HELLDORADO ULTIMATUM
May 18, 2007 - 9:00 pm
If the community doesn’t embrace the Helldorado Days Parade this weekend, it could be the last hurrah for this reincarnation of Las Vegas’ past.
With a new evening start time and $75,000 advertising budget, officials are hoping for big crowds this weekend for the downtown historic parade.
In 2005, during the city’s 100-year birthday celebration, the parade was started up again, and about 80,000 people showed up.
But Mayor Oscar Goodman made no attempt to hide his disappointment with last year’s results, which offered sparse crowds and few parade participants.
He said that if this year’s parade didn’t improve, he wouldn’t support its continuation.
“I’m not going to keep throwing good money after bad,” he said.
The Centennial Committee, which is funded largely through the registration of commemorative license plates, approved spending $75,000 for the parade, not including the advertising budget of the same amount.
The city moved the parade to 7 p.m. from the daytime to avoid the hottest times of day and encourage attendance, officials said. About 100 parade entries, including floats, will take part on Saturday.
Included in that are some council members and county commissioners riding horseback, though Goodman chickened out and will ride in a carriage.
Goodman wouldn’t say how many people need to attend for the parade to be considered a success. But co-organizers of the festivities did.
“If we could do 45,000 or 50,000 for that evening, we would be thrilled,” said Duane La Duke, executive director of Helldorado Days, which is sponsored by the local Elks Lodge.
While the city puts on the parade, the Elks Lodge organizes the Western Village and carnival at Cashman Field. All profits go to fund scholarships through the Elks Lodge and the University Medical Center Trauma Center.
Last year’s Western Village was held near the South Coast Casino.
La Duke said the Elks moved it back inside city limits at Goodman’s request.
“This year, it’s all downtown, and that’s where we want to be,” he said.
Saturday’s parade will go down Fourth Street, starting at Gass Avenue and ending at Stewart Avenue. It is expected to last until 9 p.m.