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Old Sacramento will be transported back to the mid-1800s once again for its 10th Annual Sacramento Gold Rush Days this Labor Day weekend.

Two hundred tons of dirt will transform this already rustic landmark heritage site into the appropriate mid-1850s California Gold Rush setting. Walking along the dusty trail, be prepared to witness a flurry of time-piece bands, costumed Wild West reenactors, horse-drawn carriages and Gold Rush activities for all ages  — such as gold panning.

Sloughs for gold panning will be located in a few different locations, by the Railroad Museum and Wells Fargo Museum.  Bits of real gold can also be found for the lucky few, according to Mike Testa, vice president of communications for the Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"This is a great place to get entertainment," Testa said.  "If you have never seen Old Sac before, it is worth seeing it during this time," said Mike Testa.  

This free event will be spaced out over four days starting September 4th.  Returning attractions include gunslinging reenactors along K Street, such as the Blue Canyon Gang and the Black Coat Sierra Nevada Guns for Hire.  Don't worry about missing a performance, they will be performing every day at almost every hour.

"All of the [gunslingers] are hired guns," Testa said. "Some of them do this professionally for a living.  Some in fact have worked in Western movies out of Hollywood or in Universal Studios," explains Mike Testa.

The event kicks off on Friday with music on the Embarcadero Stage, located in front of the Railroad Museum on I Street, along with gunslingers and street performers.  A lot of the special events are on going all day and will repeat each hour.  Tents will be set up with vendors, period artifacts and storytelling. Storytellers are all local volunteer docents with a wealth of knowledge and collaborative love of the Gold Rush Era.

Attendees can expect a tantalizing feast of barbecue meats and grilled vegetables at the surrounding eateries.  All the restaurants will be open in Old Sacramento, along with Old West-style cooking demonstrations.

"Unfortunately, we can't sell the [demonstration] food because of health food regulations, but we can demonstrate how it was prepared," Testa said.

Quite a few of the restaurants will be running specials to coincide with the Western theme.  The Delta King on the Sacramento River will be providing some specials, as will the famous burger joint Fanny Anne's.

But really, "All of the [restaurants] in Old Sac get involved in something fun," Testa said.

The cultural and ethnic performances have also expanded this year.  At the Embarcadero Stage, some of the cultural variety pieces being presented will include European, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, African-American and Native Californian, according to the Gold Rush Days website.  All of the performances will be done in authentic Gold Rush-era garb.  

Dancing and musicians will be on hand to create a lively, Wild West atmosphere.  According to Testa, a crowd favorite return will be the Johnny Cash Tribute Band performing on the Save Mart Stage on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The Pony Express will be running the streets approximately three to four times per day. Visitors can expect uniformed postal workers on thundering horses galloping through the streets.   A cannon-firing will take place each day at high noon at the Embarcadero Stage.

For a complete listing of performance times and scheduled events, please check the Sacramento Gold Rush website at Sacramento Gold Rush Days. Programs and walking maps will also be provided.

To help minimize parking issues, Testa encourages patrons to park at Downtown Plaza or use Regional Transit.

Photo courtesy of Sacramento History Museum.