The Mark Twain Wild West Fest, Saturday, Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Main Street in historic downtown Angels Camp, is putting the final call out to rustle up additional vendors. Over 6,000 to 8,000 people are expected to attend making the Mark Twain Wild West Fest the last big Calaveras street party and vending bonanza event that will close out the warm weather festival season with a bang.
The festival is expected to feature 80 vendors and purveyors of all products, including arts, crafts, food, beverages, and local services, but festival logistics have been improved to allow for the addition of up to 20 more vendors. Businesses and artisans wishing to secure vendor space may submit their application online at http://marktwainwildwestfest.com/vendors/.
The newly launched website offers a fast and easy vendor application process and payment interface.
The Mark Twain Wild West Fest promises to be a living interpretation and celebration of the 19th Century Wild West Gold Rush-era of the Sierra Nevada Mother Lode. Featured are three stages of non-stop music, comedy and entertainment; roving street performers, magicians, jugglers, musicians, honky-tonk piano players and dance hall girls; beer, wine and food; gun-slinging cowboys and outlaws and shoot-out reenactments, as well as villains and damsels in distress; gold miners, their encampment and gold panning demonstrations; a flapjack breakfast, and a custom car show. The day is capped by a four-hour evening live music concert and dancing under the stars in Utica Park. Attendees are strongly encouraged to attend in costume … Wild West, Western, Gold Rush, Edwardian, Victorian, Gothic and even Steampunk attire of the era. Admission and parking are free all day.
The Mark Twain Wild West Fest began as the Gold Rush Day in 2012 to honor the special milestones in Angels Camp history. The 2015 event was cancelled due to the Butte Fire. As plans began in 2016, the Angels Camp Commemorative Committee realized not only did Mark Twain have a lasting influence on Angels Camp, where he found his voice and world-wide fame in the creation of his tale, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, but there was much more history to be told through the creation of a more dramatic, expressive, expansive and immersive Sierra Nevada Mother Lode historical festival event.
