Valley Cruisers of Pahrump car club ceases operations

A popular Pahrump car club is calling it quits after more than two decades.

Organizers of the Valley Cruisers of Pahrump recently made the decision to cease operations after much deliberation.

The club’s coordinator, Lee Cromer, said there were many reasons for the decision, including the age among the current members and inability to attract additional membership.

“We had a meeting in November and we couldn’t get any people to help with the (Over the Hump to Pahrump Show and Shine) and all the behind-the-scenes work involved,” she said. “They eventually voted to shut down the car club as far as it being a charitable organization. Bottom line, there was just too much work and we couldn’t get anybody to volunteer with our events, so they just decided to close the club because of age.”

Cromer said she and her husband decided to join the club more than 12 years ago after inquiring about joining other Southern Nevada car clubs.

The group’s work within the community was the deciding factor.

Among a few of the many fundraisers over the years were the annual Halloween Trunk-or-Treat event and Pahrump Valley High School’s art program, along with Pahrump’s 4-H Club.

“We chose to be members of the Valley Cruisers of Pahrump because of their charitable work,” she said. “We estimate we raised about $5,000 to $6,000 each year for community organizations and town. We also supported the Food for Thought program, Nevada Outreach, Toys for Tots and the Children in Transition program as well as Letters to Santa.”

Though several events were scheduled in early 2017, Cromer said she and other members saw the writing on the wall in late 2016.

At least three individuals have quit their vice president positions in the club recently.

“This year, we had a show scheduled on April 29, but I have already canceled it through the town of Pahrump,” she said. “We are now drafting a goodbye letter to thank all of the people for their work over the years. They include various businesses and organizations within our community. We had 30 couples in the club at the end, but a lot of them stopped coming to our Show and Shine events. They could only do limited work.”

In regard to their personal leisure time, Cromer said she and her husband will spend some time hitting the road by way of their own custom muscle car.

“My husband drives a 1970 El Camino and we had a wonderful time with the Valley Cruisers over the years,” she said. “I think we’ll probably take some road trips to visit family and friends in Las Vegas and California.”

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