Oatman: Where Cowboys Fight

Oh! I love those Oatman Outlaw Gunfighters. They know how to make a lady feel welcome and they can raise cash too!

Each day at high noon, these Gunfighters stage a bank robbery and shoot-out on Main Street in Oatman, Arizona. Stay clear as one stumbles down the sidewalk steps to the street with a sack of cash and firing pistol shots into the bank building. When he and his partner disagree about whether to run to the northern desert or head south to Mexico with the money, they threaten a shoot-out between themselves. Their deadly disagreement gets interrupted with the arrival of two more Outlaws who want easy pickings by robbing the robbers! Rifle and pistol shots erupt and Gunfighters fall mock dead in the street. Only one remains standing. The survivor makes a getaway to Mexico with the bank money.

When the smoke from the gunshots settled, the Gunfighters turn into modern day fund raisers passing their ten-gallon cowboy hats among the tourists. They ask for cash donations on behalf of Shriners Hospitals for Children. Folks witnessing the Old West performance freely offered up dollars without the threat of gunpoint. Ed gave me some dollars and I emptied all the change from my beaded turtle-shaped coin purse into the Stetson.

“Squeeze the turtle,” whooped a cowboy as he squeezed me. Now, that’s a fun way to thank a donor. Love those cowboys!

The donations collected by the Oatman Outlaw Gunfighters to Shriner organizations now totals more than $50,000.

April 1, 2009

For more information about the Oatman Outlaw Gunfighters:

www.ourlawwillie.com