertainment also will be featured during the 3-day event.

The Grand Opening of Heritage Square is scheduled for mid-day on Friday.  The celebration will include a color guard on horseback representing the various cultures contributing to local history as well as a ribbon cutting by an Old Tucson dignitary.  The whole town will turn out for this historic occasion!

The festival is included with regular Old Tucson admission: $16.95 for adults and $10.95 for children ages 4-11.  Old Tucson is pleased to extend an Arizona Resident Discount through the end of the year.  Arizona residents who purchase an adult admission and provide a valid Arizona ID will receive an additional admission of equal or lesser value free.

Come join the celebration!

At the Old West Round-Up you’ll find Cowboy & Indian Collectables and Western Decor from across the nation. Old West Round Up tradeshows feature dealers who bring some of the finest western memorabilia offered for sale anywhere. You’ll meet lots of great people and hopefully, take home a treasure or two for your own ollection! 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Old West Round Up organizers have enjoyed collecting for the past 25+ years and enjoy  bringing  wonderful collectables to all who attend their shows. Cowboy & Indian antiques are their passion! Their goal is to promote an interest in the items of the Old West and bring quality collectables to the public. They also want to showcase those contemporary makers who will, one day in the future, be the sought after maker of the next generations.

The Tucson Old West Round-Up was named one of “The Hot 101: Best Western Events for the Year” by American Cowboy Magazine for 2008 – 2011.   Read about last year’s Tucson show as reported in the Arizona Daily Star.  

Visit http://www.oldwestroundup.com/ for more information about Old West Round Up.

Members of the cast and crew of the long-running television series, High Chaparral, will return to Old Tucson following the successful homecoming in 2009.  The High Chaparral was shot at Old Tucson and ran on NBC from 1967-1971.  The visit to the set where the show was filmed is the highlight of the three-day reunion of High Chaparral fans.

 Local actor Don Collier who played Sam Butler in the series will attend along with Henry Darrow (Manolito Montoya), Rudy Ramos (Wind), and other cast and crew from the show.  Attendees will gather at the High Chaparral set at Old Tucson from 10:00 am to High Noon.  In addition, a Question and Answer session with the cast and crew is scheduled for 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm at Old Tucson’s Stage II venue. 

 Old Tucson is pleased to include this unique opportunity for guests to visit the cast and crew at the High Chaparral ranch house set as well as the Question and Answer session included with the regular admission of $16.95 for adults (ages 12 and over) and $10.95 for children (ages 4-11).  Arizona Residents who provide proof of residence may purchase one admission and receive a second admission of equal or lesser value free.

Old Tucson proudly supports The Southern Junior Bull Riders of Arizona.  Come and see these young athletes compete in the toughest sport on dirt including mutton bustin’, calf riding, steer riding, pee wee bulls, junior bull riding and senior buill riding!

Saturday, September 24, 2011
Old Tucson

Two Events
Beginning at 9:00 am and 2:00 pm
(times approximate)

Old Tucson will open to the public at 10 am.  The cost of watching the competition is included in Old Tucson guest admission.

Further information is available at http://www.sjbra.com/.

New Native Village

 Old Tucson’s newly constructed Native American Village is a replication of traditional Tohono O’odham dwellings and a garden featuring native plants. 

Traditional Tohono O'dham (also called Papago) outdoor kitchenNative garden includes Sosa-Carillo pomegranate and fig trees as well as a hackberry tree.

Living History Program

The “Living History” program is an entertaining and educational experience that lets guests step into the old west.  The Heritage Square project along with the recently completed Native American Village will provide the additional backdrops needed to complete this experience. Living History presentations now being offered include History of the Stagecoach, The Raucous Saloon and The General Mercantile. Additional Livng History programs are under development and planned for introduction in the coming months.