Nevada Silver Tappers dance troupe celebrates Christmas season in Pahrump

It was a very busy weekend for members of Pahrump’s Nevada Silver Tappers.

The age 55-plus dance troupe once again performed shows on Saturday and Sunday benefitting local organizations in the community.

Founder BJ Hetrick-Irwin said the total haul for their efforts generated $4,450.

The ensemble performed in the Saddle West Showroom on Saturday afternoon and regrouped for a Sunday morning performance at the former Kingdom Gentleman’s Club on the corner of Homestead Road and Nevada Highway 160.

The latter show was part of the official grand opening of what is now termed the Magic Kingdom, described as an Egyptian-themed facility with the amenities to host a range of social events, including weddings.

Following the money

Hetrick-Irwin said she has already earmarked where the proceeds raised from the shows will go.

“The Saddle West event was our annual Community Christmas Benefit Show to celebrate our veterans,” she said. “We are going to donate to all of the area veteran programs. Mostly it’ll be for the Disabled American Veteran organizations and Purple Heart recipients. We had standing-room-only attendance for the Saddle West show, so we could not fit anyone else inside the room. It was a great show and the girls deserve so much credit. They really worked their hearts out.”

Special visitor

Sunday’s show at the Magic Kingdom featured the arrival of Santa Claus, by way of a slightly different form of airborne transportation, as Rudolph and company took the day off to prepare for their annual around-the-world trek later this month.

Hetrick-Irwin lamented the fact that there were just a few children present for Santa’s 10 a.m. arrival.

“Our Sunday show was just fabulous, but unfortunately, there wasn’t more children there for Santa Claus,” she said. “There were also presents given to all the little children there. They really went all out.”

As usual, there was no shortage of talented performances during Sunday’s program.

“We had a gentleman singer named Bill Watson, who performed beautifully,” she said. “He has a wonderful voice and we are very thrilled about him. Our very own Ione DeSantis performed a cute little dance number, and Terry Rogers performed a song on the steel drum, which was also wonderful.”

Drop on in

Additionally, Hetrick-Irwin urged area residents to stop by the new Magic Kingdom.

“I think the people need to visit there to learn exactly what Dr. Peter Shield is doing with that place because he has a lot of big plans for it,” she said. “I think once people understand that it’s not the business that it once was, they will visit it more often. It’s a little bit different than what it once was.”

Hetrick-Irwin also noted that her dance troupe recently earned accolades from a prestigious national organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States’ efforts toward independence.

“We received an award from the Daughters of the American Revolution’s National Society organization, where we were presented with the award for our excellence in community service. They are a non-profit group, who work to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism.”

Regarding other upcoming performances, Hetrick-Irwin said the ladies are scheduled to perform later this month at a venue on the south end of town.

“We have a show coming up that will support the Coyote’s Den here in town,” she said. “This will be on December 15, at 7 p.m. inside Big Dick’s Pizza at 3971 E. Kellogg Road. Mike, the owner, is one of the most generous men I’ve ever met, and he has a very beautiful spread. It’s a marvelous place and we really want to support them. They love the Silver Tappers and wanted us to come back out there, because we did it once before.”

The Nevada Silver Tappers, Hetrick-Irwin said, were established close to 30 years ago, with just a handful of ladies when the cast performed a benefit show for a local girl stricken with leukemia back in 1989.

“Right now we probably have around 25 Silver Tappers,” she said. “It’s gotten to the point where I’m not sure where to put them all on the stage nowadays. I think we might need some larger rooms to perform in.”

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes