As a teenager, I remember watching the weekly “Wyatt Earp” television show. The legendary marshal of Tombstone was portrayed by Hugh O’Brien. The show’s theme song was “Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, brave, courageous and bold. Long live his fame and long live his glory and long may his story be told.”

I don’t know why that stands out in my memory so much, but it does. Maybe it is because I used to watch it with my Australian grandfather who came for a visit. He loved westerns, tea and beer in no particular order.

He also rolled his own cigarettes, a tradition he started when he was six years old and he didn’t stop until he was 89. He died at the age of 92 of emphysema. Yes, it was the smoking that finally brought him down.

He was a rugged type, who spent most of four years in the trenches of France during World War I. His cigarettes were the only reason he made it through the war, he often said.

I never smoked but I did pick up his love for westerns and Wyatt Earp.

I imagined my grandfather as another Wyatt Earp. He only lacked the droopy mustache and six-gun on his hip.

There will be another story told of Wyatt Earp at the next dinner meeting of the Fountain Hills and Lower Verde River Valley Historical Society. The meeting is set for Wednesday, Nov. 20, and we should have a good turnout. Prior guest speakers who have talked about Tombstone and the Earp brothers have been very well received.

The storyteller this time will be Rod Timanus, who is an author of several books, an illustrator and historian of the Old West. He is also a costumed entertainer/period historian and has performed several historical characters in various plays around the state.

On the 20th, he will be portraying John Clum, a man of many talents who in 1880 founded the Tombstone Epitaph newspaper. He also served as its editor. He later served as mayor of Tombstone and was a personal friend of Wyatt Earp.

He was also an Indian agent, postal inspector and railroad man He traveled the West eventually moving to Los Angeles where he lived until his death in 1932.

You may attend, but you must make reservations by Sunday, Nov. 17. You can do so by calling Jean Linzer at 837-0762.

It should be a fun evening.

Speaking of Tombstone, Diane and I attended a fund-raiser in a unique place a few weeks ago.

Remember the story about the man in Goldfield Ranch who has recreated some of the buildings in the town of Tombstone in his own front yard?

It is absolutely amazing what he has done.

The Fountain Hills Sister Cities organization held a fund-raiser at the recreated Tombstone several weeks ago. David Smith, the owner of the unique setting, was on hand for the party.

The Old West town was not built with the intentions of making it a tourist attraction. It has been used as a movie set on several occasions and it is available for rent for weddings and other special occasions.