The StageStop Lounge and Casino isn't scheduling a band this weekend. Starting today, the property is being overrun with members of the Old Pickers 'n' Grinners Society of America (OPGSA), and they will be around all weekend.

Every Labor Day weekend, the OPGSA members come from all over the US to play music in a designated location. Schoffstall said the music is not to be missed. "All of these people are professionals -- most of them have recorded with some big names.

Bob Schoffstall and Chuck Ross, a couple of local musicians and founding members of the OPGSA, have organized the yearly gathering, once again, to be held here. "We haven't hosted the yearly gathering in Pahrump since 1999," Schoffstall said. "The last time we held it at the VFW."

As the membership has grown, the need for a larger space and a 24-hour time frame has become necessary. "We picked the StageStop because it's open 24 hours a day," Schoffstall said. "Depending on how many of the members show up, we may be practicing and playing all night long."

"They're not the big names; they're the ones who make the big names sound good."

It's a good thing there is a large parking area for the property. A lot of the members show up in RVs, and will be parking on site, gathering under awnings and breaking out the grills.

The roster for the organization is 73 members deep, seven of them are locals, but they, too, will have to register themselves and their instruments in order to take part in the band scramble.

The locals, and the members coming from out of town, will gather at the StageStop at 10 a.m. today to register and have their names added to containers labeled with the instruments they play. By 2 p.m. Saturday, names will be drawn; one from each can, to form a scramble band. The process is repeated until all the names are partnered into bands.

The bands have until 7 p.m. to work on music before they take the stage and perform.

Schoffstall said the musicians will be everywhere; on the stage, outside, under awnings. "There will be something happening all day long."

The OPGSA doesn't advertise. Schoffstall said they have tried it in past locations, and the gathering drew so much attention, members couldn't get in to the parking lot or the building.

There is no admission, not for the musicians and not for the public. The event is totally free.

For more information, call 727-7300. More information on the OPGSA can be found at www.acetipton.net.