HOW THE WEST WAS FUN Festival September 26, 2009

'HOW THE WEST WAS FUN'
The new theme park at the Bellevue Pumpkin Ranch will premiere another festival that is designed to grow into a regional event.
HOW THE WEST WAS FUN FEST is set for September 26th & 27th (11am to 6pm) and will kick off the harvest-pumpkin-Halloween season at the popular ranch near Papillion.
The Schaefer family, owners of the multi-activity farm/ranch are busy setting up new structures and facilities for this first event of the season. It will be followed by the "Midlands Pirate Festival".
The inaugural HOW THE WEST WAS FUN FEST will be a celebration of all things cowboy, ranch, Nebraska heritage, old west culture and Americana history. It will feature cowboy shoot-out groups, country/western entertainers, pig races, hayrack rides, pumpkin face-painting, western dancing exhibitions, comedy singers, and a variety of historical demonstrations and exhibits.
The MC for the main stage (Long Branch Saloon) will be public radio cowboy poet and movie actor Billy Rogers.
Other such activities will be the Great Nebraska Apple Pie Bake-Off, the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine tour, pony rides, Indian Rusty's bows & arrows shooting range, knife & ax tossing, games of skill, and carriage rides.
There will also be several re-enactment groups doing period encampments.
One of the main hi-lights of the event will be the food and beverages on hand, especially the BBQ Blow-Out that will feature ribs and turkey.
The event will include merchants, a farmers market and crafters who will occupy the old west cowboy town that is built on-site.
Folks can even stay on for the Saturday night DJ dance in the banquet hall.
Admission will be $10 for adults, $6 for kids 5 to 12 with ages 4 and under free.
Event coordinator Gregory Schmidt of Festivals International calls the HOW THE WEST WAS FUN FEST "the ideal alternative to the River City Round-Up."
The location of this new West Fest is the Bellevue Berry & Pumpkin Ranch at 11001 S. 48th Street, between Cornhusker Road and Hwy #370.