Woman realizes dream of opening dinner theater

When Toni Jackson started playing music with her children 15 years ago, she dreamed of one day opening a dinner theater to showcase their talents.

On June 29, she let her son cut the ribbon, and she watched as the doors opened for the second time.

Jackson, 48, is the leader of the family band, Mama’s Wranglers. Not surprisingly, most people just call her Mama.

“It’s really like a dream come true,” she said. “Every day we pinch ourselves.”

Four of her six children, who are ages 15-25, join her on stage every night. The band plays classic country hits at their new permanent home, Firelight Barn Dinner Theater, located at 133 S. Water St. in Henderson.

Originally from Utah, the family moved to the valley in 2007 to be centrally located between residency gigs in Southern California and Phoenix.

They wear matching cowboy costumes and pluck on mandolins, banjos and guitars. A couple of the Wranglers even show off their clogging skills on stage as the band plays.

They also belt out four-part harmonies.

They were recently awarded the Nevada Champion of Small Business award sponsored by SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) and Sam’s Club in the 2016 American Small Business Championship.

The Jackson family plays all the classic country western songs you would expect, such as “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash. But they also spice things up with a few surprises, including AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”

As a single mother, Jackson has taken the band on the road for much of its career. She said the Wranglers have played in every state except Hawaii. They have also performed in Canada, Mexico and Spain. In 2014, Jackson said the band notched 350 out-of-state shows.

Jackson’s son, Grayden, said a family band was never the master plan.

“It just kind of happened,” Grayden Jackson said, who plays the guitar.

To allow for travel, all of the children were homeschooled. The youngest, 15-year-old Skyler, is still taking classes at home. Her brother, Grayden, said she’s several grades ahead of her peers.

“I love it much more than public school,” Skyler Jackson said.

The older children who were interested were also able to take college courses online to stay on the road with the band.

“It’s great that modern technology has afforded them that opportunity,” Toni Jackson said.

But constant travel is exhausting, so Toni Jackson wanted to open up a permanent operation close to home.

“We were tired of being out on the road so much,” she said.

The Jackson family opened the first Firelight Barn in Henderson in 2015. It was a cozy, 900-squarefoot space that fit about 30 people and didn’t have a stage.

“We call it our starter home,” Toni Jackson said.

“It gave us the opportunity to start out small,” she added.

The Jacksons knew they needed a larger space, so they moved to the new location. The site, which looks nothing like a barn right now, is about four times the size of the old spot.

The family officially moved into the space and has been playing shows since May, but they held off on the grand re-opening until late June to spruce up the interior.

They recently installed wood-look vinyl flooring and brought in large wooden spool tables to try and give the venue a barn feel. The walls are decorated with Western art on consignment from next-door City Lights Art Gallery.

Grayden Jackson said they plan to paint the outside of the building red with white trim to contribute to the Western feel.

Toni Jackson said the Firelight name is supposed to bring about warm, comfortable feelings of sitting around a campfire.

The family serves catered barbecue from Fox Smokehouse BBQ in Boulder City at the theater. Regular priced performance tickets cost $15, with meals an additional $13 per plate. The family is running a discounted ticket special through July. Those who are interested should call the theater at 702-518-7464.

The band has several different shows, and they are always reinventing old ones to keep people coming back.

The venue also occasionally hosts The Jack Saturday Band and church events. Though the Jackson family are part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, they rent out their space to religious groups on a case-by-case basis.

Most of the people who attend Wranglers shows are elderly, clapping along to their favorite hits.

“It’s hard to find good, family-oriented shows in this town,” said Arngard DuPuis, who attended the show. “It’s spectacular.”

If nothing else, the Mama’s Wranglers show is wholesome.

Toni Jackson thinks that the new venue will not only please locals, but bring tourists from all over to her show, and her family seem like they’re in it for the long haul.

“I’ll do this the rest of my life if I can,” Grayden Jackson said.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Find@BlakeApgarLV on Twitter.