Western Clubs:

Having an individual interest in Western re-enacting is great, however if you can get the chance to share idea's and knowledge with other like-minded individuals, you can enjoy the benefits of a "club" atmosphere.

There are a lot of clubs , groups and Show Teams out there, so I won't name them all - if you'd like your club listed then please contact me to let me know! Thanks to technology, you can participate in clubs that exist in cyberspace as well as the more conventional club meetings.

The Fort Harmon Cattle Company

The Fort Harmon Cattle Company is a brand new western re enactment group based in East Anglia. Starting with a 20 knowledgable members who hail from Norfolk, Sufflok and Lincolnshire all dressed in correct Old Western attire and accessories. Our members portray various characters of the west, from early settlers and shop keepers, cowboys of the range, gamblers, lawmen and outlaws. This is something which we have all studied and have great enthusiasm for, enabling us to produce sketches which will not only educate but also entertain the public. The western town which we use in our sketches is a false frontage town, all of which is transportable consisting of a Blacksmith, Livery Stable and Corall, General Store, Saloon. Bank, Undertakers and Marshals  Office, all of which is in the confines of our safety barrier.

We are able to portray a living history encampment as it would have been in the old west and have displays of both fictional and factual gunfights of the old west and static displays of western items for viewing and educational purposes.

Our aim is to be a non profit group who will endeavour to raise money for charity, therefore the displays are chargeable to cover costs of public liability and consumables. 

 

 

The Lawmen

In 1968 a small group of Old West enthusiasts in the Bristol area founded The Lawmen.  In these early days, we were operating with just six to ten members, who researched and shared their knowledge of the Old West way of life. The focus of The Lawmen is still as it was in the beginning.  We are committed to providing entertainment for our audience, and enjoyment for our members during the shows. To the public, we aim to bring the Old West to life, being as faithful and as authentic as possible to the late 1860's to 1890's era.

For more information on The Lawmen please contact our Business Manager:   Bat Masterson (aka Robert Lewis)

Email: batandbelle@hotmail.com Tel: 07712 880943

 

 

 PORTSMOUTH WILD WEST ASSOCIATION

The Association was formed in 1979, the exact date is unknown due to the destruction of early records by an outgoing secretary and there are no founder members remaining in the group. However it is believed to be in the spring of that year

The original founders of the Association were a group of country and western music enthusiasts who wore replica clothing of the ‘wild west’ whilst attending country music dances . They wanted to form an organisation to further their interest in the various aspects of the American West , to have regular meetings where they could talk about their interests and to possibly take part in shows, carnivals, etc: They also wanted to continue their love of country music by having singers or bands at some of their meetings and to organise larger dances of their own.

They then set about getting themselves organised, elected a committee and decided to call the organisation the Portsmouth Wild West Association, this name has been continually used since its inception.

The next step, which took a lot of time and effort, was to make sectional buildings to form a replica ‘ wild west’ town consisting of a saloon, bank, store, sheriff’s office and jail, and a building for the town Doctor who also doubled as a barber. A few extras such as horse troughs, hitching rails and the like were added and the team were ready for action. Transportation of the scenery and props was by trailers towed by member’s cars with a van being hired for shows some distance away, until earnings from the shows were sufficient to enable the Association to purchase and operate its own van which is still the case today, albeit with several replacement vans over time.

With the passing of the years the number of shows performed by the Association steadily increased and towards the end of 1987 the decision was made to discontinue the country music social evenings and in 1990 the last dance was organised, the group was to concentrate on the re-enactment shows.

The emphasise now was to improve the authenticity of the shows, making sure that all replica clothing and equipment was as authentic as possible, that all story lines were applicable to the period being portrayed and that the correct terminology was being used.

During the early years most shows were local one day events, but as the reputation of the group began to spread bookings came in from steam rallies, agricultural shows and similar events entailing camping at show grounds over weekends. Events such as these now account for most of the shows the Association undertakes.

An average of fifteen venues per season have booked the group over the last few years with some of the venues booking us on an annual basis, in one case for twenty six years and some others for twelve and thirteen years. This demonstrates the popularity the Association enjoys.

The team takes pride in the fact that they never let a client down and always turn up, whatever the weather and even with the very rare breakdown or occasional shortage of performers for various reasons, they have always managed to satisfy their clients and audiences.

The foregoing is a very brief history of the Portsmouth Wild West Association. For more details please contact :-


Ken Crosby, alias Bronco. President P.W.W.A.
158 Hayling Avenue. Portsmouth. Hants. PO 3 6 ED
Tel:- 02392 811903
e.mail - westerner@btinternet.com

Or visit our website at - www.portsmouthwildwest.co.uk

 

 

Wyoming Wild Bunch

The Wyoming Wild Bunch have been in existence since 1990 and this authentic westerner's society is made up of men, women and children. 

All the members have studied, explored and fully researched the American west of the1800's to make sure their clothing, living accomodation, accessories and knowledge are as authentic as can be achieved living in these modern times.  As a society, we provide a touring drama of frontier life, we seek to educate, entertain, present and preserve a segment of the American history, which was lively, exciting, dangerous and sometimes romantic.Whether it's a peak at frontier life, or the life and times of a drover, the Wyoming Wild Bunch can provide an unforgetable experience you and your guests will not forget. Every member will bring the history alive as they re-enact clashes between cattle rustlers,  law enforcement,  drifters and native American people.

The aim of our society is to perpetuate a true vision of the Old American West from 1800 - 1900. 
The Old American West was one of the most colourful yet short lived periods in history. The Cowboy era lasted little more than a generation from the end of the Civil War untill the late 1880's however there were still a few ranches which carried on operating right into the 1900's until bad weather, poor range managment and disastrous cattle market prices forced an end to the old Cowboy way of life.

