Covered Wagon Camp - Knott’s Berry Farm
Knott’s Berry Farm has always been one of my favorite places to visit in Southern California, and heck, I’ve lived within 20 miles of it most of my life (that’s a lot of years). When I was a kid, my family would visit several times a year, back when it was free to get in (prior to 1968). We’d start off by driving one of the cars in Henry’s Livery, gasoline-powered and not on a center rail. Then ride an authentic San Francisco Cable Car from the livery to the entrance of the park. Then into Ghost Town, my favorite area, and the rest of the park.
A vintage post card of the Covered Wagon Camp. Not much has changed over the years.
We kept visiting over the years, many of the old rides and attractions changed or went away (Haunted Shack, the Parachute drop, Corkscrew, etc) and new ones came. But one spot that hasn’t changed much at all over the past 60 years or so is the Covered Wagon Camp at the edge of Ghost Town. That’s where we would try to grab a seat inside one of the covered wagons, to eat our lunch and watch the Wild West Stunt Show. My favorite part of the show was always hearing the shotgun blast, as it took out one of the bandits.
Lots of live music has been played at the Covered Wagon Camp over the years. And that tradition is still going on today, which is easily worth the price of an annual pass. This past week I caught a couple shows of Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies and they were great. They perform a bluegrass and country music themed show, but also mix in classic rock’n roll, blues, show tunes and even rap, all in the hillbilly style. And watch out if Elvis shows up.
The hillbillies have changed over the years, but Kirk Wall remains constant. They performed at Disneyland for a long time as Billy Hill & the Hillbillies, which is where I first saw their show. Here at the Wagon Camp, the hillbillies are: "Krazy Kirk" Wall as lead, Eric "The Great" Brenton on fiddle, guitar and mandolin, "Wranglin'" Rick Dunham on banjo and guitar; "Bam-Bam" Brad Conyers on drums and "Animal" Anders Swanson on bass. All are exceptional musicians.
I timed my trip to Knotts just right, I was able to see the hillbillies at 6:30 and then again at 8:00. The later show was a special treat, as a couple long-time Knott’s favorites sat in for that show. Harvey Walker on the fiddle and Johnny Blankenship on electric guitar (and a wicked harmonica).
One of the best parts of the show is when Kirk shows how the “teeth” helped him become a better fiddle player. All bets are off when the teeth are on stage.
I definitely recommend catching one or two of their shows if you’re visiting Knott’s while they are playing.
And then take a walk around the park, go on a few rides, grab something to eat, watch some of the other live entertainment going throughout the Berry Farm.
And sometimes the best show of all is people watching.