Wild West Show shoots it up in Sisters

Last weekend, Oak Street was transformed back into the wild and woolly past of the American Wild West for the 7th annual Sisters Wild West Show.

When the country was wild and young, anything could happen, and people often took justice into their own hands. The outlaws of the Old West packed their six-shooters and rifles to rob banks, stagecoaches, and trains.

Mick Howard, a.k.a. Mojave Mick, a Deschutes Desperados re-enactment player, served as the local sheriff ready to incarcerate the worst of them.

Howard’s been in re-enactment for nine years, writes most of the skits for the troupe, and has been with the Cowboy Action Shooting Club for over 20 years.

“We started as re-enactment players when (show promoter) Richard Esterman invited us to try it out for The Wild West Show,” he said.

James Hawkins, a.k.a. Tetherow Tex LaRue, is one of the original re-enactment players and loves the humor that’s added to each script.

This year new re-enactors joined in on the fun, including a few Sisters locals. Sisters resident Tom Barrier and his family of five, Taylor, 14; Lyric, 10; Rhythm, 8; Titon, 6; and Harmony, 5, all participated in skits.

“Taylor was in a skit last year, and now all my kids are getting into the act,” Barrier told The Nugget.

Two new re-enactors from Redmond, Naomi Marlitt, a.k.a. Sassy Savanah, and Lorinda Tiller, a.k.a. Amber Rose, are members of the Cowboy Action Shooting Club and dressed up as the “fancy ladies” in town.

Another new couple in town was Sam Kovic, a.k.a. Chance the Outlaw, and his wife, Lee, a.k.a. Polly Wanda Cracker, from Medford have been members of the Cowboy Action Shooting Club for a year.

Kovic said, “You don’t want to get ‘Polly’ mad; she’s a sure shot. Actually, Lee’s got a real good aim.”

Cowboy action shooting is a fast-growing shooting sport, and is embraced by men, women and youngsters from all parts of the globe.

Besides the shootout performances and skits beginning at high noon, the show also featured a beer garden and vendors with a variety of Native American and Western-themed arts and crafts for folks to meander through.

New vendor artist Jeanne Warren from Grants Pass, a native Oregonian, showcased her detailed wildlife oil paintings while doing a demonstration for visitors to watch.

“I started painting as a kid,” she said. “My mom was my inspiration. She painted in oil, and I used to watch her.”

Her online gallery name, “Photismos,” stems from Warren’s passion for painting light and color. She loves working with light and shadows to create a colorful experience in nature.

Vendor Marissa Walker from Ventura, California creates her silver jewelry masterpieces on the road and in the wilderness.

Walker said, “Right now, I’m living out of my little teardrop trailer in the area. I handcraft my jewelry work while I’m on the road and I pick up all my stones for my silver pieces along the way.”

Jennifer Haken, co-owner of Garden of Eden in Sisters, also runs a mobile LulaRoe clothing boutique and was open to the public as one of the show’s vendors.

“I bought this trailer from a friend, and it was already custom-made for a clothing shop,” Haken said. “My husband Jeff and I are very entrepreneurial. But I started my own business to help pay the bills, start a savings and it helped put my child through college. And now my daughter has her own LulaRoe clothing boutique in North Carolina.”