The one constant that stands out among
Las Vegans who spend their recreational time seeking bargains at garage sales, swap meets (flea markets), and attending a
variety of festivals, is our year-round great weather. For a change of pace from mall
shopping, come the weekends, our city is overrun by garage-yard-group sales. Many are
advertised in the daily newspaper, but you can also get into your car and just ride in any
direction to see the signs directing you to a sale. I am a garage sale follower, and since
Las Vegas is a big transient town, there are many top quality bargains to be found.
Generally, I look for certain
merchandise. On occasion I go just out of curiosity to see what’s out there.
I’ve bought kitchen utensils, cassette tapes, clothes, a book or two, and a friend of
mine even purchased a computer that actually worked for $25.
Las Vegas has a few outdoor swap
meets with the Broadacres Swap Meet, located on Pecos Road and N. Las Vegas Blvd,
considered the most worthwhile of the group. There is a mixture of old and new
merchandise, many well prepared ethnic foods and drink, and clean rest stations. It’s
open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all year, and extra days around the Christmas season. On
hand are fresh fruit and vegetable stands at fair prices. You can spend a whole day there
and probably not see it all. I suggest you arrive early, like before 8 a.m. (you can have
breakfast there) for the best bargains before they’re gone.
Las Vegas also offers indoor swap
meets with the Fantastic Swap Meet located on South Decatur, considered the best with lots
of new merchandise at bargain prices. Jewelry, toys, cosmetics and perfumes, clothing,
works of art by outstanding artists and many nice places to eat and drink are among the
spots to visit.
Las Vegas, like any major
metropolitan area, is comprised of a varied ethnic heritage. With all these diverse
groups, we get to see and enjoy their yearly festivals that display their cultural arts,
customs, dress, dances, and especially the great traditional food. We have almost 40
ethnic/cultural organizations, and all of them have their own heritage festivals and
celebrations.
Space does not allow us to give
full details of all the festivals, so I’m only able to highlight a few. If you wish
information on a group not included here, you can write to me care of this publication.NATIVE
AMERICAN HERITAGE: Native Americans are the indigenous people of this region. The tribes
that dominate Nevada’s Native American history are the Northern & Southern
Paiutes, the Washoe, the Goshute and the Shoshone. Their master skills and creativity in
areas of sandpainting, jewelry making, leather crafts, and woodcarvings are available
throughout the state. During the month of May, the Paiutes usually have their Snow
Mountain Pow Wow featuring plain and fancy dancing, arts and crafts, and authentic Native
American Food. |
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HISPANIC HERITAGE: In 1540, 80 years before the Pilgrims
landed at Plymouth Rock, Hispanic explorers laid claim to what became the American West.
Las Vegas was discovered in 1829 by an 18-year old scout traveling with a Mexican trader
in search of a shortcut to Los Angeles. Hispanics were involved in many of the early
industries of this region including the mining of gold, silver, copper, and borax. The
largest portion of the Hispanic community is of Mexican decent, but also consists of
peoples from Puerto Rico, Cuba, El Salvador, Columbia, Guatemala, Panama, Brazil, Peru,
Venezuela, and Argentina to name a few. Las Vegas has many fine Hispanic restaurants, and
the Rafael Rivera Community Center is often the site of many cultural Latin events. Among
the festivals celebrated are Cinco de Mayo, the Puerto Rican Festival, Mexican
Independence Day, Las Posadas, Navidad & Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos.EUROPEAN
HERITAGE: Europeans made their appearances in Southern Nevada as early as the 16th
century. People of European background make up the largest portion of the population in
modern Southern Nevada. Descendants from Spain, Russia, Italy, England, Ireland, France,
Germany, Greece, Norway, Holland, Romania, Austria and Poland are just a few of those
represented. Many European-Americans celebrate their cultures in local festivals such as
the Italian-American San Gennaro Festival, Greek Food Festival, Basque Festival, St.
Patrick’s Parade, and Octoberfest. Other festivals and celebrations include Jewish
Hanukkah and Purim, the Americans of African ancestry - Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, Easter
Egg Hunt, Mardi Gras Galore, Children’s Festival, and at least 50 more.
Probably the "GRAND-DADDY" of all the festivals is the INTERNATIONAL FOOD
FESTIVAL with food and drinks from all over the world. This is a definite DO NOT MISS
FUNCTION. It is usually held in May at Cashman Field.
Next month we will discuss
cultural arts, events and exhibits. LVN |
