TONOPAH — Local businesses have stepped up to contribute materials and labor to build a band shell at the Calvada Eye, Nye County Commissioner Dan Schinhofen said last week, which is returning as a popular entertainment venue.
Schinhofen got approval at the last meeting from fellow commissioners to accept the donations. Band shells are a piece of Americana typical of brass bands playing John Philip Souza.
The commissioner, whose own Acoustic Grass Festival moved from the Veterans of Foreign Wars post to the Calvada Eye the last two years, said it was part of a master plan discussed by a panel for the Calvada Eye. Recently the VFW has begun holding pancake breakfasts at the Eye. Southwest Medical Associates recently used the location for an annual dinner. The United Way formerly used the Calvada Eye for festivals like Oktoberfest and St. Patrick’s Day. The annual arts and crafts festival Art and Sol was formerly held there.
“One of the things that I had envisioned to make it a better place to hold outdoor venues & concerts would’ve been a band shell,” Schinhofen said.
Schinhofen said he approached Russ Meads, owner of Double M Construction, about drawing up some plans. When the two met again a second time, Schinhofen said Meads said he also secured donations for half the funding. Golden Gaming, owners of the Pahrump Nugget, Gold Town and Lakeside casinos, also agreed to donate to the project, he said.
Schinhofen indicated it’d be at the same location as bands that played on the Calvada Eye.
“I’ve had an eight-piece bluegrass band on that pad with standup basses, I’ve had a five-piece rock n’ roll band with a full drum kit so your standard bands would fit on there. You won’t get an 80-voice choir,”’ Schinhofen said.
District Attorney Brian Kunzi wanted a caveat added to the motion requiring the builders to work with county building inspectors to ensure it’s built in a-sound manner, since the county will be assuming the liability. Commissioner Lorinda Wichman, a guitar player herself with her husband Oz Wichman, made the motion to approve, she jokingly said the Peavine Pickers may not fit inside the band shell.
Meads said a couple of subcontractors also agreed to donate to the band shell, but Double M Construction and Golden Gaming will donate the majority of the funds. Meads said he expects to get the plans prepared for submission to the county in a couple of weeks. He estimated the cost at about $9,000.
“We wanted to do something for the community, he’s had that slab there forever, it’d be nice to utilize it,” Meads said. “We’re going to basically try to match a lot of the architecture from the county buildings on site and do stucco and rock and put a roof on it.”
Double M Construction has been involved in building improvements on a recent addition to Spring Mountain Motor Sports Ranch. The Spring Mountain newsletter reported Double M completed paving a 2,100-foot straightaway last June, part of a 2.1-mile, 40-foot wide track addition. A skid pad, 7,800-square-foot building for the Cadillac V series vehicles academy and Jet Pack America and 14 new garages are also part of the addition plans.
“We think it’s a good project, anything we can do to support the community,” the general manager of the Golden Gaming properties, Jeremy Jenson, said. “The Eye is a nice spot, they want to bring some life back into it.”
“We’re going to see how much they need to finish off the project and then we’re going to step in, whatever they need we’re going to be there,” Jenson said.