Christmas performances to benefit wild horse advocacy
All of the magical merriment of the holidays is about to collide with the glitz and glamour of the Nevada Silver Tappers and Ms. Senior Golden Years to create a fantastic celebration of the season, with the 34th Annual Christmas Benefit Show slated to offer two performances that will undoubtedly have audiences feeling the holly jolly spirit.
“It’s going to be wonderful! I mean, wait until you see it,” Nevada Silver Tappers and Ms. Senior Golden Years founder and director B.J. Hetrick-Irwin raved to the Pahrump Valley Times. “We have an all-new dance called Polar Express, kids are really going to love it. It’s going to be very exciting this year.”
The Christmas Benefit Show is an annual tradition for the Silver Tappers - a tap-dancing troupe made up of women all aged 50 and up – and Ms. Senior Golden Years – a pageant program featuring women ages 60 or better. Between the two organizations, there is plenty of love for dancing and performing but all of these ladies share something else too - a deep connection to their community. This sisterhood of ladies certainly enjoy donning sparkling costumes and entertaining admiring crowds but their heart is truly with community activism.
In addition to acting as ambassadors of Pahrump at all kinds of events, the Silver Tappers work each year to hold their own fundraisers, with the help of their Ms. Senior Golden Years sisters, and the Christmas Benefit Show is one of the biggest productions of the year. For 2025, the group has selected Southwestern Wilds as the beneficiary.
“It’s going to be for the horses, it’s going to be a wonderful thing, we’re going to give all of the money we raise to them,” Hetrick-Irwin said. “We thought it was time we do something for our animals and the wild horses are a special part of our community.”
Hetrick-Irwin explained that Southwestern Wilds, an equine advocacy group, was brought to the groups’ attention by one of the Silver Tappers, who is friends with Southwestern Wilds leaders. “So, we had them come out to meet us and that was that.”
Southwestern Wilds is a nonprofit that got its start as a result of a 2023 round-up of wild horses and burros in the Pahrump area, which included a herd of wild mustangs known as “Fred’s Herd” and roused anger on behalf of many locals.
“These majestic horses had roamed the streets and native desert lands of Pahrump for several years, becoming a cherished part of the local landscape,” the nonprofit details. “The once-celebrated herds were now corralled and managed, marking a poignant shift in the relationship between the community and the wild mustangs that had brought so much joy and wonder to Pahrump.
“Through team building and collaborative partnerships, a robust plan was formed. Responding to the community’s outcry, we overcame multiple hurdles and achieved our goal, bringing the herd home just in time for Christmas. Fred’s family and friends are now in safe, loving forever homes, with a few in foster care awaiting their perfect ‘heart home’. This success led to the formation of Southwestern Wilds, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to continuing our commitment to the ‘wilds’!”
The 34th Annual Christmas Benefit Show is set for Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2 and 7 p.m. inside the Saddle West Showroom. Tickets for the daytime showing of the Christmas Benefit Show are already sold out, Hetrick-Irwin reported, but there are a few remaining for the evening show, which are a $25 donation per person.
To reserve seats for the 7 p.m. show, contact Jackie Greco at 775-751-3468.
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
