Nevada’s Amargosa Days celebrates 50th anniversary

Described as an annual town party, the 2019 Amargosa Days celebration wrapped up this past weekend with an evening fireworks display.

Co-organizer Mike Cottingim, a 15-year resident, said the 50th annual event, roughly 44 miles northwest of Pahrump, was yet another success this year.

The venue for the event was none other than Amargosa Valley Park.

“It’s been great here today and the weather has really cooperated,” Cottingim said of the event. “We’ve had about 400 to 500 people here today. Our main focus is about keeping the money here in Amargosa Valley. This is primarily focused on promoting our area and give the local people and those from out of town traveling through, something to do. It’s just a very nice family-friendly community celebration, and we also had more than a dozen vendors come out and set up shop and participate.”

Among those vendors was Pahrump resident DJ Mills, representing Nevada Health Link as an exchange enrollment facilitator.

“This is our first time attending Amargosa Days as a vendor,” Mills said. “It’s been a great day today and I’ve had a lot of folks come by and inquire about Nevada Health Link. It’s the perfect kind of foot traffic here where are you are not too overwhelmed with a lot of people, but you’re not just sitting here twiddling your thumbs. My territory is all of Nye County. We try to bridge the gap and make sure insurance is going to be affordable for all Nevada residents. Basically, our mission is to ensure that all Nevadans have access to affordable health care.”

Additionally, Mills actually grew up in Amargosa Valley, along with his sister and Pahrump resident Cassandra Selbach, who passed away in January at the age of 35.

Selbach was deeply involved in various community events in town.

“Cassandra was an amazing person, and I’m glad that she is in a better place right now,” he said. “She is with her father in heaven. There’s a hole in my heart that just can’t quite be filled with her not being around anymore.”

Just a short stroll from Mills’ booth was that of Marna and Bob Krause, owners of their Pahrump business, aptly named “reTIRED.”

Both specialize in creating unique yard ornaments and bird feeders.

“We are both retired, so that’s how Marna came up with the name of our business,” Bob Krause said. “As far as what we sell, everything is made out of recycled tires. We’ve had a lot of people stop by to look at our items. I cut the tires up into snails and she paints the snails.”

Marna Krause, meanwhile said Saturday was their first time participating as vendors for Amargosa Days.

“Last month a lady from Amargosa Valley, bought one of our snails in Pahrump,” Krause said. “She told us we ought to come out and set up as vendors, and here we are. Everybody is so friendly here. We support Amargosa Days by buying raffle tickets and items from other vendors here. We also participate in the Pahrump Fall Festival. and we are usually at the Tractor Supply Company in Pahrump on Saturday mornings.”

Pastor James Attebury and his wife Katie, from Amargosa Christian Fellowship Church, were also first-time vendors at Amargosa Days.

Attebury, who is also a volunteer firefighter in Amargosa Valley, assumed the role of pastor a little more than a year ago.

“This is wonderful, and we’re just having fun passing out Christian literature to people, and having gospel conversations with those who stopped by to talk,” he said. “We are an evangelical non-denominational Christian church, so everyone is invited. Our average attendance is about 35 worshipers. We also have a website, which is amargosachristianfellowship.com.”

Cottingim meanwhile, noted that the employment market in Amargosa Valley at present, looks very promising for those seeking work.

“We have several companies here who are now hiring people, so essentially an individual could come here looking to have a good time with his or her family and maybe find a job,” he said. “We are also here trying to promote the local businesses. Most of the vendors here today are from out of town, and we also get a few out-of-town visitors. We’re not really what you would consider a resort-type destination out here.”

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes