Family wins private party with Sam, Summerlin’s jackrabbit mascot

The Kraft family of Summerlin recently enjoyed a private party with Summerlin Sam, the community's jackrabbit mascot, after winning the first Most Memorable Summerlin Sam Moment competition.

The Krafts' winning entry was a photograph and a story, recalling the day their son Cai, who was 14 month old at the time, threw a temper tantrum at a Summerlin event and Sam appeared on the scene to comfort the boy, who stopped his wailing and gave the master-planned community's mascot a big hug.

In the account, Barrie Kraft told of how Cai pitched an epic fit after she told him he could not ride a sled with his big brother during Summerlin's annual Snow Day event held in January.

"Cai immediately stopped crying and his whole countenance changed," Barrie Kraft said, describing what happened the moment Summerlin Sam walked up and greeted the child.

"We spent the entire time playing with this very tall rabbit, and Cai lights up now every time we mention Summerlin Sam."

The family, who moved to Summerlin from New York nearly four years ago, spent the afternoon of June 16 with family and friends enjoying their own free Summerlin Sam party.

It was held at The Willows Community Center and billed as a Summerlin Sam School's Out party.

Cai's older brother Logan, 8, and more than a dozen of the boys' friends and cousins enjoyed a catered hot dog lunch, party games and prizes and, of course, a visit from Summerlin Sam.

"Experiences like this continue to reinforce our decision to live in Summerlin," Kevin Kraft said.

"There is no other community in Las Vegas that is as family friendly as Summerlin. We couldn't imagine living anywhere else."

"Las Vegas has been very good to us in terms of my husband's professional success, and Summerlin has been equally good to our family," Barrie Kraft said.

"We love how our community looks; and we love even more how it lives."

Developed by The Howard Hughes Corp., an affiliate of General Growth Properties Inc., Summerlin began to take shape in 1990.

It is a 22,500-acre master-planned community carved out of raw desert along the western rim of the Las Vegas Valley.

The community is home to more than 95,000 residents with some 7,500 acres remaining to be developed, including the urban core known as Summerlin Centre.

The community is home to more than 100 neighborhood and village parks, more than 150 completed miles of the Summerlin trail system.

It is also home to houses of worship, shopping centers, medical facilities, cultural facilities, business parks and more than 100 floor plans.

For more information on Summerlin or its mascot, Summerlin Sam, and events call 791-4500 or visit summerlin.com.