Small turnout for Smiles Across Pahrump

Bringing families out for a day of screen-free, technology-free fun is what Smiles Across Pahrump is all about and this year’s event may have seen a smaller turnout than years past but it was nonetheless a grin-worthy day for those who did attend.

Hosted Sunday, Oct. 5 by the Pahrump Moose Lodge #808 and its Women of the Moose, Smiles Across Pahrump offered a variety of free games and activities for families to enjoy, along with a no-cost lunch and an array of raffle prizes, the biggest of which were new bicycles.

In order to be entered into the raffle, attendees 17 and younger submitted short essays or, for the younger set, drawings depicting what a smile means to them, a tradition that has been continued in honor of the original founder of Smiles Across Pahrump, the late Butch Harper.

Event organizer Chanda Wieland said this year’s Smiles Across Pahrump saw roughly a dozen youngsters and their families.

“For the kids that were there, it was an amazing time. They definitely got a lot of exercise, running around with the balloons and different games, so it definitely benefited the ones who did show up,” Wieland reported. “And everyone ended up with a bike again!”

After the event came to a close, there were a few bicycles left over and this, coupled with the small turnout, has event organizers considering taking a new direction in the future.

“We’re possibly going to think about rebranding this event, because there has been a lot of confusion with the name,” Wieland noted. “People over the years have asked me if Smiles Across Pahrump is a dental thing, where they’re going to get their teeth checked and so on, because of Smile Across America being a dental event. So, we’re going to play with it to see what we’re going to do.

“Either way, it will still be a tribute to Butch Harper,” she was quick to add. “We just have to evaluate things because it’s a lot of work, a lot of money and a lot of man hours. But in my opinion, the dozen kids that were there this year were living their best lives.”

For more information about Smiles Across Pahrump email PahrumpMoose@gmail.com

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com