LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Saddle up!
It's time to celebrate the city's western history.
The Helldorado Days Parade will make its way through the streets of downtown Las Vegas this Saturday.
The parade dates back to the 1930s. A star from the Pawn Stars show and a Clark County historian, Mark Hall-Patton says despite its western theme, it was not started because of western history in Las Vegas because he says, there is not much of that, but rather a celebration.
"It was to bring in people from outside of the community," Hall-Patton said. "Have a big celebration here and have it be a reason to come to Las Vegas."
He says the name comes from a similar western festival that was happening in the western town of Tombstone, Arizona.
There's footage that dates back to the 1950s showing how big the parade got in downtown Las Vegas. After it started in 1935, it got bigger to the point where Strip resorts were involved.
"The properties had their floats in the parades and they were so over the top," he said.
Hall-Patton says every year, it got more popular.
"It was there to bring people to town, to make money," he said. "Before there was Cashman Field, it was a Helldorado Village."
Helldorado even had it's own traditions.
"If your were a man and you were living in town and it was Helldorado Days, you had to have a beard," he said. "Everybody got into it, it was a fun time."
But he says as Las Vegas got bigger over the years, the parade got smaller.
"By 1997, that was the last year that it happened, basically kind of forgotten," he said.
In 2005, the City of Las Vegas brought it back to celebrate the city turning 100 years old.
"That is why it came back to have a community celebration," he said.
Organizations from all over the Las Vegas valley and beyond get involved. He says it's now a way for people living in Las Vegas to celebrate the community.
"It is a way of being part of the community, and see that there is a community here," he said.
Channel 13 is broadcasting the parade live.
We'll bring you the floats, the cowboys, cowgirls, marching bands and more!
KTNV's Tricia Kean will be hosting the parade alongside Las Vegas Morning Blend's JJ Snyder from 10 a.m. to noon.
