KERNVILLE, Calif. (KERO) — It all started when Rob Lambert's friend gave a wood bar. He thought he might as well build an Old West Saloon to put it in. Then he thought if he had an Old West Saloon he might as well build an entire Old West Town.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Welcome to Redemption
An Old West Town birthed from the passion of one Kernville Resident
“It snowballed, I never dreamed I’d have this entire town here,” Robert Lambert said.
For the past eight years, Robert Lambert, his nephew, and other workers have been constructing this Old West town, with dreams of having movies filmed on it.
“Kernville, before it moved from the lake, they had what they called 'Movie Street', which they did Western Films there from about 1928 to the early 1950's.”
He calls the project 'New Movie Street' and it’s complete with everything you'd expect to find in a old west town.
“Two saloons, a Church," Lambert said, "We have a freight office with a loading dock, and we have a blacksmith shop.”
“Once you get it going this will blow air up from the bottom,” Lambert explained, working an antique forge he estimated was made around the 1890's .
With many antique items from the actual period
“This is about an 1890’s doctor buggy that I’m gonna restore.”
And just like an old west town, opportunists are around every corner, and life is a fickle thing.
“OOOOOHHHH you really killed him now,” the preacher said over a re-enactor who lay on the dirt streets of Redmeption.
On Saturday Lambert hosted the community, including many re-enactors he knows from his involvement in the Whiskey flat encampment.
“We’re just trying to teach the next generation history, that’s mainly our bottom line,” Lambert said.
He says he hopes the town attracts more western film productions in Kernville.
“This place used to be flooded with them, but in the last few years, very few Westerns are made up here anymore.”
And it’s not just a facade -inside the building you’ll find thoughtful details - and Lambert says he strives to continue to add these details.
“Main thing is I think we're pretty much done building but it doesn't mean we’re done making it look a little better so that’ll be the next chore.”
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