Pahrump USO Benefit Show fills Saddle West, supports veterans
The Saddle West Showroom was full for the Silver Tappers’ spring USO show, which backed American Legion Post #22 and the VFW food bank. Prior years raised $9,000.
The Saddle West Showroom was full for both performances of the Nevada Silver Tappers’ annual USO Benefit Show, a spring run that paired stage production with direct support for Pahrump veterans. Held May 23 and May 24, the show carried a New York City theme, A Tribute to the Big Apple, and still drew a packed crowd after the event shifted out of its usual fall slot.
That calendar change was deliberate. The group moved the USO Benefit Show to May for the first time because the old fall timing left too little time to prepare for the Christmas Benefit Show that follows later in the year. Kim Cornell-Lyle produced and directed the show, while Ione DeSantis shared choreography duties, keeping the production in the hands of the same longtime team that has guided the Silver Tappers for years.
The cast also underscored the show’s staying power. B.J. Hetrick-Irwin, the founder and matriarch of the Nevada Silver Tappers and Ms. Senior Golden Years USA, still took part in performances despite being nearly 101 years old. Sharon Crisp and Willy Jones were among the performers on stage, adding to a program built around glitz, movement and an audience that keeps returning for the familiar faces as much as the patriotic theme.
The 2026 beneficiaries were American Legion Post #22 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #10054 Veterans Food Bank. That continues a long record of local fundraising tied to the same organization: the 2024 USO Benefit Show raised $8,000 for Southern Nye County Search and Rescue and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #10054 Veterans’ Food Bank, the 2023 show raised $9,000 for Disabled American Veterans Chapter #15 and the local veterans’ food bank, and the 2018 Christmas Benefit Show brought in $4,400 for Meals on Wheels and the veterans’ pantry.
The numbers show why the event still matters in Pahrump. What began as a community performance has become a dependable fundraising pipeline for veteran aid, food support and other local services, with the show’s appeal resting on the same formula year after year: familiar performers, a packed room at Saddle West and money that stays in Nye County.
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