James Selman
The Lincoln County High School Marching Band heads down Main Street in Pioche during the annual Labor Day parade on Monday.
By Collin Anderson
This past weekend, the people of Lincoln County joined together to celebrate Labor Day in Pioche. The event was attended by hundreds of people from outside of our community as well as locals. Between the 10K, the parades, the softball tournament, and the many other activities, much fun was had. The festivities began on Friday with the first games of the softball tournament. The softball event was a great success, with TGK (The Tail-Gate Krew) winning the lower bracket while the Frontier Grill team won the upper bracket.
Saturday night played host to a variety of activities, including the chalk art contest. Winners of the contest in the adult category were Rachel Wadsworth in the first place and Evelyn Ernst in second place. In the teen category, Gabbi Hernandez, Abigail Frehner, and Regan Shane took first, second, and third places, respectively. In the children’s category, Gareth Frehner came in first, Gunnar Blinn was second, and Eden Ernst, third.
In the evening, a street dance was put on by the LCHS radio club, and the night ended with the parade. The floats that participated lit up the night sky, with the Overland Hotel/Moments and Milestones’ Scooby-Doo themed float taking first place. Tillies’ Tweety Bird float took second.
On Sunday evening, the whole community was entertained with live music and delicious treats, leading up to the main event for that day: the fireworks display. From heart-shaped explosions to fiery blossoms so wide that they lit up the baseballs fields in Pioche like daytime, it was a magnificent display that left many participants in awe.
The final day of festivities was kick-started on Monday with the 10K fun run, and not long after, the day parade. The streets were lined with excited parade goers as the line of floats rolled down the main street in Pioche, led by the Boy Scouts of Troop 519, bearing the colors of our nation and state proudly.
The LCHS cheerleaders then made their way down the hill, followed by the LCHS band led by Mr. Jacob Lester of Panaca. The Grand Marshal, Ed Wright of Pioche, followed behind them in a beautiful white Cadillac owned and operated by Chuck Adams.
A few more pristine classic cars followed suit, some of which were owned by Bill and Kathy Williams, as well as sponsored by Mike Phillips and the A&B service station. After the cars came the Lincoln County Fair and Rodeo royalty, which included Laci Steele as Queen, Raelee Christian as Princess, and Tegun Sleppy as the Tiny Princess.
The Tillie’s Tweety Bird float was next, followed by the Loving-Care “Party in the Park” float, which was overrun with partying animals, including a Doberman with an electric guitar.
The elusive question of “Scooby-doo, where are you?” was answered by the Overland Hotel/Moments and Milestones’ Scooby-Doo themed float. A Porky Pig-themed float rolled down the street next, complete with Porky and Petunia Pig handing out candy.
The last float to grace the parade was brought to us by the Bank Club, and depicted a hilarious scene from the Wily Coyote and Roadrunner show, with the titular coyote trying to blow up a mine to catch his prey, and inevitably failing in humorous fashion.
The Pioche Fire Department finished up the parade, and after more activities and a taco lunch in the park, Pioche’s Labor Day celebration came to a close. The day parade’s winners were the Porky Pig float, brought to us by By the Wood, Meyer, and Danczy families. The Williams’ classic cars took second place. The Looney Tunes Mine took first place overall.
While the parade and all events were deemed a success, those in charge of the activities want to encourage all the organizations and businesses that gain from the influx of visitors to our community to become more involved in the celebration, so that, together, all might benefit from Pioche’s lively festivities.
