Death Valley 49er celebration underway: First night of music under the stars

The 60th gathering of members of the Death Valley 49er celebration  is underway.  They started gathering over the past week, and the first day of full activities begins today.   The pre-celebration show started under the stars on Wednesday the 4th of November.  The night was balmy and the moon bright.  The show started with entertainment personality "Sourdough Slim"  picking and singing the popular cowboy songs of the old west.  The performance continued with other guitar and banjo players with some good jokes being tossed into the mix.  The nightly music starts at 6:00 every evening and goes till 11:00.  There will be fiddle contests and added new entertainers each night.  

The full celebration is gearing up with the  art show in the parking lot of the visitors center, and other activities spread over the entire town of Furnace Creek.  The museum there has lapidary and other crafts to see and purchase.  There are tours available by Pink Jeep Tours out of Las Vegas and plenty of other places to drive within a few miles to see favorite Death Valley  sites.  There will be a covered wagon train arrive on Friday morning, and the horse back riders that have rode the old trail to Death Valley in the gold rush days.  A costume parade and car show is held in Furnace Creek downtown, which is a small place, one can't miss it.  These fill the weekend with fun and excitement.

Check with the 49er membership sales booth at the front of  the resort to get the specific times and events you might like to participate in.  Membership in the organization will allow use of the Furnace Creek resort pool, if you are there in the campgrounds for a few days, and also discounts on food in the cafe.