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November 15, 2009

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County OKs homing pigeon race

Tuesday, July 8, 2003 | 9:58 a.m.

The fourth annual Vegas Classic homing pigeon race will go on as scheduled in November after being unanimously approved by the Clark County Planning Commission.

The 600-pigeon race, which finishes on a strip of desert owned by the airport in a rural residential area near Blue Diamond Road and Arville Street, was approved Thursday night.

Race organizers Ed Sittner and Rick Phalen reached a compromise with a neighbor who had complained about the pigeon loft at the back of Sittner's property in Enterprise Township. A block wall will be erected around the loft, hiding it from view.

The pigeons will race 330 miles on Nov. 17 before landing in the desert area behind the loft.

Racers from across the country, who have shipped their birds to Phalen and Sittner to train for the race, will congregate for the one-day race and wait to see which bird returns first. First place in the race nets a $300,000 prize.

Race organizers had to apply to the Planning Commission for a special use permit to hold the race because county ordinances allow for only 20 pigeons to be kept on a residential property.

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