Wild West Frontier Fest

Saddle up, the Wild West is coming to St. Paul. The first-ever Wild West Frontier Fest will fill Harriet Island with gunslingers, cattle rustlers, cowboy crooners, and WCCO-TV's Don Shelby taking on the role of Mark Twain. The brainchild of Jim Cunningham (you probably know him as the "Minister of Fun" at Twins home games and leading frenzied hockey fans in cheers as the Game Host at Wild games), the Frontier Fest will host Grammy-winning country group Riders in the Sky, local singer Jearlyn Steele, cowboy yodeler Gary McMahan, and the First John Philip Sousa Band. Appearances will be made by actors dressed as Teddy Roosevelt, legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, and American Indian performance troupe the Fast Horses. Be sure to bring your kiddies along for the Cavalcade of Little Buckaroos, a parade of pint-size cowboys and cowgirls, a perfect opportunity to take photos you can humiliate them with years from now. There will also be silent-movie screenings with live piano accompaniment, roping lessons, stagecoach and riverboat rides, and fireworks on Sunday night. Go to www.wildwestfrontierfest.com for tickets and more information.
Fri., July 25, 7-10 p.m.; July 26-27, 12-10 p.m., 2008