Wild west comes to Wayne County
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on October 6, 2017 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Children line the fence at the Western Gunfight Show with their ears covered Wednesday at the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Performers run around shooting guns and dodging imaginary bullets, eventually tumbling to the ground as if they had been shot, during the annual Western Gunfight Show at the fair.
Ed Gurkins darted out of the sheriff's office with several deputies locked in a gunfight in a western town set up at the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair.
Deputies continued to shoot at outlaws, who were hidden behind barrels and other barricades.
The shots from rifles and pistols continued, as the Western Gunfight Show actors joked about shooting blanks.
"He's not dead yet," one of the deputies said.
A shooting granny emerged and shot at the deputies with her rifle. After the outlaws were down on the ground, appearing to be dead, a deputy noticed one was wearing new boots. Then, he shot a hole in each and joked how they weren't new anymore.
"We're going to take our hats off now and say a few words over these pour souls," Gurkins said.
The Western Gunfight Show is an annual tradition at the fair and includes a group of local residents, Gurkins said.
"We're just having fun, letting people get a little laugh and have a little enjoyment," he said.
The shows, held each night at 8:30 p.m. except Thursday, is never the same.
"We don't do the same thing every night," he said. "We don't know what we're going to do until we get out here. We just ad lib it and go."
The shows include a bank robbery or jail break or both.
"We don't do anything fancy," he said. "It's just for fun."
During the gunfight show, crowds gather around the gate at the western town to watch. The show typically lasts a few minutes.
"It was short but sweet," said Sabrina Wiggs, who said the show reminded her of western cowboy movies and North Carolina's Tweetsie Railroad theme park.
"It was a great show and it was funny and very comical."