One of the best preserved and well-known Gold Rush towns in the Sierra Nevadas is gearing up for its annual festival, celebrating the life, times, music and food of their pioneer founders. 

The event kicks off at 10 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m. A wide variety of entertainment will be featured, including music starting at noon and continuing throughout the festival. Nashville recording artists Cottonwood Creek will take the stage at 4 p.m. and play for two hours to conclude the festival.

The focus of the festival is to go back in time to the Gold Rush era in California. In that spirit, there will be gunfighters, gold panning, Native American cultural demonstations, vendors and much more. For the younger folks, there will be a dummy roping competition, a bounce house, petting zoo, pony rides, basket demonstrations and more.

 “The spirit of the wild frontier is alive in Old Town Mariposa, this festival celebrates our heritage and deep roots,” said Shantel Sojka, chairman of the organizing committee.

Also this year, there will be outhouse races sponsored by the Mariposa Yosemite Rotary Club. The out-house races will kick off the festival at 10 a.m. and should be great entertainment for young and old alike.

The Sierra Nevada Guns for Hire gunfighting troupe will be entertaining audiences throughout the day with several scheduled performances. They will also be “roaming the streets” of Mariposa throughout the day, keeping in character to entertain visitors.

There is also a costume contest scheduled during the day, both for local businesses and the public. Persons can dress up in period clothes and the judging for the public will be held at around 4 p.m. just prior to the performance of Cottonwood Creek.

 A complete schedule of events and more information is available at mariposagowestfestival.com. For information about visiting and staying in Mariposa, visit the Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau at yosemite.com.