September 2018 | Jeff Howard's Las Vegas Area Real Estate blog

The Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings NV – The oldest (and possibly the coolest) bar in Clark County

There is this incredible saloon about 30 miles south of the 215 just off the I-15 it’s the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings. Exit right when you get to the Terrible’s Hotel & Casino (formerly the Gold Strike) then drive up the hill toward the setting sun and veer right at the fork in the road. Moments later you’ll find the Pioneer Saloon; a place that is a throwback to the days of yesteryear – it’s the location of gunfights and ghost sightings, movie shoots, and video games. I first discovered the place in 2012, when I went for a glider ride in Jean for my birthday (another thing I recommend). The pilot asked us if we had ever been there and said it was a “must see”. He told us it was the oldest continuously operating bar in Clark County… who could resist that. So, when we landed, we headed west towards Sandy Valley.

What a wonderful discovery! The Pioneer Saloon was built in 1913 by local businessman George Fayle. It was formed out of stamped tin from the Sears Roebuck Company—and looks like something out of a ghost town or Western flick with its false front and porch of well-worn boards. The brass rail at the foot of the bar and the potbelly iron stove are both original. If you look beside the stove, you’ll see a few old bullet holes, the result of a long-ago fight over cheating at cards. The Pioneer is known for having wet many a thirsty miner’s whistle. The Pioneer may be the nation’s oldest stamped-metal building still standing.

The legend of Clark Gable and Carol Lombard is part of the Pioneer’s history. In 1942, Lombard was flying back to Los Angeles after a tour selling war bonds and her plane crashed into nearby Mount Potosi. As a team struggled to recover her body from the isolated crash site, Lombard’s husband, Clark Gable, waited at the bar in Goodsprings, drunk and inconsolable. Some people say they feel the two Hollywood stars presence there.

The saloon has been featured on TV shows such as Ghost Adventures and made it the site of meet-ups for fans of the paranormal. The Pioneer possesses other movie screen connections as well. It was featured in The Mexican, Miss Congeniality 2, and Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke, as well as a scene from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas that got cut out of the movie. It has also manifested as the “Prospector Saloon” in the video game Fallout: New Vegas.

Now in its second century, the Pioneer Saloon remains a beloved watering hole for both locals and visitors from around the world. It’s a popular spot for motorcycle riders as well as star gazers who appreciate the dearth of artificial light. The bar now offers a menu of sandwiches and burgers (try the ghost burger) as well as breakfast. Entertainment is provided by a jukebox, karaoke, and live bands, but the atmosphere of the Pioneer Saloon is certainly enough. I won’t recount all the fun I have had there, but suffice it to say, there have been many memorable moments for my friends & I; including the time we were joined by someone in a random chicken suit, (for no apparent reason)!

Check out the Goodsprings General Store – it’s next to the Pioneer Saloon. At one time it was the Goodsprings Cafe that served many hungry miners three meals a day. Today it still feeds the locals of Goodsprings, not as a cafe, but it supplies all of the staple foods, like milk, butter, eggs, cheese, meats, and much more. It also has a full line of gourmet foods and chocolates, as well as grilling supplies and a full range of souvenirs.

For information about the Pioneer Saloon go to http://www.pioneersaloon.info. It’s an eclectic place that you will want to take friends to.

Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you have a need for commercial / industrial / retail space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

Hooray it’s Fall in the Las Vegas Valley- Go Outside and have fun

The fall season is probably the best season weather-wise in Southern Nevada. The master-planned community of Summerlin offers more than 230 parks and 150 miles of hiking, walking and bike trails for residents to enjoy.

Many of the parks offer sports fields. There are basketball, tennis and volleyball courts; baseball, football and soccer fields plus swimming pools. For the kids in your life, there are many playground areas. Golfers are offered 9 golf courses to play on – most of these courses are public.

The parks are sprinkled throughout the villages of Summerlin that sits on over 22,500-acres of land. Most Summerlin neighborhoods also have small pocket parks that contribute to the Summerlin park system. For more information about each park click on this link –http://link.summerlin.com/park.

As of 2018, the Summerlin Trail System is more than 150 miles long and connects local neighborhoods to various amenities throughout the community. The system includes five types of planned trails: street-side, village, bike, regional, and natural.

