Mountain’s Edge goes country today at festival

The fourth annual Mountain's Edge's Country in the Park festival to be held today from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will feature country music including Tony Marques and his band.

"I've been with the event since the beginning and it is a great community event at a great park," said Tony Marques, who performs annually at the event each spring. "I've seen this event grow over the years, constantly adding more attendees, vendors and activities for kids making it a great day to be outside with friends and family."

The fourth annual Country in the Park, an outdoor country music festival, is free, open to the public and to be held at Exploration Park located on Buffalo Drive just south of Blue Diamond.

Marques performs on the Las Vegas Strip at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill at Harrah's Las Vegas Hotel, as well as Gilley's Las Vegas located inside Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. According to Marques, the opportunity to entertain fellow members of his community is something he greatly enjoys.

"I'm very fortunate to be able to play a lot around the Strip, but I like to stay connected with the community where I live," Marques said. "I have lived in Las Vegas for 26 years and I appreciate events like these that are for the community and residents of our city."

While his focus is on country music, Marques and his band will play music from a variety of artists outside of the genre. He also will play some of his own original music. Marques currently is working on new music with a songwriter out of Nashville and his new CD will be ready in July. Fans can follow Marques on his website at tonymarques.com or on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Marques will be playing at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill May 8 and 9 and May 19–23 at 9 p.m., and at Gilley's Las Vegas May 13–15 at 9 p.m.

Other entertainment include The Patty Janura Band, line dancing and a Western review, "Sweetwater Saloon," a musical story about Lucy and Cletus who gather audience members to put on an old-fashioned hoedown.

KWNR New Country 95.5 FM will broadcast live from the event and attendees will have the chance to win tickets and giveaways including concert tickets for Joe Nichols and Patty Loveless, rodeo tickets to Helldorado and Western Regional Finals Rodeo at South Point and movie passes.

In addition to the musical entertainment, the daylong Country in the Park festival features activities including a bull's-eye gallery, petting zoo, Western stunt area, pony rides, mining for gemstones, Western bounce house and udder relay, hip-a-dee hops relay, rodeo roper, the inflatable mountain and western slide and mechanical bull.

Food and drinks will be available for sale. All activities are free except the petting zoo, pony rides and mechanical bull. The fees charged for these activities will benefit the Spread the Word Nevada: Kids to Kids, an organization that helps connect children with books and reading.

Amenities offered 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. The 80 acres of Exploration Park include volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, picnic areas and an amphitheater for concerts.

Exploration Park is a Western theme park that blends the natural elements of community's natural geography and history. The Old West Village features dirt streets that line the town square leading to play areas, including an area featuring covered wagon play structures and a replica water tower splash park that incorporate sprays.

A series of paseos have been built to wind through Mountain's Edge, connecting residents and their neighborhoods with the community's park and recreation areas. The trails integrate the existing desert landscape into paths that are designed to be easily navigable for people of all ages.

Builders within the master plan include: Amstar Homes, Beazer Homes, Camden Homes, Discovery Homes, Harmony Homes, KB Home, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Pardee Homes, Pulte Homes, Richmond American Homes, Ryland Homes and Storybook Homes. For more information on Focus Property Group visit focuspropertygroup.com

Those looking to learn more about the homes offered within Mountain's Edge or the events planned throughout the year are invited to visit the Home Search Café, located at the community's entrance on Buffalo and Blue Diamond, or visit mountainsedge.com. The Café is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and can be reached at 898-5777.