Moapa Valley Celebrates Independence Day

By CRAIG HIGGINS

The Progress

At a time of great economic uncertainty and national upheaval, good-natured public events still bring communities together. Such was the case on Independence Day, Monday, July 4, as hundreds of people from Moapa Valley came early to the Fairgrounds for a morning of food, fun, community and unabashed love for country.

A large crowd gathered at the flagpole at the Clark County Fairgrounds as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8336 and its Auxiliary presented a flagraising ceremony.

After the flag was raised, the crowd joined in the Pledge of Allegiance led by VFW Auxiliary member Lorraine O’Dell. Vanette Christensen gave an invocation of prayer to start the festivities. And the entire crowd joined in singing The Star Spangled Banner.

After that, attendees lined up at the south door of the Fine Arts Building to be served a free pancake breakfast by the Moapa Valley Rotary Club. The long line snaked around the inside of the large building and spilled out the door and far down the sidewalk. Many were sporting patriotic t-shirts and baseball caps.

While working their way up the chain, families perused a collection of white t-shirts for sale, each bearing the logo and the theme for this year’s event – “Home Means Moapa Valley”. Only one hour into the swing of things, and all of the small- and medium sizes were sold out, a testament to the excitement generated by local residents finally untethered to cloth masks and social distancing on a holiday.

The line also filed past a raffle table manned by kids wearing headbands decorated with shiny stars.
Next to that sat a trio offering assistance in joining the local VFW post. For a small donation to the organization, event-goers could snag a red poppy on a pin. The blooms represent the “Buddy” Poppy, a variant of the flower registered by the VFW with the US Patent Office in 1924 to honor the sacrifices of fallen American service personnel.

Pay dirt lay at the end of the line – a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage links, pancakes, and syrup. Those who braved the crowd filled their plates and grabbed a seat among round tables covered in red, white, and blue decoration. Families and old friends gathered round, engaging in an excited atmosphere of talk and unrestrained laughter.

According to Rotary President Suzy Bennett about 550 people were served at the breakfast.
“It is an honor for us to serve this community every July 4th and throughout the year,” Bennett said, speaking for the Rotarians. “And we appreciate the freedom we have to assemble this way and be together as a community.” “I am also so thankful for all of the volunteers that showed up to help this morning,” Bennett added. “The best part of our community is that we show up to serve each other.”

Outside on the fairground lawns, a gathering of kids were decorating their bicycles and two-wheeled scooters. They were all awaiting a patriotic bike parade. At the end of the line, one child adjusted her glittery headress while she and her friend in star-spangled glasses preened for a phone picture taken by a nearby parent. Roughly at the midpoint of an abbreviated summer, these children basked in the glow of each other’s company, enjoying the pleasant morning breeze and a chance to display their patriotic pride.

The parade began and a procession of a couple of hundred kids, all decked in patriotic colors, wound their way around the fairgrounds for the adult attendees to enjoy.

The decorations for the bicycles, wagons, scooters and kids were provided by local realtors Lori Houston and Kasen Kolhoss.

A bit later, an epic watermelon eating contest was held. Three different age groups were prepared to eat their way to fame and fortune. At stake for each winner was, not only bragging rights, but also a watermelon all their own as a prize.

The winners in the 0-6 age division were Memphis Adams, Jamison Holland and Diesel Adams. In the 7-13 age group, the top watermelon eater was Grey Martino. Isaac Leavitt slurped down the most melon in the 14+ age division. The contest was hosted by the Clark County Parks and Rec staff.

The Parks and Rec folks also provided a host of water games and activities for the kids. These included slip ‘n slides, water balloon toss games and a sand hill for the younger kids to play.

As the morning drew to a close and the temperatures started to rise, the Moapa Valley Fire District came with their firefighting vehicles for the annual Water Fight. Squeels of delight could be heard on the south end of the lawn as the firefighters opened up their firehoses and water cannon onto the expectant crowd. It was a great way to cool down.

That concluded the morning activities. As The Progress had its press deadline on Monday, coverage of the evening festivities will have to wait until next week’s edition. However, keep an eye on our website at mvprogress.com for some photos of the evening events.