8th Annual
Silver Spur Awards
Event Coverage by: C. Clarke

    During the Golden Age of Hollywood, moviegoers and television watchers of both sexes and all ages loved nothing better than a good shoot-’em-up Western. It was a genre that had something for everybody—action, intrigue, romance and comedy. And it was always the same theme: good versus evil. An unbeatable combination.

    Many of the men and women who starred in Western roles have become legends. Who can forget the beautiful flame-haired Rhonda Fleming in Gunfight at the OK Corral or Jack Palance in Shane or James Garner in Maverick? Certainly not the audiences of yesteryear.

    In 1997, twelve men and women, all of whom had worked in Western motion pictures and TV shows in front of and behind the camera and in rodeo formed a non-profit corporation known as the Reel Cowboys. They engage in programs that recognize and celebrate the history of Western motion pictures and they hold fund-raisers that help support various charities. The Reel Cowboys’ primary fund-raising activity is sponsorship of the annual Silver Spur Awards, which honors legendary Western stars.

    The award has its roots in “The Legend of the Silver Spur”, a tale about a young Indian boy’s courage, compassion and his trust in his fellow man. Those chosen to receive the award are considered deserving individuals who personify the qualities of the “Silver Spur”.

    Acton, California residents, Joe Spencer Tracy and his wife, Cyndi, play multiple roles in the Reel Cowboys gang. Joe, an accomplished artist (www.Art2order.net and www.joe4art.com), provides the artwork and layout for all the printed materials (posters, tickets, programs, etc.), and Cyndi, who provides full-time home health care for her father-in-law, John Tracy, rounds up the honorees and coordinates the publicity. Together, this hard-working couple spend several months a year volunteering their time and talent.

    Membership in Reel Cowboys is open to anyone interested in the Old West and in the group’s philanthropic endeavors. They meet each Saturday for breakfast from 10:00 a.m. to noon in the Chuckwagon at Big Jim’s Family Restaurant on the northeast corner of Laurel Canyon and Sheldon Street in Sun Valley, California. For more information call 800-510-5921 or check out their website at www.reelcowboys.org