SHOSHONE, Calif. -- The festival season has to end at some point, but for now Shoshone is blowing it out with the Shoshone Old West Days celebration this weekend, Nov. 2-4.

The fun begins Friday at 4 p.m. will a reception at the Shoshone Museum, followed by the first presentation.

The museum will host a series of history talks throughout the weekend in the Mammoth Room. That's right -- they have a locally discovered mammoth.

This first "talk" will be a one act play about the "Life and Times of Frank 'Shorty' Harris." He found gold and it was his strike, with his partner Ernest Cross, that touched off the run to the Bullfrogs, and created the town of Rhyolite.

The talks will educate the public on subjects like "who killed Chester Pray?" Pray was "found dead at his claim in California's aptly named Death Valley in June 1913.

The truth about who really built Scotty's Castle and the history of mining in Death Valley is also on the agenda. The museum carries books on these subject and the authors and speakers will be on hand Sunday for book signing. The presentations are free, but a donation would be appreciated.

The "flower building" is the place to be for the arts and crafts show. The High Desert Art Show is a part of the display.

The flower building was just a concrete slab the children used as a playground in the late 1930s, but in the years of metamorphosis, through the enclosure of the slab and the addition of a stage it has been a part of Shoshone history and it has served as the center for activity in this community. It has been a stage and a one-room schoolhouse. The building is now the community center and is where artists from across the country have chosen to display their work for the weekend.

There will be vendor booths, craft shows, walking tours; complete with a map, an auction to benefit the Death Valley Unified School, and a deep pit barbecue.

Music and other entertainment will be provided by BJ and the Silver Tappers, The White Horse Band, the Sun Country Cloggers, Dance N Step Follies, the High Desert Line Dancers and County Line.

The Crow Bar Café will be open for food and drinks, Cie Cie Bon will be open for specialty coffees and light dining and just down the road in Tecopa, Pastels Bistro has recently opened -- to the reputed enjoyment of those who enjoy "four-star" dining.

The Shoshone Old West Days is quite the shindig for a village of only 100 residents. There is lodging at the Shoshone Inn, Tecopa Hot Springs Resort, Delight's Hot Springs and RV parks are located in Shoshone and nearby Tecopa. Reservations are necessary so call in advance to check availability.

For more information on the Shoshone Old West Days, call 760-852-4224.