Summerlin news briefs

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Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 | midnight

Learn about club at Friendship Day

Men and women are invited to learn more about the Summerlin Lions Club at a Lions Friendship Day at 10 a.m. Sept. 20 at the Durango Hills Community Center, 3521 N. Durango Dr.

After registration and a short presentation, pizza and salad will be served. The event is free and is limited to 50 participants.

Summerlin Lions Club recently celebrated its 10th year of community service. For more information, visit www.summerlinlv.lionwap.org

Forum includes candidate debate

The Sun City Summerlin Residents' Forum is hosting its biannual political debate at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Desert Vista Community Center, 10360 Sun City Blvd.

This political debate will be open to all Republican and Democratic candidates for State Assembly Districts 2 and 4, as well as State Senate District 6.

Each candidate will have a few minutes to make an opening statement, followed by a debate session involving all the candidates and a question-and-answer session with the audience.

The event is open to all residents of Sun City Summerlin and their guests. For more information, call Beers at 242-2682.

Institute receives building donation

The Nevada Cancer Institute received a $20 million donation from the Engelstad Family Foundation on Sept. 13 to help fund the cancer research building under construction on the institute's Summerlin campus.

The building will be named the Ralph and Betty Engelstad Cancer Research Building. This is the second major donation from the foundation.

The research building will be 183,378 square feet dedicated exclusively to research, housing 36 laboratories on three floors for investigators and their teams, as well as a core lab to support clinical research and expand basic and translational research.

Home sales, prices down in the valley

Home sales in the valley took their first downturn in 2008 in August but remained relatively strong as the price of existing homes continued downward, the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors reported.

New and existing home sales in the Summerlin area dropped last month from July as the median price remained the same, according to statistics from the Realtors' association. The Summerlin area had 294 new and existing homes sold in August at a median price of $270,000, compared to 322 homes sold in July. The median price is down from $330,000 on 146 homes sold in January.

Bank-owned properties continue to drag down the prices and accounted for about two-thirds of all homes and condos sold valleywide in August, association President Patty Kelley said in a statement.

In Southern Nevada, sales were down 1.8 percent from July, after seventh consecutive months of increased home sales.

The number of homes sold last month increased 93.4 percent from August of 2007. The median price of a single-family home sold in the Las Vegas area decreased by 4.5 percent from $220,000 in July to $210,000 in August. That's down 30 percent from August 2007.

It's not clear if the local housing market has hit the bottom, but Kelley said history shows these prices won't last forever. And the number of available homes declined 3 percent in August. That inventory of homes is down 6.7 percent from last August.

"What we do know is that, once we sell off this inventory of homes in or nearing foreclosure, home prices will begin to increase," she said.

Festival geared toward animal lovers

Pet lovers of all ages will come together at Summerlin Center Community Park for the second annual Family Fur & Fun Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 11.

The park is at 1800 S. Town Center Drive between Charleston Boulevard and Sahara Avenue.

The free event will be hosted by the Nevada SPCA, a no-kill animal sanctuary. The Fur & Fun Festival is designed to educate visitors about the importance of spaying and neutering pets, as well as the importance of microchipping and pet tags.

Copies of the Nevada SPCA's humane education DVD and corresponding workbook will also be distributed at the event.

The festival will also include food, live music, dog-training tips and advice on how to properly care for rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs.

Pets are welcome, but it is advised that guests do not bring pets who are stressed by large crowds. Leashes will be required at all times.

For more information about the Family, Fur & Fun Festival visit www.familyfurandfun.com.

Picnic will benefit rescue group

The fourth annual Bichon Picnic is set to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Gardens Park near the Las Vegas Beltway and Town Center Drive in Summerlin.

The picnic benefits Small Paws Rescue, a nonprofit Bichon and Bichon-mix dog rescue group.

To RSVP or for more information, contact Bob Eilers at 256-8880.

Golf tourney raises money for troops

TPC Summerlin Golf Course will host Birdies for the Brave, a golf tournament benefiting members of the military and their families, on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.

The tournament starts at noon and will be followed by a dinner and auction event at 5:30 p.m.

The event is in conjunction with the PGA's National Military Outreach Program, which hosts events at 23 other TPC golf courses nationwide.

Birdies for the Brave was founded in 2005 by professional golfer Phil Mickelson and his wife, Amy, as a means to raise money for military members who were wounded in combat.

Since its inception, the program has raised approximately $2.5 million. Last year's Birdies for the Brave event at TPC Summerlin generated $52,000.

Proceeds from the event will also be distributed to the following charities — Home For Our Troops, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Naval Special Warfare Foundation, Operation Homefront, Intrepid Fallen Heroes and the Wounded Warrior Project.

TPC Summerlin is located at 1700 Village Center Circle near the intersection of Summerlin Parkway and Town Center Drive.

The entry fee is $300 per individual and $1,000 per foursome. Dinner reservations with no golfing are $75 per person.

Call Nicole Tassone at 256-2000 to make reservations.

Pug-O-Rama hits Summerlin for seventh year

The Southern Nevada Pug Rescue, a nonprofit organization, will host its seventh annual Pug-O-Rama Picnic from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 26 at Hills Park in Summerlin. The Halloween-themed event will feature costume contests, prizes, raffles and a silent auction.

Pug owners are encouraged to dress up their Pugs, pack a picnic and enjoy a few hours socializing with other Pug parents. Pug-O-Rama Picnic tickets are available now for $10 per person, $7 for children ages 6-12, and children 5 and under are free. Check or money order should be made out to SNPR and sent to P.O. Box 20875, Las Vegas, NV 89112, along with your name, number of guests and contact number. Tickets will be sold at the door for $15.

Walk can save animals' lives

For the eighth year in a row, Heaven Can Wait Sanctuary is inviting pet owners and lovers to walk a mile in an effort to save the lives of more than 32,000 pets put down in local shelters each year. This year's Lose-a-Pound With Your Hound begins at 9 a.m. Oct. 19 at Bunker Family Park at Tenaya Way and Alexander Road.

All funds raised from the event will provide help for homeless cats and dogs in the community, as well as support for the numerous programs HCWS offers.