Community Corner
DJJD: James Gang Mounted Shooting and Wild West Show New for 2011
The first-ever James Gang Mounted Shooting and Wild West Show is set for Sept. 8 at Jesse James Arena. The event, part of the Defeat of Jesse James Days, will feature trick shooting and family activities.
Mike Dudley has fired countless blanks into the air as a member of the .
This year, he will fire blanks at balloons and, if all goes well, break them.
Dudley is among several gang members to participate in the shooting and riding portion of the first-ever James Gang Mounted Shooting and Wild West Show, set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, at Jesse James Arena on Hwy. 3.
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The show—which will feature trick shooting and activities geared to families—is part of this year’s Defeat of Jesse James Days.
At his farm near New Prague last week, Dudley and his 15-year-old son, Kevin, sharpened their shooting and riding skills on a makeshift trick-shooting course. On the backs of their horses, Sturgis and Willie, they twisted through shoulder-high poles while firing blanks from their .45-calibre pistols at ordinary balloons.
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And the balloons popped.
Dudley said the residue from blanks can travel up to 25 feet—well within the range of the balloon from atop a horse—and can burn holes in balloons, causing them to burst as if they were penetrated with bullets.
“The particles are quite hot,” he said. “They can do some damage to a balloon.”
Dudley has practiced horseback trick-shooting with his pistol and his replica Winchester “Yellow Boy” rifle for several years.
A member of the James-Younger Gang since 1998, Dudley isn’t a stranger to DJJD.
“Growing up in Northfield, the big thing was Jesse James Days,” he said. “And now as an adult, it is fun to be part of it.”
Dudley will have a busy DJJD festival this year. In addition to taking part in mounted shooting and the DJJD bank robbery re-enactments, he is helping organize the Wild West Show with fellow DJJD volunteer Lynn Ziegler.
Dudley’s brother, J.B., also is a James Younger Gang member, and son Kevin rode with the gang in last year’s DJJD.
“I like riding with them,” said Kevin. “This year, I hope to shoot in the trick-shooting competition with my dad.”
Shooting and much more
Come for the shooting. Stay for the fun.
That’s the message organizers of the Wild West Show are sending DJJD patrons.
While a highlight of the show will be the trick-shooting and riding of James-Younger Gang members, plenty of other amusements are in store, Ziegler said.
“This is a new event geared toward families,” she said. “We want this to be a low-cost event that kids and their families can come to, have a great time and be able to go home and go to bed because it’s a school night.”
Admission is $1 per person. People who purchase a DJJD button will be admitted free.
As there is more than three weeks remaining before the show, activities still are being lined up, Ziegler said.
“It’s going to be pretty darn cool,” she said. “Families are going to have a lot of fun.”
