4th of July Parade one of Pahrump’s biggest yet
The U.S. celebrated its semiquincentennial this past July 4th and here in the valley, festivities to mark the occasion were positively bursting with fun.
Bright and early that Saturday morning, residents began to gather in the hundreds for the Fourth of July Parade and Family Fun Day, hosted by the Pahrump Holiday Task Force and Pahrump Disability Outreach Program. By the time the parade was set to start at 9 a.m., there were crowds lining the street where it loops around the Calvada Eye, all creating a sea of red, white and blue with their America-inspired attire.
When the more than 40 entries in the Fourth of July Parade hit the street, cheers and cries of “Happy 250th Birthday America!” filled the air and youngsters eagerly awaited the goodies that were tossed or handed out by parade participants. It was not only a fabulous display of local patriotism and pride but one of Pahrump’s largest Fourth of July parades ever, leaving event organizers exceptionally pleased with the results.
“The Fourth of July Parade this year was an overwhelming success,” Pahrump Holiday Task Force founding officer Linda Wright-Smith told the Pahrump Valley Times afterward. “We had spectators all along Calvada Blvd. and even around the Calvada Eye on the backside, where we never had people sitting before. It was great!”
Fourth of July Parade Announcer Ski Censke heartily agreed, telling the Times, “This year’s parade was definitely one of the biggest ever. We added a huge sound system that covered most of the park and played music from 1776 to today. There were beautiful floats, along with a red, a white and a blue Corvette from Spring Mountain Motorsports. A great time was had by all.”
The parade was just the opening of the day, however, and the fun continued into the afternoon hours with the Family Fun Day event. There were all kinds of games, contests and activities for attendees to partake of, generously provided by area organizations and businesses to help add to the old-fashioned festival atmosphere.
“Everyone who came out enjoyed the games and activities,” Wright-Smith reported. “We had tug-o-war, cornhole, face painting, wheel spinning, duck races. The Pahrump Gunfighters and the Bikers Against Bullying groups also came and we had live music from the City Catz Band and our DJ, Enrique. The kids’ and adults’ watermelon-eating contests were great and of course, the annual water balloon fight, pitting kids versus the Nye County Sheriff’s Office, is always a highlight of the day.”
With all of the energy being expended on the plethora of pursuits at the Eye, it was no surprise that attendees built up an appetite. To ensure everyone’s hunger would be satisfied, volunteers worked the grill throughout the event, cooking up and serving 550 hotdogs and 680 hamburgers for the crowd.
“Everything went well at the parade and community barbecue,” task force member Michelle Caird raved.
“It was wonderful to see so many families to turn out for the Fourth of July event.”
“This was a great 250th birthday for America and the Pahrump Holiday Task Force, Pahrump Disability Outreach Program and the Pahrump community did it in style,” Wright-Smith concluded. “And thanks to everyone who participated, helped and came out to watch and celebrate this 250th birthday and the Fourth of July.”
Task Force chair Nichole Walters also offered thanks to the sponsors for this year’s event, which included Desert View Hospital, Joe’s Sanitation, Heritage Bible Church, Valley Electric Association, AmeriGas, Pahrump Family Mortuary, Greg Hafen II, Kiwanis Club, Westfield Jewelers, Nathan Adelson Hospice and Sol Mio. She also gave a shout-out to Rent 2 Go for the use of a swamp cooler to keep the cooks cool at the event, along with FD Candy, Hypno Comics, Mom’s Diner and Pizza Hut for the prizes for the winners of the watermelon-eating contest.
The Pahrump Holiday Task Force is a nonprofit dedicated to providing free, family-friendly holiday gatherings for Easter, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.
For more information, contact the group on its Facebook page or email PahrumpHolidayTaskForce@gmail.com
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
4th of July Parade Winners
This year's 4th of July Parade - with Tim Hafen as Grand Marshal - included over 40 entries, ranging from vehicles and horses to bicycles and traditional floats and all were well-received by the crowd. But at the end, there were four deemed to have created the best displays and thus, earned awards for their entries. Taking home top honors in the 2026 4th of July Parade were:
- Best Overall/Grand Marshal Pick – Kiwanis Club
- Most Spiritual/Spirit of 1776 – Soroptimist International Pahrump Valley
- Most Creative/Besty Ross – Summit Church
- Most Patriotic – Sundance Ranch
