The Pahrump Wild West Extravaganza and Bluegrass Festival has come a long way since its inception more than 13 years ago when the inaugural event was known as the “Hoedown.”
The three-day event is scheduled for May 1-3 at Petrack Park.
The extravaganza is best described as a showcase for the old wild American West with western re-enactors performing gunfights and sharpshooting.
Native American and mountain men artifacts will also be on display.
Committee member Paula Elefante said this year’s event will feature a 20-mule team, which will travel along Highway 160 on Saturday at the kick-off parade.
“It starts at 9:30 a.m. on (Highway) 160 between (Highway) 372 and Basin Road,” she said. “The highway will be closed down at 7 a.m. for the 20-mule team to get set up because they extend more than 170 feet. To my knowledge, we haven’t had them in Pahrump before.”
Additionally, attendees can see historic recreations and a Civil War weapons display, featuring an authentic Gatling gun.
Committee member Janisse Ager said the Pahrump Nugget parking lot will play host to the wagon train until the mules arrive on Saturday.
“It’s just a wonderful sight to see,” she said of the 20-mule team. “They are just so massive and beautiful. The entire team is 170 feet long with the two wagons attached. We plan on parking the wagons where you can see them from the street, but the mules will be in Death Valley until Saturday morning around 7.”
Elefante noted that once the parade portion of the event is concluded, the park will come alive with all kinds of events for everyone to enjoy.
“We’ll have lots of different vendors and lots of games for children,” she said. “The gold seekers will be there for people who want to pan for gold.”
Along with the old western boomtown façade at the park, the event also hosts a melodrama and square dancers.
Elefante said among the different attractions at the park, there will be a competition that’s exclusively for men, called the “crazy legs” contest, where the men will roll up their pant legs and essentially show off their crazy legs.
Elefante also mentioned another contest where some of the competitors want to settle a score from last year’s outhouse race.
Without getting into specifics on how the race works, she said it’s best to actually just witness the contest.
“There’s a grudge match going on this year with the outhouse race,” she said. “It’s between a couple of guys with the arena committee and the county commissioners. Last year, it was Dan Schinhofen, Butch Borasky and Frank Carbone. There’s also a lot of other games for kids planned by the local 4-H Club.”
Elefante said anyone interested in participating in the parade needs to be aware of the entry rules.
“It’s going to be predominately a non-motorized parade,” she said. “The gunfighters will have a truck hauling their stagecoach and we agreed to let pre-1930 classic cars to enter.”
For additional information on becoming a vendor or a parade entrant, call Paula Elefante at 775-209-3444.
The late Bob Baker is considered the pioneer of the Wild West Extravaganza. Baker, who lived in Pahrump, died in 2011, but many in town say they are still inspired by Baker’s hard work and love for the community.