More than 100 modern-day gunfighters are buffing their cowboy boots, polishing their pistols and getting ready to mosey on over to the historic Western town of Pendleton, Ore., for the U.S. National Cowboy Fast Draw Championship , which takes place Sept. 1-4.

Bullets will fly at the so-called “Gunfighter Rendezvous,” but unlike those classic cowboy movies, citizens won’t run for cover and the sheriff won’t order anyone to leave town.

Instead, people channeling Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Annie Oakley and other gunslingers from history will use real single-action revolvers (think a Colt 45 with a seven-inch barrel) to shoot wax bullets at targets -- not each other.

Dinah “Alotta Lead” Eilrich, the 2010 national champion in the Women’s Overall category, said buckles, cash and other prizes totaling more than $15,000 will be awarded to contestants ranging from “itty bitty fellers and gals to folks in their 80s” who prove to be the fastest at pulling their guns out of authentic leather holsters and hitting a 24-inch target set up to 21 feet away.

Source: msnbc.com