Annie Oakley Festival: Shooting contests, fast draw competitions and more this weekend

How fast are you on the draw? Well, one local festival might help you determine where your shooting skills rank among your peers.

The Annie Oakley Festival, taking place from July 23-25 at the Darke County Fairgrounds in Greenville, will be honoring the area’s most famous sharpshooter. Oakley was born in 1860 in an area just north of Greenville. Over the course of her life, she became famous for her sharpshooting skills, eventually joining Buffalo Bill Cody’s “Wild West Show.”

This Annie Oakley Festival will pay tribute to the famous sharpshooter with shootings contests, a car show, fast draw competitions, melodramas, historical tours, a parade, antique market, and pilgrimage to Oakley’s grave.

The festival will take place Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, July 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The schedule of events for the Annie Oakley Festival is as follows:

Friday, July 23:

  • 2021 Little Miss & Mr. Contest: Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. and contest begins at 6 p.m.
  • 2021 Annie’s Memorial Shoot: Begins at 6:30 p.m.
  • Melodrama: Begins at 7 p.m.
  • An appearance from the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association at 7 p.m.
  • Open performances from the American Western Arts Showcase.
  • Live musical performances from Country Harmony at noon and Jeff Hittle following the Little Miss and Mr. Contest.

Saturday, July 24:

  • Annie Oakley Festival Parade: Arrives at 10:30 a.m. in downtown Greenville.
  • Search and rescue dogs from All SAR K9′s Inc will be on the grounds training and practicing throughout the day.
  • Historical bus tours around Greenville to different sites associated with Oakley set off at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
  • Melodramas begin at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
  • American Western Arts Showcase will perform at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 5 p.m.
  • Performance by the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association at 2 p.m.
  • Live musical performances by Spittin’ Image at 1 p.m. and Adam Liette at 4 p.m.

Sunday, July 25:

  • Performance from the Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association at 10 a.m.
  • Historical bus tours around Greenville to different sites associated with Oakley set off at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
  • Melodrama performance begins at 1 p.m.
  • Open performances by American Whip Artistry by Gery Deer from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Live musical performance from Noah Back at 2 p.m.
  • 2021 Annie Oakley Festival Car Show: Registration takes place from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and the judging begins at noon.
  • National Kiddie Tractor Pullers Association: Registration begins at 2 p.m. and the pull-time is at 3 p.m.
  • 2021 Annie Oakley Weiner Dog Races: Registration begins at noon and the race time is at 1:30 p.m. The costume contest for all breeds takes place at 12:30 p.m.

The Miss Annie Oakley Shooting Contest will take place in the days before the actual festival begins. A practice session for the contest will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 20, while the preliminaries are set for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 21. The Miss Annie Oakley Shooting Content Finals will take place on Thursday, July 22 at 6 p.m.

A pilgrimage to Annie Oakley’s grave will take place after the finals of the Miss Annie Oakley Shooting Contest have concluded.

Food and shopping vendors will also be in attendance at the festival.

HOW TO GO

What: The Annie Oakley Festival

Where: Darke County Fairgrounds, 800 Sweitzer St., Greenville

When: Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, July 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost: Free

More info: Website | Facebook

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