Brought to you by WBIW News and Network Indiana
Last updated on Friday, October 5, 2012
(ORLEANS) - Terry Mcknight dreamed of building a wild west town.
Now that he has, he plans to share it with the public.
McKnight and his wife Kim will open Red Rock to the public for a two-day Wild West West from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday.
Admission is $10 adults, $6 children ages 6-12, no charge for children 5 and younger; no alcohol or pets are allowed.
The event will include live-action gunfights, crafts, wagon rides and a display of McKnight's stagecoach. Saloon girls will be busy in the Blue Dog Saloon and there will be singers and a bluegrass band performing.
Event times will be posted around the town, and the shops will be open in McKnights Mercantile & Exchange.
Another Lawrence County native, 80-year-old Ed "Tuck" Doane, will help his friend during the festival participating in gunfights.
A covered wooden boardwalk connects McKnight's workshop and home to Ol' Doc G. Adams' office, the McKnight Mercantile, Red Rock Bank, the Marshal's Office and the jail.
Outside the jail is the town gallows, a reminder of what could happen to those who cross the law.
The town also has a social club, livery stable and plenty of horse hitching posts. Named after his dog Blue, the Blue Dog Saloon features pictures of McKnight's wild west heroes, a working 1890s model upright piano, a stage and a sign warning of a $5 fine for whining. and patrons can belly up to the bar for a cool drink of sarsaparilla.
McKnight hopes to open full-time next spring.
Red Rock town
Info: Call (812) 936-2301
Where: 8329 N. 725 W., Orleans (just over the Lawrence and Orange county lines in northwestern Orange County)
Directions (watch for signs):
* From Mitchell: Ind. 60 West, 4 miles. Turn left at trash compactor to immediate right after railroad. Go under Mitchell Crushed Stone Conveyor to "T." Turn right. Go 2.5 miles. Driveway on right.
* From Orleans: West on Vincennes Road about 9 miles. Turn right on 725 West. One mile on left.
* From Shoals: U.S. 50 East, 4 miles. Turn right at trash compactors to immediate right after railroad. Go under Mitchell Crushed Stone Conveyor to "T." Turn right. Go 2.5 miles. Driveway on right.
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