For more information contact our Ramrod, Chris Large, on 01278 426404

Phoenix Rebels

Every Saturday Night.

£3.50 on the door Children £1, sorry no under 5s.

This is a very friendly club set in its own themed room. We have

a live artist every Sat, a raffle and we do the Trilogy, we

do not do fast draw. we have a website where you can keep up

with what happening  and look at our pictures and video clips.

01772 623147 / 01772811388

e-mail  julie@phoenixrebels.com

 

The Boys from Bitter Creek

The Boys From Bitter Creek are a small outfit who have a passion for the Old West as it really was. They take their inspiration not from story lines used in Hollywood but from true historical facts. The Boys from Bitter Creek portray typical cow camps from the 1880's as accurately as possible down to details like saddles, hats, guns, coffee pots and cutlery. This website is packed with information about the cowboys of the 1880's, and is well worth a visit.

For more information email andy-bradly-uk@yahoo.com  or telephone 01904-760193.

The Boys From Bitter Creek are all members of Trailblazers Living History Society.

 

Lincoln County Regulators

The group formed in 1981 and have staged Performances and Living History all over the UK. Two of our members were on set for the making of the film Tombstone and appeared on Central TV as a result. We have worked along side Anthea Turner, Fred Dibnah and Mel Scholes

We have our own portable town and memorabilia and a very large wagon to transport it all in. None of the members receive payment for the performances, all money that is earned is used for the maintenance of the wagon and town with any surplus being donated to charities.

The group dress in 'Authentic' clothing as can be seen in the photos. All tents, cooking hardware and dress accessories are also authentic. The hand guns are held legally and most are collector's items which can be looked at at the end of the performances, when audiences get a chance to talk to us about the west. At all times gun safety is a 'priority' as is animal welfare.

We have Public Liability cover , 4 qualified first aiders. We also have our own PA system.

Fees vary depending on the distance and references are available on request. Email lincolncountyregulators@hotmail.co.uk  or telephone 01782 251643 for more information.

 

Arizona Rangers UK

 Formed in 1999 as an offshoot of another group that dates back to the 1970's the Arizona Rangers are a long established and experienced Living History Re-Enactment Team whose credits include many TV appearances, Royal Armouries events, and Multi Period events across the country.

 

With connections to and the support of the present day Arizona Rangers in the United States, they have a firm background and footing, and being registered with the National Registry of Living Historians they are recognised and established as an historically accurate and authentically correct group. 

 

As a responsible group they recognise the need for the necessity of paperwork in order to be able to fulfil vendors requirements and in that respect they are full members of NaRES (The National Association of Re-Enactment Societies);  Have a Health and Safety Policy and Procedure, First Aid and Health and Safety trained members, and a written Constitution; They also carry up to £5 million PLI (Public Liability Insurance).

 

For further information please visit our website at  www.arizonarangers.net

or e-mail at  azrangersuk@yahoo.co.uk

 

The Alamo

The Alamo started in the early 1970s at Marlow, Bucks where a log cabin

was built in the woods, and at one time we had over 80 members. The Alamo is now being re-formed and welcomes enquiries from prospective members.

Contact details ~  Cody, Drifter or Shane  0208 707 5825 or 01784 881247.

 

A web site is being built and a link will be posted here when it has been completed.

 

The Buckaroos

The Buckaroos UK are a group based in the North East of England and have been formally established since 2003 to preserve our Western hobby and way of life. The group are Western enthusiasts who like to portray and re-enact periods from the American West circa 1860s - 1900s.  Some of the members have been involved in other period re-enactment groups and they try their best to dress and relive the character / era they are portraying

 

The Authentic Western Society

We are a collection of enthusiastic people with like minded interests in the history and romance of the Old American West.  People who like nothing more than dressing up in period costume of this era portraying their heroes and re-living history.

We meet up and down the country at the many Country & Western Clubs or in season, Spring to Fall, at round ups and festivals where Westerners with similar interests gather to listen to "live" country music, take part in competitions or top up their Western wardrobe at the numerous trade stands, and generally have a good time.

 

Tranquility

A small group of wild west enthusiasts are constructing a wee wild west town near the Glendronach Distillery. The Saloon was the first building to be completed in early 2006. The second building, the Marshal’s Office was completed in April 2007.And the third building, the Bank was completed in September 2007. Currently the town also boasts a small corral, a well & a cemetery (which is filling up nicely). We hope to complete the General Store before the end of the year. In total the town, when finished will comprise eight proper buildings & perhaps some additional false facades.
The town will be a place where members can meet to rehearse for upcoming events, hold Round Ups twice a year (where members & invited guests can test their skills in old west sports such as shooting, knife & axe throwing, horseshoes etc. and socialising in the evenings around a campfire or around the card table). Additionally members may from time to time organise film making projects & skirmishes.
I want to make contact with other western enthusiasts in this area who might be interested in joining our group. So if there are any prospective westerners out there, be they cowboys/girls, outlaws, lawmen, drifters, Indians, pioneers or soldiers then please get in touch.”
The members of Tranquillity have also formed a re-enactment team (the Northern Rough Riders) to educate & entertain audiences with the reality & myth of the Old West. We have performed at the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival two years running (at Portsoy); we’ve entertained handicapped groups & been hired for corporate events.
Anyone wishing to volunteer to help with the construction or wish more info about joining the group can visit our website at http://sites.google.com/site/northernroughriders/Home
 or contact JohnnyB as follows:
Email to tranquility_town@hotmail.co.uk or
Telephone: 01466 730265