Pahrump’s Movies in the Park given the go-ahead

It’s been more than two months since the last community gathering was held in Pahrump and though certain restrictions are still in place regarding the number of people allowed to congregate in public or private settings, the town is now readying for the first large-scale public event since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada, its annual Movies in the Park.

As with any and all public interactions in recent months, social distancing will be key to the success of Movies in the Park.

The town of Pahrump’s Buildings and Grounds department is hard at work preparing for that necessity, with Nye County Information Officer Arnold Knightly explaining that plans call for a series of painted circles on the field at Ian Deutch Memorial Park today, to help ensure that attendees and their families are at least 6 feet from one another during the film showings.

The Movies in the Park contract was approved by the Nye County Commission, sitting as the governing body for the town of Pahrump, during its May 19 meeting. The contract is with Entertainment Concepts, with a not-to-exceed price tag of $15,000. Entertainment Concepts will set up a 21 foot by 30 foot inflatable screen and projector so attendees can spread out around the venue, the ball field at Ian Deutch Memorial Park.

At the May 19 meeting, certain commissioners expressed their desire to see the event go ahead, despite the fact that COVID-19 is still plaguing the state and many restrictions from the governor have not been lifted.

As of May 26, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the state is moving into phase 2 of its reopening with guidelines that dictate gatherings should be limited to 50 people or less.

Information provided with the May 19 agenda item detailed that this will be the 13th Annual Movies in the Park event. The showings are completely free of charge, offering a series of family-oriented evenings throughout the summer months.

“The program has been a huge success and we are happy to see that it is growing in popularity, with attendance reaching over 500 citizens at a showing,” the agenda information read.

There will be 10 film presentations in total, each costing the town $700, excluding licensing fees for right to use each movie. All expenses related to the event will be covered by the town’s room tax fund.

The schedule runs from tomorrow, May 30, to Saturday, August 8 and includes many highly popular motion pictures, almost all of which were released less than one year ago.

The lineup for Movies in the Park begins with “Toy Story 4” on May 30, followed by “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” on June 6, “Frozen II” on June 13, “A Dog’s Journey” on June 20 and “Playing with Fire” on June 27. Movies in the Park will skip Saturday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day and continue on July 11 with “Abominable”, followed by “Pets 2” on July 18, the latest version of “The Lion King” on July 25 and “Small Foot” on August 1. Movies in the Park will conclude on August 8 with the most recently released film to be featured at the event, “Sonic the Hedgehog”.

All movies will start at 8:15 p.m. just as darkness envelopes the valley. Residents are invited to bring along their own snacks, chairs, blankets and drinks but are reminded that barbecues and fires will not be permitted.

Social distancing will be enforced and attendees are asked to cooperate with these requirements so the entire community can enjoy Movies in the Park safely.

For more information contact the town of Pahrump at 775-727-5107.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com