A local children’s show that was a lunch hour hit with Calgary kids for 30 years celebrated its 50th anniversary on Monday.

The Buckshot Show hit the airwaves in 1967 and ran every weekday at noon for almost three decades.

The show was hosted by Ron Barge, otherwise known as Buckshot, and his sidekicks, Benny the Bear and Clyde the Owl, and featured cartoons and content aimed specifically at children.

The show was cancelled in 1997 but Buckshot and Benny continued to have a big presence in the community, often emceeing events and making special appearances.

Many remember Barge by his tattered and well-loved cowboy hat and he has gone through five of them over the years. He says people come up to him every day and reminisce about the show.

“Every day, and I don’t have to have my hat on for that to happen. I go to the shopping centre and people say ‘aren’t you that?’ and I say ‘yes, I am’, thanks for noticing,” he laughs. “Most of the people say, ‘we grew up with you’ and love all of it so it’s just great.”

On the weekend, a celebration was held at the Silver Point Pub and Eatery and many of Barge’s friends and former co-workers came out to honour him.

“Buckshot was real. He cared for people and they cared for him and he always remembered people,” said Joe Dylke.

“Ron Barge hired me in 1967 and that 37 years, we were day to day, every day  37 years, Happy 50th,” said Joe Klepik. “He just loved people, as we loved him.”

“I’d seen Buckshot on TV when I was a kid,” said Wes Metz. “I actually got to be one of the hired hands and worked on the show.”

Barge and his brother Gord play in a band called Vintage Express and take the stage at the northwest pub every Saturday.

Buskshot says music has been a bit part of his life and he never gets tired of performing for people.

“I love it, it’s really what I enjoy doing. It keeps the brain going,” he said. “We just have a ball doing it. We really do.”

He reflected on the golden years and says he looked forward to driving up the hill to work every day.

“It’s the only job I’ve ever had where I just looked forward going up there every day and doing the show, whatever it was and of course, being live most of the time, it was exciting,’ said Barge.

The Buckshot Show was the longest running children’s television show in Canadian history at the time of its cancellation.