Special to the News-Times
EL DORADO — The first performance of the award-winning “Showdown at Sunset” will be Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. There will be three performances total, with the others being July 22, and August 26th. The productions will take place on the steps of the Union County Courthouse in the center of historic Union Square in Downtown El Dorado.
Live music and entertainment will begin at 6 p.m., leading up to the Showdown at Sunset performance at 6:30 p.m.
In 1902, in broad daylight on the courthouse square, city Marshal Guy Tucker confronted his bitter rivals, the Parnell Brothers. In one swift moment, a flurry of gunfire left three men dead and several others wounded. Witness the historic reenactment of the infamous Parnell-Tucker gunfight three Saturdays in downtown El Dorado. The reenactment supports a cast of area actors and chronicles the events that led up to this historic event.
Characters include: City Marshal Guy Tucker, grandfather to former Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker; store owner Tom Parnell; brother Matt Parnell; photographer Bob Mullens; Sheriff Norris and others.
Sponsors include South Arkansas Youth Services, INC, Real American Country, The City of El Dorado and the El Dorado Advertising and Promotions Commission.
Showdown at Sunset is open to the public and there is no admission fee.
The 2017 Murphy USA Summer Concert Series on Union Square in Downtown El Dorado will be held on June 24, July 22 and August 26.
The concert series is free to the public and will feature national music artists, kicking off with Jason D. Williams set for Saturday, June 24.
Each concert will begin with pre-event music at 7 p.m., on the Showtime Stage, with the headliner taking the stage at 8 p.m. The event will follow the Showdown at Sunset performance.
Williams has spent a lifetime behind the piano connecting with country and rock ‘n’ roll greats, while creating a persona that’s 100 percent original. He is a recording artist for RCA and Sun Records and has been since the early 80s. At the age of 16, Williams left his hometown of El Dorado, to perform and live in Memphis and began his solo career. After several years, he released his first album, “Tore Up,” and has been on the road ever since.
On July 22, Lee Roy Parnell will perform and on August 26, David Lee Murphy will perform.
For more information on Showdown at Sunset or the Summer Concert Series, contact Beth Brumley, Executive Director of Main Street El Dorado at 870-862-4747 or [email protected].