Tammy Teaster is playing “The Black Widow” during the weekend gunfight performances in Ghost Town in the Sky now through September.
“The crowds that line the street to watch our performances are crazy about ‘The Black Widow.'” says J.B. Buccafusco, the park’s Director of Entertainment. “Girls and guys alike are fascinated by watching a villainous female sharp-shooter!”
Teaster starred in the recent western film Ghost Town “The Movie,” which also featured Renee O’Connor (Gabrielle of Xena: Warrior Princess). The movie was based on the North Carolina theme park and was shot there late last year. When Buccafusco and Robert Bradley, Ghost Town’s Director of Gunfights, saw Teaster perform during the filming of Ghost Town, they were impressed.
Her movie role, “Susie Teaster,” is an Indian spirit who guides her husband and daughter throughout the movie. “Tammy was here on an early camera test and fell in a staged gunfight,” says Bradley. “Her falls were the best I’ve seen.”
Teaster, former 1988 Miss Fitness of Michigan, attributes her ability to take these falls in the gravel streets comes from years of gymnastics, martial arts and meter board diving.
Ghost Town in the Sky sits high atop Buck Mountain next to the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Smoky Mountains. To get to the park, you need to ride a chairlift that features 75-degree inclines up the side of the mountain. Once there, you’re treated to an authentic western town setting with rides for all ages, live music, dancing, a museum and many gunfights throughout the day. And the Silver Dollar Saloon features old-style French female can-can dance performances.
Ghost Town in the Sky is open May through November. For more information about the park, visit www.ghosttowninthesky.com, and for more information about the movie, visit www.ghosttownthemovie.net.