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Rodeo fans won't have to travel to Las Vegas to see a Professional Bull Riders Rodeo this year, as Pahrump will host a PBR Enterprise Rent-a-Car tour stop in the town's own McCullough Arena May 3.

Steven Lee, promoter for the event, told the town board at its Feb. 12 meeting the event was expected to bring between 3,500 to 4,000 people in town, enough to have to set up portable grandstands.

"We're trying to turn it into more of a community event instead of a Silver State rodeo event," Lee explained. "This type of event can and will generate a lot of revenue for Pahrump."

And having Pahrump chosen as a host town wasn't easy according to Lee.

"We had to do a lot of fast talking and I had to call in a lot of favors to get them to come here," Lee said. "In the past there was some controversy and PBR has said they wouldn't come to Pahrump."

As such, Lee called the event in May "kind of a testing ground" and urged the board to support it.

"I think we all should feel privileged to have them here, just because what they can do for this town," Lee said. "It could put Pahrump back on the map for rodeo."

"This show is not to replace the Fall Festival, nor do we want to compete with the Fall Festival," Lee added.

He said the Fall Festival Committee would be invited to have a banner in the arena at no cost just to advertise the event.

Lee then asked the board to keep the arena's schedule in May for possible future PBR events.

The board passed a formal motion stating its preference that the arena advisory board keep the first three weekends of May clear for potential future PBR events.

Paula Glidden, chairman of the Pahrump Tourism Advisory Board, also advocated for the event.

"The tourism board was approached with this item and it has given its full support," Glidden said. "The dollar recognition from that is so enormous that it should supersede local events even if it does seem to be stepping on people's toes a little bit."

"As a caveat to that, I would say the PBR is beyond the scope of anything Pahrump could've ever dreamed about, and now all of a sudden we have that opportunity, so I just hope the arena board will take that into consideration," she added.