Over 50 Festival attracts hundreds to Pahrump Nugget Event Center

Pahrump is well-known as a retirement destination and with a large percentage of the local population made up of older adults, the valley seems a perfect place to play host to an Over 50 Festival, the second of which took place this past Friday, Dec. 3 at the Pahrump Nugget Events Center.

The Dec. 3 event was just one of several such festivals held as part of the Senior Expo Series for 2021, with primary sponsorship from Aetna, all of which are geared toward helping seniors connect with resources and services that are important to them.

As the Over 50 Festival opened at 10 a.m. that morning, the venue was already buzzing with energy and activity as vendors prepared themselves to welcome the anticipated crowd. Event organizers were not disappointed, either, with a throng of attendees filling the Nugget Events Center throughout the five-hour event. When all came to a close just after 3 p.m. that afternoon, the Over 50 Festival had seen a total of 456 people make their way through, marking quite a successful endeavor.

“Aetna is the title sponsor of the Over 50 festivals,” Dean Taylor of ProExpo.Vegas, who was assisting with running the festival on Dec. 3, detailed. “This is the second event that’s been held at the Nugget in 2021 and there are two more scheduled in 2022.”

Taylor reported that the event had gone very well, with over 400 welcome bags handed out and tons of information and educational materials regarding the enormous array of vendors making their way into the hands of locals.

The Over 50 Festival wasn’t just about vendors and resources, however. There was an element of entertainment incorporated too. Taylor said live performances were provided by “You Light Up My Life”, with festively dressed ladies taking to a mini stage set up for the purpose of dazzling the crowd with the lively dances and cheery smiles.

There was also a “Spin to Win” wheel on the welcome table and all entering guests were given the chance the give the wheel a twirl to see what they would win. All spots of the wheel were marked “Welcome Bag” except for one, which earned the spinner a free 1975 Carson City $20 gold piece replica.

“These events are important to the senior community,” Taylor said following the event. “The Over 50 festivals provide seniors with access to local companies that can help educate and inform local seniors by providing the most up-to-date resources, information, programs and services available to them and their caregivers.”

There were 35 vendors in total slated to take part in the Over 50 Festival, ranging from medical providers and insurance companies to home security services and even a political candidate, Diane Sauter for Nye County sheriff, taking advantage of the event to get her name out there and meet some of the valley’s voters to learn what their concerns are.

Of course, Aetna as the host of the event, had a booth on site and it was joined by dozens of others, including ADT Security Services, Alignment Health Plan, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Barson Insurance, Captel Outreach, Caption Call and Clear Water Concepts. Sauter for Nye County sheriff was easy to spot with a large banner about the booth, and Encompass HealthCare, Expo Enterprise, Farmers Insurance, Goins Insurance and Humana all got in on the informational shindig.

Infinity Hospice, Insurance for Less, Intermountain Healthcare and Medi Laser all joined in on the event, as did a variety of Medicare resources, including the Medicare Assistance Program, the Medicare Store and the Medicare Resource Center. Nathan Adelson Hospice was present, along with Nevada HealthLink, Optum Care Network, P3 Health Partners, Pahrump Cardiology and PGIA. Rounding out the list of vendors were Preventive Diagnostic Center, Red Rock Pest Control, Spring Mountain Medical, United Healthcare, US Energy Windows, Veterans Assistance Angels, Walmart and Wow Dental Studios.

Anyone who might be disappointed if they missed out on the Over 50 Festival this month can mark their calendars for March of next year, when the event will make its return during the Senior Expo Series 2022.

The next Over 50 Festival for Pahrump is set for Friday, March 25, 2022 at the Pahrump Nugget Events Center. Aetna will bring the event back to the valley at the end of next year as well, with another Over 50 Festival scheduled for Friday, Dec. 2, also at the Nugget Events Center.

For more information on the Over 50 festivals visit www.50Fest.org

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com