UPPER LAKE >> Two weekends ago, Diana Schmidt of Lakeport was a pirate at the Lake Renaissance Festival in Lower Lake. Last Saturday, she was a respectable lady at Wild West Day in Upper Lake.
That’s Lake County for you. One weekend you’re pillaging and pirating and the next weekend, you’re prim and proper at an Old West social.
Schmidt, dressed in full, late 1800s-era attire, was one of about 2,000 people at the 24th annual Wild West Day parade and celebration. She was promoting tourism in front of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce booth.
The family-oriented event featured a parade, downtown festival, live music, food, drink, firefighters, farm and domestic animals, horse-drawn wagon rides and dozens of other attractions and goings-on.
Simulated gunfights on Main Street were conducted throughout the afternoon by the Blue Canyon Gang and feats of juggling and balancing were performed by the Terra Firma Circus Co.
Also, an water slide for the kids, an antique tractor and engine display, costume, beard and bonnet contests as well as open houses at the local library and fire station.
It was the first Wild West Day for Jenny Fugate of Nice, who has children in the local Future Farmers of America parade contingent for the past few years.
“I just came for the parade, really,” she said, adding that she has had to work on previous Wild West Days. “It’s kind of sad that I never saw my kids in the parade before today, but that’s okay.”
Kelsey Rivera of Upper Lake has been to see every parade for the last 15 years. She said this year’s attendance was “about average,” which was somewhat surprising considering the temperature was in the low to mid 80s compared to near 100 the past several years.
“I love coming because I get to see my friends and neighbors,” she said. “I always love the music and the gunfights are always exciting.”
Shauna Rogers of Lucerne attended the festivities with her family and said she enjoyed the gunslingers because, “It’s nice to watch history.”
She added, “I just like the atmosphere. It’s a family-oriented event that we can bring the kids to.”
Her four-year-old son, Joe, had two interesting observations on the day: “I like the gunfight because I like the fact that the girls won” and, “I like the water slide best because it’s so much fun.”
Wild West day began at 7 a.m. with a pancake breakfast at the Upper Lake fire station, followed by the opening of the street fair at 8 a.m. and the parade at 10 a.m. Riding in the parade on a wildland fire engine from the U.S. Forest Service’s Upper Lake Ranger Station with fire prevention advocate Smokey Bear.
One of the popular attractions was the outdoor strawberry ice cream social, sponsored by local Chapter 241 of the International Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF).
Deborah Lovett and her husband, Robert Herreshoff, of Upper Lake, sat at a shady spot outside the IOOF Hall on Main Street eating ice cream sundaes and watching the festivities.
“We’re having a great time,” Lovett said. “It’s so much fun to watch everyone having fun.”
