Pahrump Gunfighters thrill, entertain youth program

Local kids enrolled in the Pahrump Valley Youth Activities program got the chance to step outside the classroom and enjoy some old-fashioned entertainment last week.

Members of the Pahrump Gunfighters rode into J.G. Johnson Elementary armed with skits, magic presentations and overall good clean fun.

Activities Director Denise Koch said both the kids and staff look forward to the gunfighters’ regular visits.

“They like to come out here once a year and put on a show for the kids and they do a great job and all of the kids love them,” she said. “We like to change it up every once in a while to get them out of the classroom. They did some cowboy magic and skits, several different skits. All of the characters participate in part of the show.”

Koch also said the program has gained popularity since its inception roughly three years ago, after the Pahrump Boys and Girls Club ceased operations roughly five years ago.

With few summertime options for working parents of pre-teens, local organizations along with community leaders formed the program.

“It is going great and we still have about a month before it’s over,” she said. “We are having a blast this year, the kids are loving it and they’ve had a wonderful summer.”

Koch said the youths will get another outing this morning when some of the youths will visit residents at Pahrump’s Inspirations Senior Living Facility.

“We’re doing something new this year where I have about 5 kids who visit the Inspirations facility reading to the seniors for about an hour each week,” she said. “We’ve kind of picked that up because J.G. Johnson Elementary School does that during their regular school year and we kind of picked it up for the summer so the seniors can still have someone reading to them.”

The program, which started its 2015 season earlier this month receives support from local businesses as well as private donations and corporate sponsorships.