By Danielle Ellis
This Pioneer Day, join the longest-running celebration in Southern Nevada. The North Las Vegas Stake will host its 35th Pioneer Day event, which will feature all of the time-tested food and fun for which the event is known. The festivities are Friday and Saturday, July 23rd and 24th at Stephenson Park, on the corner of Walnut and Carey, Las Vegas.

The schedule for Friday includes a deep pit BBQ dinner, entertainment and dancing. Tickets are $30/family, $10/single. Dinner starts at 6 p.m. This is no ordinary church dinner: organizers bury 1200 lbs. of beef underground to slow-cook for 24 hours, then serve it up to 2400 people in 30 minutes! Dinner also includes corn, salad and fixings.

The Saturday event runs from 4-10 p.m., and participants purchase tickets for the 30 food booths and 30 game booths. The Spanish Ward will have a Mexican food booth, and there are plenty of games for the kids, bounce houses and blow up rides. Food will include corn on the cob, pie à la mode, snow cones, pizza, root beer floats and cotton candy: plenty of sugar to keep the kids wired for the night!

The entire event is hosted and run by members of the North Las Vegas Stake; there are no outside vendors, politicians or people selling things. Typically between 5,000 and 7,000 people participate between the two nights. To cap off the Saturday night fun, there is a talent show and a “Pioneer Day Award,” given to someone who exemplifies the pioneer spirit. This is followed by a “spectacular” professional fireworks display at 9:30.

For those worried about being in the oppressive July heat, Stake President Peter Shields notes, “it always cools off in the evenings for us.” So mark your calendar and come enjoy the fun!
All proceeds of the event go to maintain Camp Stimson, the girls’ camp at Mt. Charleston, or to benefit Stephenson Park.