By CATHERINE ELLERTON
Moapa Valley Progress
Nestled within the Clark County Fairgrounds, next to the Fine Arts Building is a beautifully kept garden that invites fairgoers to come and take a spell while enjoying the beauty of the desert.
This garden was begun years ago by former Logandale resident, Curtis Waite. Waite organized the Moapa Valley Gardeners Association and served as Clark County Fair Horticulture Division
Superintendent for many years. He designed, obtained community support for and built this garden. It is dedicated to his love of educating others and encouraging them to garden.
The garden has been maintained by community volunteers for many years since. The Cooperative Extension Office took over management of the Garden until about four years ago (2015). At that time, a handful of volunteers took over the garden fulltime. Some of these volunteers are horticulturists. But many just love gardening.
Star Nursery of Las Vegas personnel and the personable Dr. Q have stepped up and helped. Local Boy Scouts have also lent a hand at maintaining the walkways. The Parks and Recreation Services and Clark County Fair Organization help in the maintenance of the garden at the request of the volunteers.
The fairgoer is invited to come and experience the beauty contained within. From a rose garden to a cactus garden, the viewer is greeted by the sights and fragrances as they sit listening to the fountain or wander along the pathways past the garden pool. There is a pomegranate tree, a bottle brush tree and a lemon tree as well as a variety of palm trees to satisfy the viewer’s curiosity of what can be grown in the desert.
The Las Vegas Master Gardeners will be guiding tours through the garden during this year’s Fair and answering questions about the best gardening ideas for this area.