Upon completion, the trail system will be more than 200 miles long and will connect to more than 2,000 miles of regional trails, making it one of the most comprehensive and efficient trail systems in the southwestern United States.

In 2008, Summerlin along with the Howard Hughes Corp. received the American Trails Developer Award, which is given to developers in recognition of “quality, well designed multi-use trails systems that are integrated into private developments.”

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, adjacent to Summerlin offers 26 hiking trails ranging in difficulty from easy to strenuous. The canyon is also suitable for bouldering and rock climbing and has an overnight camp site.

So grab your family and take them for a picnic in one of the many beautiful parks or take a trail and hike or bike – the exercise is good for you.

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

You Can Transform Your Home by Adding More Natural Light

We live in an area of the country where Mother Nature provides us with sunny days most of the year. Why not take advantage of the beautiful natural night right outside your home and get some window dressings that let the light in.

Natural light can give parts of your home new life – brightening dark rooms, revitalizing the interior of your home and even giving you a happier mood.

Here are some tips on how to “Let the Sunshine In.”

When you walk into your home look for areas that can use more light. Access where your natural light comes from – windows, glass doors, skylights. You might have large pieces of furniture or very big plants blocking some of the natural light coming into your home- you can easily remedy that by just a little rearrangement of furniture.

Check your window treatments. Do you have dark shades or heavy curtains; they will certainly block natural sunlight from getting into your home. You might consider replacing these with lighter materials and colors that can better let natural light into darker rooms. Letting in more natural light can transform your kitchen, bedroom and even your bathroom into more interesting spaces.

If you have dark walls you might consider getting your paint brush out and paint the walls a lighter more reflective color that can brighten up your rooms with more daylight. The lighter color walls can provide a design contrast with your darker furniture and gives your space a lighter look.

Why not replace solid wood entry doors and other doors in your home with glass doors. This is a great way to let light travel from room to room. You can still use frosted or tinted glass that provides privacy yet still lets natural light in.

Look at your ceiling in the kitchen area – is it begging for a skylight? A new skylight will show off your counter-tops and the skylight can become a conversation starter centerpiece of your kitchen as lit adds all day direct sunlight to that area and other nearby spots in your home. Skylights come in three types – fixed, ventilating and tubular. A skylight professional can help you decide the best type and size of skylight will be best in your home.

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

Coming soon – Summerlin Festival for the Arts

Get ready for the outdoor Festival of the Arts in Downtown Summerlin and its Free!! The weekend event will be held October 13 and 14 between the hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the lawn at Downtown Summerlin.

The festival is not just an art festival; it also features music, entertainment and food. If you have not been, the area is very walkable and the weather should be incredible- as you know October is one of the best months in the Las Vegas valley.

At this point (and I’m sure more will be added) there will be 100 creative fine artists displaying artwork for sale. There will be an area for children’s activities as well as an area for entertainment and music. And of course the restaurants of Downtown Summerlin will be offering delicious food to keep you fueled for all the activities.

There will be products for sale like artisan food products, basketry, batik, clay and ceramics, drawings, glass, gourds, jewelry, leather crafts, metal, photography, printmaking, sculpture and much more in the Consumer & Carnivals, Gifts & Handicrafts industries.

I’m sure more information will be available as we get closer to the weekend of the festival so I will likely be following up this blog with another to keep you apprised.

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

I Stay Positive Most of the Time… However

I really hate seeing litter and cigarette butts all over the streets of Las Vegas (and other places it doesn’t belong)!

I don’t understand why some people feel it’s OK to litter! Why can’t they throw their garbage and cigarette butts in a trash container when outside. Do they treat their own homes that way – leaving trash wherever it drops? It’s disgusting! Oh, and if you say something to them (and I do) then you are the jerk, not them…

Come on – we live in a community and you are annoying the heck out of your neighbors when you have a cigarette and throw it out the window of your car or stomp it out on the ground and let it blow in the wind and wind up in someone else’s yard (or worse). Clean up your own mess – get an ash tray that has a cover.

I want to show off many areas of Las Vegas when people come to visit and there is nothing worse to go to let’s say Downtown Summerlin and see cigarette butts all over the street. There are plenty of trash containers in Downtown Summerlin. Think of it as a little exercise – bend down pick up your butt and walk it to the proper receptacle – you might feel good about having some pride in where you live.

