MOVIES MADE REAL: Old-Westy burgs, the kind with dusty streets and swing-door saloons and edge-of-town stables, are a common feature on television and in the cinema, too. So often though, at least nowadays, such fictional towns are created through a host of impressive effects, right down to adding a few hills in the background, or a trail, courtesy of CG. There is a place, however, where the only effects come from the sun, and rain, and clouds passing by, and maybe the caw of a bird overhead. It's all real, in short, and it can be found in Mono County, at Bodie State Historic Park, or just Bodie, if you prefer. We speak of the spot that's regularly called our country's best-preserved gold-mining town, a place that's a bit out of the way but firmly in the center of its supporters' hearts. Are you a Bodie buff? Then saddle up your pony (or load up the trunk of your car with snacks) and head for the Eastern Sierra spot on Saturday, Aug. 13. That's...
FRIENDS OF BODIE DAY, an annual whoop-di-doo that is very much about the whole "Period Attire Encouraged" vibe. Horses shall be trotting about, and there will be some ye olde buggies, too, plus a book signing, BBQ, family happenings, get-in-the-historic-mood tunes, and a host of stuff to whisk you back to a time when Bodie brimmed with residents, chatter, and day-to-day doings. If you've ever visited the town but wished you had a time machine to take you back, the Friends of Bodie Day is very much the next best thing. A bonus? If you're a member of the Bodie Foundation, which is presenting the event, there's a special evening gathering. Details? Read on, ghost town adventurers.
