Community plans event

For the thousands who have attended Country in the Park at Mountain's Edge since the event debuted three years ago, one of the highlights of the festival has been the choreographed music and dance performances held in the community's Exploration Park located on Buffalo Drive.

The third annual Country in the Park, which is free and open to the public, will return to the southwestern Las Vegas community May 2 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The outdoor festival will include music and dance performances choreographed by Dreamhawk, the production company behind the past two years' productions.

Live entertainment will commence at 11 a.m. with a performance by the Tony Marques Band, followed Dreamhawk's music and dance production, which starts at noon. The production includes a repeat performance of the Mountain's Edge theme song, "Down Here at Mountain's Edge," followed by two line dances.

The first production will feature three singers and 10 dancers, most of whom can be found in music and entertainment productions on the Las Vegas Strip. As in year's past, the performance will include interaction between the talented performers and event-goers.

"The performers love the interaction with guests, so last year we transformed the production shows also to be an interactive line-dancing class for all the attendees," said Barry Smith, event producer and show director for Dreamhawk.

"We have similar plans for this year to get people at the festival involved in the production, since it makes them truly feel a part of the show and that's a very important part of what we do as performers."

After performances by the Tony Marques Band, there will be a set of two line dances and another production entitled, "Footloose."

After the second production set, the Patty Janura Band will provide entertainment leading up to the event's signature performance -- "The Spirit of the Land."

" 'The Spirit of the Land' was created to be a powerful new addition to the entertainment provided during Country in the Park," Smith said. "The show is a tribute to the history of the Native American culture, and the gifts they bring to enrich this land, and inspire art and dance."

After "The Spirit of the Land" concludes, the Patty Janura Band will play until the end of the day's activities, which will be around 5 p.m.

Smith and his team at Dreamhawk have been preparing for the past three months for their show at the festival this year. The production process begins with conceptualization, followed by music editing and then finally choreography. Once the production company has the concept, music and choreography in place, Smith selects the talent that will execute his vision.

Smith has a long history of producing events in Las Vegas, and the entertainer is particularly involved with Mountain's Edge, having written the master plan's theme song prior to the grand opening of the community's first park.

Other events at the community in which he has participated include the Heart Walk for the American Heart Association and a Mountain's Edge Classic Car event.

"I love the concept of Mountains Edge and its continuous efforts to bring culture and the community together, and I'm very excited about the future of the master-planned community," he said.

"When you have events and entertainment all year long in your own backyard, it's like having your own personal concert and you don't have to leave you neighborhood to have a good time."

In addition to the musical entertainment, the daylong Country in the Park festival includes a bull's eye gallery and a petting zoo. Favorites from past festivals also will include a Western stunt area, pony rides, Western bounce house, udder relay, hip-a-dee-hops relay, rodeo roper, an inflatable mountain and Western slide, mining for gemstones, mechanical bull and a Western obstacle course.

Last year's event drew more than 4,000 visitors, and more is expected for this one, Smith said.

KWNR-FM, 95.5 FM will conduct a live broadcast and give away tickets to several summer country concerts. In addition to the music and entertainment, attendees can enjoy the park's amenities, which include open grassy spaces, volleyball courts, picnic areas and horseshoe pits.

The park's attractions also include trails leading up to the top of Exploration Peak, the city's first mountain park.

Mountain's Edge was certified by Robert Charles Lesser & Co., a leading independent real estate advisory firm, as the No.1 master-planned community in the United States.

When fully developed, the community is planned to have four elementary schools -- two of which are already open -- two middle schools and a high school. The community is planned to have shopping centers, restaurants and commercial office space.

Home builders with actively selling subdivisions at Mountain's Edge include: Amstar Homes, Beazer Homes, Engle Homes, KB Home, Meritage Homes, Pardee Homes, Phillips Homes, Pulte Homes, Ryland Homes, Toll Brothers, Warmington Homes Nevada and Woodside Homes.

Those looking to learn more about Mountain's Edge are invited to visit the development's Home Search Café, located at the community's entrance on Buffalo Drive and Blue Diamond Road, or visit mountainsedge.com. The Café is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, call 898-5777.