Pioneer Trail fundraiser, celebration on Saturday

Friday, Aug. 23, 2002 | 9:13 a.m.

Organizers of the Pioneer Trail will hold a fundraiser and celebration of local pioneers 11 a.m. Saturday at the Moulin Rouge, 900 W. Bonanza Road.

The "Pioneers Make A Difference" event will recognize citizens who have made an impact on the community and who helped establish the six-mile Pioneer Trail from Las Vegas Springs Preserve on Valley View Boulevard to the Mormon Fort on Las Vegas Boulevard.

The event also is being used to seek tax-deductible donations of $25 to $100 for the West Las Vegas Pioneers Inc. to help promote the trail that, when marked, will feature more than 30 historical sites through the heart of old Las Vegas.

Recently Pioneer Trail organizers, including the Regional Transportation Commission, Clark County and the City of Las Vegas, received a $537,000 grant from the Bureau of Land Management to begin work on the cultural trail.

However, that money can be used only to repair and install sidewalks, erect trail banners and install engraved stone and metal signs at the various landmarks that include the old Binion ranch house on Bonanza Road, the McWilliams Town Site and Lorenzi Park.

Money for promotional work and other non-construction needs has to be raised privately, said Sarann Knight-Preddy, a West Las Vegas Pioneer Inc. executive director and one-time owner of the Moulin Rouge, one of the Pioneer Trail landmarks.

Donations can be made to the West Las Vegas Pioneers Inc., 2200 Matheson St., North Las Vegas, NV 89030.