CHATSWORTH —
CHATSWORTH — With temperatures arching toward 100 later this week and the 53rd Appalachian Wagon Train saddling up on Friday, Marty Wilbanks is hoping for a little relief from the heat.
“I hope it rains like it usually does,” she said with a chuckle on Tuesday.
A longtime organizer and volunteer, Wilbanks noted the Murray County Saddle Club — which hosts the event from June 29 to July 7 this year — will begin to see an influx of participants and spectators this week.
“We sell around 5,000 buttons every year,” she said. “The button will get you into events all week long.”
Buttons are $10 each. Horse shows begin at 7 p.m. each night, and a nightly dance (except on Sunday) is $3 per person. A Family Fun Day on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. is $2 per person and will include stick-horse races, barefoot races, three-legged race, blind cowboys barrel race, cake walk, egg-and-spoon race and wheelbarrow race. The parade on July 6 begins at 6 p.m.
Saddle Club member Jeff Land said the gates will be open all day Friday as campers begin to pull into the property at 560 Highway 52 East.
“They’ve been doing a little bit this week to get ready, but everybody will pitch in Thursday night and do most of the work,” he said.
The Saddle Club released the following schedule of events:
Friday, June 29: Open show, 7 p.m.; dance, 9 p.m.
Saturday, June 30: Open show, 7 p.m.; dance, 9 p.m.
Sunday, July 1: Family Fun Day, 2 to 5 p.m.; Fun show, 7 p.m.
Monday, July 2: Open show, 7 p.m.; dance, 9 p.m.
Tuesday, July 3: Fun show, 7 p.m.; dance, 9 p.m.
Wednesday, July 4: Calcutta Barrels racing, 7 p.m.; dance, 9 p.m.
Thursday, July 5: Open show, 7 p.m.; dance, 9 p.m.
Friday, July 6: Parade, 6 p.m.; Mule/draft horse show, 8 p.m.; dance, 9 p.m.
Saturday, July 7: Open show, 7 p.m.; dance, 9 p.m.
Wilbanks said Todd Williams will bring one of his two bands to perform at the dance each night.
“I have one vendor space available for $200, some stalls available at $75 each and some primitive camping spots at $75 for the week,” Wilbanks said.
Wilbanks can be reached at (706) 280-5843. For a complete list of daily activities, visit the website at murraycountysaddleclub.com.
Local News
Wagon Train saddles up Friday
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McNeills, Mohawk honored for historic preservation
Randy Beckler, center, president of the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, hands this year’s Historic Preservation Award to Jan and Mickey McNeil on Sunday at the Old Spring Place Methodist Church. (Misty Watson/The Daily Citizen)
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