This weekend brings the annual Wild West Days to Holbrook.
Events begin at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, July 10, on the historic courthouse lawn with performances by the Navajo County Junior Miss and Cinderella pageant contestants, followed at 10 a.m. with performances by the Cinderella Girls and Rodeo Queens. At 10:30 a.m. Native American dancers will begin performing, and kids’ games are planned throughout the day.
The Bucket of Blood re-enactors will be performing an Old West shootout at 12 noon and again at 2 p.m. Then at 3 p.m., magician Austin Gardner will entrain audiences.
At 7 o’clock Friday night, a local band, Dirty White Boys, will take the stage to perform a mix of country and classic rock.
The weekend also features the annual Ace In The Hole Barbecue competition with at least 25 professional barbecue teams from throughout the country. Delicious barbecue will be available for hungry visitors to purchase on Saturday, July 11. This year these teams will be competing for $10,000 in prize money, and the winner will have a chance to qualify for the Jack Daniels World Championships and the Kansas City Royal Championships.
Saturday’s events begin with the annual Bucket of Blood Races at 6 a.m., with registration for the half-marathon and 20-mile bike race at 5:30 a.m. The starting place for all races is the historic courthouse.
All participants will receive a swag bag that includes one free entry into a drawing for a Fat Tire bicycle courtesy of Nackard, and a free breakfast and beer at the event, as well as other items from various sponsors. The winners in each category will receive a pair of Oakley Holbrook sunglasses. To register in advance, visit Active.com.
At 10 a.m. the Native American dancers will be performing, followed by a watermelon eating contest at 11:30 a.m. and a stick horse competition at 12:30 p.m.
Holbrook’s Got Talent begins at 1:30 p.m., followed by magician Austin Gardner at 3 p.m. At 4 p.m. the Ace in the Hole BBQ awards will be announced.
The Las Joyas Del Desierto Dance Group will take the stage at 5 p.m., followed by the Stars dance group at 5:30 p.m. Rounding out the entertainment will be a 6 p.m. performance featuring Thunderhorse performing their brand of country and classic rock.
Throughout the weekend vendors will be on the courthouse lawn selling food, jewelry, art and more. A beer garden will also be open.
In addition to the events at the historic courthouse, the Southern Junior Bull Riders Association will be hosting the Wild West Days Junior Rodeo beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Navajo County Fairgrounds. Admission is $5.
For more information on the weekend events, contact Michael Nilsson of the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce at (928) 600-0553.
