By Vern Hee – Special to the Pahrump Valley Times

The gay and lesbian community celebrated a very successful mini Pahrump Pride celebration at the Saddle West last weekend with 300 to 500 people flocking to the casino and bringing a boost to sagging August revenues.
The two-day celebration featured a dance and a show on Friday, and concluded with a pool party, drag bingo and drag queen show Saturday.  The event was a peaceful celebration despite rumors of a protest that never materialized.
Christine Grevich, marketing director for Saddle West, characterized July and August as being typically slow months for the casino. She said bringing the event here was a good way to boost sales.
She said, “My most favorite time during this whole event was watching everyone getting along during bingo.
“Everyone was having a good time and enjoying everything. Of course we did not know what to expect this weekend, but everyone has been very supportive and it turns out the tourism council wants us to do it again.”
Casino operations went on as usual.  An anonymous security guard said security on the floor was increased only by two additional officers during the event with no incidents.
Matt Cox, treasurer of Pride Las Vegas and one of the organizers, said, “We have been so welcomed, not only here at the casino, but also by all the retailers in town like McDonalds, Walmart and the Party Supply store.
“There were some people not sure about us and there was little bit of a reservation at first because we heard some people did not want us here but we never experienced anything negative.”
Cox stressed the gay-lesbian community brings money into communities such as Pahrump. He said, “We pay our share of taxes. The number one market that Las Vegas casinos cater to is the gay-lesbian community because they have money. Most gays and lesbians are made up of dual income families with no children. We have extra money to spend.”
According to organizers, the Pride celebration was a precursor to the larger Las Vegas celebration scheduled to begin Sept. 3, and culminate with a huge parade Sept. 16 and the festival Sept. 17 at the Clark County Amphitheater.
Saddle West Assistant General Manager Gerry Smith said the crowds Friday and Saturday were about 50 percent local and 50 percent from out-of-town.  “I am very proud of our staff, and this whole event has been very positive,” he said.
There were no negative comments to be found. Everyone at the event had something positive to say.
Michael Yarbrough of Las Vegas, said, “I had a great time getting to know the locals here. This is my first visit to Pahrump. Pahrump is such a cute town.”
Jake Naylor, Las Vegas resident, remarked, “This was my first time to Pahrump and everyone was super nice. I will definitely be coming back. I won four hotel stays during bingo.”
Dee Harr of Pahrump said she  “heard about the event in the paper and came down to see what it was all about and to play bingo. People who live in glass houses should keep their mouths shut.”
Ernie Yuen, president of Pride Las Vegas, said that they will definitely be back next year. Planning has already begun. He and his group had some reservations at the start that Pahrump might not be ready for Pride.
A lot of the marketing was done by Saddle West. “I want it to grow and I think it will be even bigger next year. We could have made it bigger this year, a more festival atmosphere with vendors, but we did not know how we were going to be received by the community,” Yuen said.
He said the group had better customer service in Pahrump than on the strip. “We go to a lot of Prides and we got better customer service than San Diego or Los Angeles.
“People asked me are you happy with the results, I would have been satisfied if five people showed up.”
“The whole purpose with pride is to reach out to our community, to give people a safe haven for a day to be themselves.
“Pride’s main reason for being is to educate. Prejudice is something you are taught, you are not born with it. I think after talking to locals that people are opened-minded in Pahrump. My goal one day is that Prides go away. This means that everyone is created equal,” Yuen said.
Grevich said, “It shouldn’t matter what color, race or sex someone is. What is important is that we can come together and enjoy each other’s company whether it be dancing, listening to music or playing bingo.
“Some people say that Saddle West was bold and progressive in hosting this weekend’s festivities. I just think we are understanding and accommodating and take pride in being able to accept people for who they are without judging them.”