WestFest returns to Indy this weekend

After a three-year hiatus, WestFest at the Eiteljorg Museum is back.

The festival — dedicated to all things Western — kicks off Aug. 1 with more activities for adults, teenagers and kids.

The return of WestFest coincides with the museum’s special exhibit about gold, which ends Aug. 9.

Admission to the festival is included with general admission. Here are 10 reasons to go.

1. Stagecoach rides

Provided by Wells Fargo, stagecoach rides will take festival-goers back in time as they ride through Indy aboard the horse-drawn vehicle. Rides, from noon to 3 p.m., are included in the price of admission.

2. A chance to star in an IndyStar selfie stick video.

Reporter Cara Anthony (that’s me) will attend the festival with her selfie stick in hand. Don’t hesitate to say hi; you could be featured in my next video about “why the West was wild.”

3. Chuck wagon chow

Rockin’ R. Chuckwagon, owned by Randy “Big Boy” Dyer, will serve free samples of Western favorites.

Try his cowboy beans, or go inside the museum for a helping of Buffalo chili and cornbread. The museum cafe will serve a full menu until 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

4. A rodeo (with stick ponies) competition

Kids and adults are welcome to participate in the latest addition to festival activities. Test your roping skills, roll a barrel, and take a ride on the stick ponies.

There will also be plywood cows at the museum for festival-goers who want to try their hand at milking.

5. Live music

Check out one of the three musical acts set to perform at the rodeo. Willoughby Sprig, featuring Christopher and Nicholas Burrus, are this year’s headliners. Indianapolis Old Time Ambassadors and The Roundups, a Western swing band, will also perform.

6. History lessons

The cowboy stereotype (white man, big hat, trusty horse) will discussed and dispelled at the festival, where historians will share stories about black cowboys, women of the West and myths.

7. Mining

How did miners recover all of that gold? Checking out a surgical kit they used at an interactive activity station at the festival.

8. A chance to check out the museum’s special exhibit “Gold! Riches and Ruin.”

This exhibit will teach almost everything you need to know about the mineral that ruled the West. From gold rushes in California, the Black Hills and the Yukon-Klondike to interesting facts about gold, the exhibit offers a range of information.

9. Blacksmiths

Hang out with working Indiana blacksmiths as they share more about their trade. Horseshoes weren’t the only thing blacksmiths made when the West was wild.

10. Trick roping

It’s exactly what it sounds like. Learn how to whip a rope with help from cowboys at at the festival. Throw a lasso around one of the plywood cows at the festival for added fun.

Call Star reporter Cara Anthony at (317) 444-6049. Follow her on Twitter: @CaraRAnthony.