Special to the PVT A benefit concert featuring the bands pictured here will be at 7:30 p.m., May 31 at the Skate Zone. Above is "Serene" an alternative rock group from Las Vegas. Special to the PVT Rappers "Dac 'N Cali" are from Pahrump. Special to the PVT "The Iscariot Syndrome" is from Pahrump. Advertisement

A benefit concert geared for the younger generation is on tap for May 31 at the Skate Zone.

Again, the amount of talent in Pahrump is amazing. It just keeps coming.

Of the three bands, two are local.

Dac 'n Cali with Deal 'n Records perform "clean" rap. The duo will take the stage with their own pre-recorded back-up and do the vocals live.

Iscariot Syndrome is also local and performs Christian rock -- hard rock.

Serene is from Las Vegas and their style is alternative rock.

With 1000 tickets for sale, staging this concert became a problem of numbers. None of the public places, including the casinos, has a maximum capacity of over 400. The Skate Zone is approved by the fire marshal to hold 1200 people. It has been leased for this event and for that many people, there will be security.

Because of the economic situation, this concert will be the last big push for Ashley Ditoto, the Nye County director for the Cinderella Girls, to raise enough money to get her 13 girls into the competition for the organization's scholarship program.

The girls, under Ditoto's tutelage, work all year holding various fundraiser events, securing donations and selling See's Candy and Marie Callendar pies to raise enough money to pay for room and board during the competitions.

Ditoto said, "We hold car washes, five so far. Some of them have been announced and some are just spur-of-the-moment. If it's a nice weekend, we make calls to the girls and just go."

The Cinderella Girls sell See's Candy as well and while the candy sales have been good, the local 4-H has started selling the chocolate bars as well. "We used to be the only ones selling it (See's Candy) but the 4-H realized how much people like it and now we have competition. Our sales have fallen off," said Ditoto. Places of business let the girls put boxes of candy bars close to a register or reception desk and become retail outlets for the girls by collecting the money and turning it in to Ditoto when the box is empty.

One of the efforts by the girls, their parents and Ditoto is to seek donations from local businesses. "We used to get a lot of donations from local businesses but we're being told that they can't afford it." She added, "We've been turned down by everyone we've approached but All Star Real Estate and Salacious Salon."

The organization held a benefit pancake breakfast sponsored by the Moose Lodge and most recently, a craft fair at the Bob Ruud Community Center. "We had a lot of vendors, but not a lot of shoppers," said Ditoto. "Maybe our timing was off."

Wal-Mart has been supportive and helpful to the girls, allowing them to sell candy outside the doors on weekends. The retailer has also promised to fight for a grant to be awarded to the Cinderella Girls once they have a nonprofit designation. Ditoto has applied for the 501(c)(3) status but said the process takes anywhere from six to eight months to complete. "We're at five-and-a-half months right now," she said. "Wal-Mart awards a small grant once a year to a school or church or other nonprofit organization but we have to get the designation first. Hopefully it will be done soon." Until the Cinderella Girls can be a nonprofit, they have to charge sales tax on anything they sell.

One thing Ditoto is passionate about is her personal involvement with her girls and getting them involved in the community. They have taken part in collecting essentials for the troops in Iraq, worked with seniors, participated in food drives and they all gathered to pick up trash on Pahrump Clean-up Day.

"We get on the bandwagon of everyone who is sponsoring something and help out. It's important the girls learn a sense of civic responsibility in the community," she said. The apple didn't fall too far from the tree -- one of Ditoto's uncles is Gary Hollis.

Each of the older girls participating in the competition must have $1,200 by mid-June to pay for the week-long event in Las Vegas. The babies only need $250. The total tab for all 13 participants is $17,000. They can use all the help they can get.

This concert is really pushing the deadline for the competition in Las Vegas.

The event will be held at 7:30 p.m., May 31 at the Skate Zone on Calvada Boulevard. Ticket prices are $13 in advance and $15 at the door. Advance tickets may be purchased at Seemoore's Too or the Skate Zone.

For more information, call 751-2932.