Dig into the fun at Tonopah’s Annual Summer Soiree
With the hottest season of the year in full swing, Tonopah Historic Mining Park is gearing up for one of its hottest nights of the year, the Annual Summer Soiree, and it is promising to be a spirited celebration of Tonopah’s rich history and mining heritage.
Set for Saturday, August 29, the Summer Soiree will give residents and visitors from all over the chance to immerse themselves in what Tonopah Tourism and Events Supervisor Bethany Thompson describes as a “one-of-a-kind, living museum”.
“It’s so special and unique to Tonopah,” Thompson told the Pahrump Valley Times. “It’s so full of history. I always tell visitors to use their imaginations when looking at the mining park, because: one, it’s fun; and two, that whole hill was covered in mines and that is what made Tonopah, Tonopah.”
The Summer Soiree is the largest fundraiser of the year for the mining park and will include guided walking tours, live music, free food and plenty of camaraderie. A new feature of this year’s event will be performances by two locals, Jake and Jael Greenland, who have stepped up to act out monologues of stories from the turn of the century. Tonopah Liquor Company’s Marc and Tiffany Grigory will also be doing a cash bar, with Thompson noting, “Last year, they had an unbelievable margarita, so I can’t wait to see what their specialty cocktail offerings will be this year.”
As a historic mining park, it only makes sense that the mines in the region are a big part of the event and Thompson was quick to praise the community support shown by these corporations.
“Mine representatives come out to the Soiree to talk about what they are doing with the community. People can ask questions and learn about their operations. It’s also a great opportunity if people are looking for jobs or looking for industry connections,” she detailed. “And the mines are so generous in their sponsorships. They are paying for all the music and Tonopah’s favorite band, Lie for Fun, is coming up — people just love them! They are going to play under the open skies and we’re going to dance and laugh and sing. It’s going to be incredible. Kinross also donates the food, they bring out food trucks and it’s free to the public. Anyone can come and I hope everyone takes advantage.”
There is still time for businesses to get involved via their own sponsorship, with Tonopah Historic Mining Park Tour Guide Grace Gearhart emphasizing that the event is open to all businesses.
“We are more than happy to have representation from any of the businesses in this area,” Gearhart told the Pahrump Valley Times. “It’s great to have an opportunity for the community to meet-and-greet and discuss what’s going on in the surrounding areas, so any companies that want to come and represent are absolutely welcome.”
Sponsorships range from the Prospector level, which comes for a donation of up to $500, Silver level for $501-$1,499 and Gold for $1,500 to $2,499. Anything above $2,500 earns the sponsor the top level of Discoverer. All sponsors will receive a reserved table, with seating, as well as having their business name and sponsorship level recognized on a banner that will hang for a year inside the mining park’s visitor’s center.
“It’s fantastic, we’ve gotten quite a few really awesome sponsorships this year and we’re really hoping that this is going to be a phenomenal success,” Gearhart enthused.
The Annual Summer Soiree will take place Saturday, August 29, starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park, 110 Burro Avenue.
For more information or to sign up as a sponsor, visit TonopahMiningPark.com or call 775-482-9274, extension 6.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
