Featuring roles that have been handed down through six generations and regalia up to 150 years old, the Happy Canyon Night Show’s ability to bring history to life is unmatched.

“There is no show like it in the world,” Happy Canyon director Becky Waggoner said.

The century-old pageant begins by chronicling lives of American Indians in the Columbia Plateau before white settlers arrived. Members of the local Cayuse, Walla Walla and Umatilla tribes portray ceremonial dances and other traditions from the time, and many of the pieces of authentic regalia worn on set have been handed down through families for more than 100 years.

When the tribes meet Meriweather Lewis, William Clark and Sacajawea, the actors portraying the exploration party are being greeted by descendants of those who welcomed the real explorers in 1805.

“It’s absolutely stunning what people see and don’t realize they’re seeing,” Waggoner said.

The show moves through conflicts between the Indians and settlers — including some crowd-pleasing stunts — and a somber treaty-signing ceremony, before turning into a more humorous, vaudeville-like Wild West show featuring everything from a brothel fire to an exploding outhouse.

The Wild West side of the show was written in 1914 by Roy Raley. He added the second act two years later, forming the full Happy Canyon Night Show, with the help of Anna Minthorn Wannassay.

Waggoner said the second half of the show has been “switched up” this year to integrate special performances and stunts to help tell the “epic drama of the West.”

“The show is going to look new and fresh this year,” she said.

New additions this year include trick riding and horse dancing from the Cowgirl Sweethearts — Lindy Nealey-Lica of Bloomington, Illinois, and Haley Ganzel of Collinsville, Oklahoma. The pair have been featured at the Round-Up before but Waggoner said they will be performing stunts in the pageant not seen in the Round-Up Arena.

“The audience will be able to watch them do death-defying acts right in front of their eyes,” she said.

The Happy Canyon Night Show will also be integrating Dally and Spanky, a Jack Russell terrier and miniature horse. The animals are the stars of “The Adventures of Dally and Spanky,” a full-length motion picture that will be released on DVD by Sony in September. Coincidentally, Trace Adkins, the Grammy-nominated country star who plays one of the main characters in the movie, is this year’s Round-Up concert headliner in the Happy Canyon Arena on Sept. 7.

In addition to live actors, stunts and animals, the Happy Canyon Night Show is set to live music that ebbs and flows with the action onstage.

Andy Cary, who conducts the Happy Canyon orchestra, said just like parts onstage and behind the scenes, many orchestra seats have been passed down between family members. Cary’s father-in-law conducted the orchestra at one point. 

“It’s a top-notch orchestra,” he said. “All the musicians who come back year after year love it.”

Musicians play from hand-written pieces of sheet music from decades ago in some scenes, while the live soundtrack also allows the show to bring in new music from time to time as the show is tweaked. It also allows Cary to respond directly to what he sees in the arena.

“The truth is it’s a lot easier to have live music than something canned, because we’re able to adapt and be flexible,” he said. “When you have live animals in a show, they’re going to be unpredictable. They’re going to be unpredictable, and if you’re having trouble getting a wagon into the arena we’re going to have to stretch.”

The orchestra is part of about 750 people who come together each year to bring Happy Canyon to life.

The Happy Canyon Night Show runs Wednesday through Saturday following the Pendleton Round-Up, Sept. 11-14 in the Happy Canyon Arena at 7:45 p.m.

After the pageant ends, audience members can keep the fun going by heading over to Goldie’s Bar at the Pendleton Convention Center next door. The bar for patrons 21 and older features live music, gambling, drinking and dancing from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. each night of the Round-Up.