36 years ago this month

A large crowd, estimated between 1,200 and 2,000 people, turned out for a "jamboree" sponsored by Las Vegas radio station KRAM and held at the Calvada Inn in Pahrump Valley.

Live western music was provided by Johnny Leggit's group. Free wagon rides and soft drinks along with dancing and picnic parties made up the day. Gusty winds neither deterred nor chased away the crowd.

The Clark County Humane Society is urging Las Vegas to adopt an ordinance similar to that of Los Angeles and provide a low-cost public spay and neuter clinic to control the increasing numbers of unwanted dogs and cats.

"It is an indisputable fact that dogs and cats are reproducing in our community at a tremendous rate. This is causing a considerable expense to the taxpayers for their collection and disposal," said the society's recommendation. A spay and neuter program would eliminate much of this problem.

30 years ago this week

Thirty-six seniors will walk the line as the fifth Pahrump Valley High School graduating class. Gov. O'Callaghan was invited to speak to the class at a state 4-H meeting earlier in the year. The address by O'Callaghan will be significant as it will be one of the last he will give to graduates.

O'Callaghan will leave office in January after serving the state for eight years as Nevada's chief executive.

The Pahrump Lions Club held a spaghetti and wine dinner fundraiser at the Senior Citizens Center. There were 65 members and guests in attendance, and a no-host cocktail party followed the dinner. During the evening the Lions Club held a raffle and reported more than $400 was raised during the party, with all proceeds going toward the purchase of an arched sign for the Pahrump cemetery.

The first scheduled airline service to Nye County since 1950 may be approved by the Nevada Public Service Commission.

A flight by Nevada Airlines is proposed to leave Las Vegas and stop in Tonopah and Hawthorne in route to Reno and return via the same route each day.

Additional "flag stops" at Carson City and Beatty would also be included in the schedule if requested. The versatility of such a service may eventually lead to a stop in Pahrump Valley.

20 years ago this week

GEXA Gold Corp. has located sizeable gold reserves in numerous claims about five miles southeast of Beatty and is expected to start a heap leaching mining operation in the near future.

Employment is expected to be about 25 workers, according to Pete Galli, president of GEXA.

"We anticipate a low number of employees with mining probably done by contract. Mining 2000 to 3000 tons per day for an open pit operation is not very large. We plan to go after the oxide ore which requires a simple treatment," Galli said.

A golf tournament put on by the Pahrump Community Medical Center to raise funds for future building projects was termed "very successful" by PCMC President Bob Erickson, after 63 players competed in the tournament.

A team consisting of Tim Hafen, Dottie Lipsky, Clark Thomas and Tom Armstrong took first place honors in team competition. Hafen and Floyd Medlock tied for first place in the "A" division individual flight. Various prizes and awards were presented in ceremonies following the tournament.

A study on the geology of Yucca Mountain, the proposed site of the nation's first high-level nuclear waste repository, claims the chances of volcanic eruption at the mountain are far greater than previously estimated.

The report, presented last year to the Department of Energy indicates the age of the nearby Lathrop Wells volcano is less than 20,000 years. Previous studies on the volcano, which is about 12 miles from the proposed dump site, indicated it erupted 300,000 years ago.

10 years ago this week

Roughly 500 old-timers attended the inaugural Pioneer Picnic at Petrack Park, and by all indications, each had a great time eating, drinking and talking about the good old days.

The only criteria for attending the event was longevity. Any person who has resided in Pahrump since 1978 or before was invited. Tim Hafen, one of the event's organizers, said the picnic was truly a success, because "everybody had something in common. It was great."

A pair of master-planned, high-density subdivisions in South Pahrump received tentative approval from the Regional Planning Commission, but not before the developers readily agreed to pay or help pay for expensive impact studies and several other unprecedented requirements.

The density of the projects; Palamino Estates, with 676 one-third acre lots and the adjacent Hafen Ranch Estates, with 899 one-third acre lots, raised many concerns.

Controversy continues to surround the issue of Pahrump providing public services to businesses that open on Highway 160 just across the Clark County line, though a few possible solutions may be in the works.

The town board directed Town Manager Mike Cosgrove and Clerk Charlie Gronda to renegotiate an existing memorandum of understanding regarding mutual aid between Clark County and Pahrump. The subject of Nye and Clark counties approving a boundary change which will expand Nye's border will be pursued.

Boundary changes are not uncommon; in fact the last between Nye and Clark occurred 42 years ago.