Mountain’s Edge to host Candlelighters 5K race/walk

Discovery Days at Mountain's Edge will kick off today with the 2008 Candlelighters 5K and One Mile Race for Our Kids Because Kids Can't Fight Cancer Alone. The race, walk and stroll, now in its 18th year, benefits Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada. Food, refreshments, awards, children activities, shirts, prizes and drawings will be provided for those who participate in the event held at the 3,500-acre master-planned community's Exploration Park.

The 5K race begins at 7:30 a.m. and the one-mile stroll begins at 7:45 a.m. Late registrants still can participate in the race by registering in person at Exploration Park on race day at Mountain's Edge.

"The Candlelighters 5K and One Mile Race for Our Kids event is one of the most popular ones we have here at Mountain's Edge," said Deonna Stocker, manager of the Home Search Café. "It's wonderful to see so many people come out and support an organization that does such important work on behalf of children and families affected by childhood cancer right here in our community."

More than 1,200 families in Southern Nevada directly benefit from the services Candlelighters provides and the 5K race and one mile walkathon will help the organization raise funds. Those interested in finding out more about the event or donating to the charity, can call the Candelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada office at 737-1919, or visit candlelightersnv.org.

Mountain's Edge sponsors two 5K events per year, one benefiting Candlelighters and the other benefiting the American Heart Association. In addition to the events on behalf of these organizations, the community is an active participant in other community outreach endeavors.

"Mountain's Edge is an active community partner and our residents enjoy events and activities where they can be outside and spend time with family and friends, while also making new friends," Stocker said. "The Candlelighters race is a great example of our community spirit in action, and it also kicks off Discovery Days, which is a month-long sales promotion with a slate of events sprinkled throughout that provides plenty of opportunities to find a new home while having fun."

Later in September, Discovery Days continues with the 2008 Mountain's Edge Cactus Cup, a three-day mountain bike stage race and festival that will be held Sept. 19 to 21. The race will benefit the Animal Foundation and HERA Women's Cancer Foundation.

On Oct. 11, the American Heart Association's Heart Walk returns to Mountain's Edge, where the event will wrap up Discovery Days with the goal of raising $500,000 to benefit the organization. Last year, the event there were more than 3,200 participants and raised more than $350,000 for the organization's efforts to battle cardiovascular disease.

Funds raised by the Las Vegas Start! Heart Walk support heart and stroke research as well as public and professional education programs. Throughout the years, research funded by the American Heart Association has helped in important discoveries such as CPR, life-extending drugs, pacemakers, bypass surgery and surgical techniques to repair heart defects.

Most of the Discovery Days events will be held at Exploration Park, an 80-acre park. Focus Property Group, master planner of Mountain's Edge, looked to create an Old West Village in the park. The building facades of the western theme park's main street were inspired by the Old West, and built at a child's perspective. Behind the facades, but still visible to those supervising their children, are climbing structures, slides and other equipment where children can play safely.

Exploration Peak is the city's first mountain park, with several trails that lead up to the top of 2,846-foot Exploration Peak. The series of hiking trails were designed for people of all ages, and include ramadas at two different stages to serve as a shady rest area for hikers and walkers.

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 in 2007. In 2006, the community ranked as the No. 2 master plan in the nation.

Mountain's Edge is planned for four elementary schools, two middle schools and a high school.

The community is scheduled to have a fire station, shopping centers, restaurants and commercial office space.

Builders with actively selling subdivisions are: Amstar Homes, Avante Homes, Beazer Homes, D.R. Horton, Engle Homes, KB Home, Kimball Hill Homes, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Pardee Homes, Phillips Homes, Pulte Homes, R/S Development, Ryland Homes, Toll Brothers, Warmington Homes Nevada and Woodside Homes.

For more information on Focus Property Group, visit focuspropertygroup.com

Those looking to learn more about events at Mountain's Edge, the parks and recreation amenities, and homes in the community through the builders participating in the master planned community, 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 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily, and the phone number is 898-5777.