Plus you are setting a good example for the next generation (I don’t mean smoking) by picking up any litter you happen to see. It shows pride and thoughtfulness and a good lesson for everyone to learn.

I had a friend years ago tell me the reason that he litters is “to create jobs”; then someone must get paid to pick it up. That’s just crazy talk as far as I’m concerned.

We are all responsible for keeping this planet beautiful – just do your part & pick up after yourself. I know it’s easier to throw it out the window, butt (pun intended) have a little bit of class… please… and if you see some trash on the ground – pick that up too.

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

Great Local Theatre in Las Vegas

theatre

This is the first of my monthly blogs about the wonderful local theatre scene in Las Vegas. Most Las Vegans are aware of the many the productions on the “Strip”, however many are not aware of the great amateur productions (the shows are so good that you will think that professionals are running the show) in our non-stop city.

If you know me, you know I love live theatre – I love to attend and I love to perform (see me in Pirates of Penzance at the Super Summer Theatre’s Spring Mountain Ranch thru September 22nd)

Looking ahead to October there is a must see play at the Cockroach Theatre that has its residency at the Art Square Theatre at 1025 South First Street in the Arts District. The play is The Dog/The Cat.

The Dog/The Cat is a comedy; actually two comedies. Alex and Albert have decided to get a divorce and wouldn’t it be great if they could see their break-up through the eyes of their Dog and rap-star Cat.

The Dog –It could be called Two Men, One Woman, a Park and a Dog – and everyone knows that nothing breaks the ice like a cute dog. This funny play paints a not-so-flattering portrait of the tricky line between friendship and romance, and of the insatiable appetite of Jack Russell terriers for the most disgusting things they can find.

The Cat– Owning a cat is not easy. Co-owning a cat with your ex is less easy. Co-owning a smart-talking, irritable, meddling cat with your ex is comedy.

Need a laugh? Well look no further. You should come and see these two charming and funny plays.

The show’s premiere is Thursday October 25 and it runs through Sunday November 11. For tickets and more information visit: http://www.cockroachtheatre.com

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff

Did Al Davis Way replace Dean Martin Drive?

Have you seen all the construction on the new Raiders stadium on Russell Road? It looks like they are working round the clock for the stadium to be ready for the 2020 football season and the team’s move to Las Vegas.

Plus Al Davis is getting a street named after him – the address of the stadium will be 3333 Al Davis Way. The original address was 5617 Dean Martin Drive – and no Dean Martin Drive is not going away. There is a small road that notches into the northeast corner of the lot which didn’t have a name. It was simply a connector road between Aldebaran Avenue and Dean Martin Drive. That connector road is now Al Davis way.

Al Davis, of course, was the Managing General Partner of the Raiders for nearly 50 years. He was an NFL pioneer and was the face of the Raiders as well as its voice and keeper of the Raider mystique. The stadium should absolutely be located on a street bearing his name.

Here is a bit of history of the soon to be Las Vegas Raiders. The team was established on January 30, 1960; 58 years ago and played their first season in 1960 in Oakland at the Alameda County Coliseum and stayed in Oakland through 1981. At that time the team moved to Los Angeles in 1982 and stayed there until 1994 when they moved back to Oakland. In 2020 they are expected to open the season in their new stadium here in Las Vegas.

The team’s first three years of operation was a little shaky with poor on-field performance, financial difficulties, and spotty attendance. In 1963 things started turning around with the introduction of head coach (and eventual owner) Al Davis. In 1967 the Raiders reached the postseason for the first time. The team would go on to win its first and only AFL Championship that year. Al Davis owned the team from 1972 until his death in 2011. Control of the franchise was then given to Al’s son Mark Davis.

In the years between 1967 and now the Raiders won 3 Super Bowls – 1976, 1980 and 1983. On March 27, 2017, NFL team owners voted nearly unanimously to approve the Raiders’ application to relocate from Oakland to Las Vegas, Nevada, in a 31-to-1 vote at the annual league meetings in Phoenix, Arizona. The Raiders plan to remain in Oakland through 2018 – and possibly 2019 – and relocate to Las Vegas in either 2019 or 2020, depending on the completion of the team’s planned new stadium.

Choose to have an amazing day….Jeff