Benefit at Big Sky Movie Ranch Raises a Few Buckaroos : Westerns: Hundreds walk where TV outlaws once fell in the annual fund-raiser for Simi Valley YMCA.

It was not exactly high noon, and the cowboy gunfighters preparing to battle it out were really just actors, but that was OK with 8-year-old Autumn Smith.

“I just love gunfights,” Autumn said.

“Oh, you see them all the time” on television, said the girl’s mother, Judy Smith.

“I know, but I just like them,” Autumn said as she watched as six gruff-looking gunslingers faced off in a dramatic duel that ended with each popping off several rounds of blanks.

As three of the outlaw characters fell to the ground and played dead, the crowd of about 200 spectators cheered its approval and drifted away. So much for the Old West.

The staged gun battle was only one of several adventure shows and activities enjoyed by hundreds of people who attended the fourth annual Big Sky Movie Ranch Open House in Simi Valley on Saturday. Other attractions included pony rides, hayrides, an arts and crafts show and live country music.

However, organizers and patrons agreed, the most popular activity was simply touring the grounds of the 500-acre movie ranch, which has been used as a location by television programs such as “Gunsmoke,” “Little House on the Prairie” and “Rawhide.” Many of the sets used in the shows are still standing.

“We think it’s great to have the chance to see what’s up here,” said Ken Nelson, a longtime Simi Valley resident who attended the open house with his wife, Audrey. “This is the first time we’ve been here, though we live nearby.”

Audrey Nelson said she was awe-struck by the picture-perfect landscape.

“When you think about how close we are to Los Angeles . . . and all the beauty. It’s just so wonderful. I hope they don’t ruin it.”

Several in the crowd Saturday ate barbecued sandwiches and drank cold soft drinks in the Gold Mill Saloon as showgirls, accompanied by a piano player, sang an assortment of Western-styled tunes such as “Old Susana.”

Others strolled across town to the livery stable, where they watched blacksmith Jerry Mettlen use a hammer to transform a hot steel file into the shape of a coiled rattlesnake.

Proceeds from the annual open house will be used to support the Simi Valley Family YMCA child-care programs, said Jim King, YMCA executive director.

King said the event attracted from 5,000 to 7,000 people last year and raised $15,000. He said the YMCA expects to raise about $25,000 this year.

King said that since 1987 the owners of the ranch, a group of real estate investors, have invited the Simi Valley YMCA officials to use the property for its annual fund-raiser. He said more than 200 YMCA members volunteered their time this year to organize and operate the event.

“It started out as a fund-raiser, but it’s become something different,” King said. “It’s become a wonderful community and family event.”

The open house will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the ranch, at the north end of Tapo Canyon Road. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children and seniors.