Entertainment Oct 2007
Entertainment
October 2007
Welcome to The Plaza Pages Newsletter San Angelo Texas
Concho Cowboys Re-create the Old West
We’re big kids having fun
Lots of folks know him as Richard Porter. Remodeling contractor. But inside, he’s Will Ketchum or Willie B. Badd Ketchum, Bounty Hunter, Cowboy.
Not all of us get to live out our fantasies, but Porter is lucky. For 10 years he’s been a Concho Cowboy, one of 15 or so members of a loose-knit group of re-enactors that act out Wild West scenes all over Texas.
The non-profit troupe performs comedy skits, living-history skits and interpretations at various forts around the state. They also go into schools and give talks.
“It’s something that’s dying and if we don’t try to promote that history, relive that history, it’s going to be lost,” Porter says. “It was a very romantic time in our country. Everybody loves cowboys.”
This particular group of cowboys ordinarily runs the gamut from middle management to retirees. Put a Stetson on ’em and they become Marshal Cactus Jack “Bullet Proof” Smith, a legend who never gets shot. Or Capt. Bart Burnett, an actual descendant of a Texas Ranger.
Others include Ace Surebet, the gambler who deals from the bottom of the deck with cards up his sleeves, Dutchy and his wife Miss Lou, 11-year-old Kit Colby and Porter’s grandson Hawkeye, 13.
“Me, I’m usually like Swiss cheese, I get shot so many times,” Porter says.
“Some have been doing it for years,” he continues. “Jimmy Kidd used to be in the U.S. Cavalry. He also was a guide and an interpreter at Fort Concho. He’s been doing it for 20 years.”
While the Concho Cowboys are dedicated to educating an audience about the area’s history, they are just as serious about having a good time.
“I’ve been a cowboy all my life; I’ve rodeoed,” Porter says. “I liked old Western movies and TV from the ’50s and ’60s. I learned how to walk in boots.
“We’re big kids having fun.”
Story by Catherine Darnell
Edit by Norman Bliss
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