Frontier Days Gets Under Way in Santa Clarita

With the help of cowboys, gunfighters and plenty of horses, Santa Clarita will try to recapture its pioneer past this weekend with Frontier Days, a celebration of the Old West.

Now in its 26th year, Frontier Days is a four-day festival that will include a parade, country-Western dance lessons, concerts, mock gunfights and a rodeo.

Among the modern innovations is a tractor pull.

The festival is sponsored by the Canyon Country Chamber of Commerce, and chamber officials said they expect more than 20,000 to attend.

The fairgrounds are at Lost Canyon and Soledad Canyon roads in Canyon Country.

The festivities began Thursday evening with a carnival, which will run through Sunday.

The fairgrounds will be open from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. today, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Admission to the fairgrounds is $5 for adults and $4 for children and those over 65.

Country-Western bands will perform at the fairgrounds throughout the festival.

Members of the Professional Rodeo and Cowboys Assn. will perform in the showcase event of Frontier Days, a rodeo beginning at 8 p.m. today.

Events will include bareback riding, calf roping and bull riding.

The rodeo will resume at 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday.

Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for children and those over 65.

Saturday’s events will begin with a 7 a.m. pancake breakfast at Canyon Center, a Canyon Country shopping complex.

A pet parade will follow at 9 a.m.

The Frontier Days Parade will step off at 10 a.m. Saturday at Camp Plenty and Soledad Canyon roads and proceed east along Soledad Canyon to Luther Drive.

More than 100 units are scheduled to march and ride down the mile-long route.

The tractor pull begins at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Modified trucks and tractors will compete at dragging a sled loaded with 45,000 pounds for 300 feet. Admission is $7.