CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT Pahrump locals enjoyed taking a ride on the mechanical bull at the Pahrump Fall Festival Sept. 29-Oct. 1. They also helped raise money for the Pahrump Boys and Girls Club. Advertisement

The mechanical bull ride out the Pahrump Fall Festival raised $17,000 for the Pahrump Boys and Girls Club, sponsors said.

The fledgling organization also received approximately $6,400 from the proceeds of the deep pit barbecue, donated by the Pahrump Valley Boys and Girls Club. Tickets for the barbecue went for $8 apiece for an adult.

The actual mechanical bull rides raised $4,480, with individual ride tickets priced at $5 apiece, said Lisa Santwer, a spokesperson for the Focus Property Group, who had volunteers working the machine all weekend. The Ritter Charitable Trust donated another $5,520 to make it an even $10,000, she said. John Ritter is the chief executive officer of the Focus Property Group, a company planning to build 5,800 homes in the southeastern Pahrump Valley.

The Focus Property Group itself donated another $5,000. Nye County Assembly District 36 candidate Ed Goedhart donated $1,000, which was then matched by Darrin Badger, a partner in land acquisitions for Focus Property Group.

Santwer said the mechanical bull was one of the options the company thought it could use to contribute to the community during the festival. It fit in well with the Fall Festival rodeo theme, she said.

"We want to become a community partner. This will probably become one of the annual events we do," Santwer said.

Focus Property Group previously donated $25,000 to the Pahrump Boys and Girls Club Capital Campaign, back in April.

Tom Metscher, Pahrump Boys and Girls Club advisory board president, said, "They did a great job raising money and it's going to go substantially toward operations of the club."

Metscher, who is also the Nye County chief juvenile probation officer, said it will cost about $80,000 annually to operate the club.

"The weekend far exceeded our expectations. We're very thankful to the community and the people who came out," Metscher said.

Metscher added the Pahrump Boys and Girls Club advisory board will kick off a Campaign for Kids soon. Groups or individuals can mail in donations to support the boys and girls club. Those donating $150 or more will receive a plaque. The number to call for more information is 751-7022.

In another piece of good news over the weekend, Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo drew a pair of tickets to the National Finals Rodeo in December during a raffle at the mechanical bull ride. DeMeo decided to put them up for a raffle himself for the Nye County cadet's program. The raffle tickets will be priced at $25 apiece; the winner will be announced over Thanksgiving weekend. Anyone who wants to buy tickets may call DeMeo at 209-4683.

It's normally almost impossible to purchase tickets for the National Finals Rodeo, which is totally booked. DeMeo said he didn't know the face value of the tickets but was told a scalper could sell them for $3,000 to $5,000.