Enjoying idyllic 70-degree weather and clear autumnal skies, the annual Fall Festival hosted by the Southern Highlands Community Association proved to be a bountiful day of fun at Goett Family Park. Held on Saturday, Oct. 16, the seasonal celebration featured inflatables, carnival-style games, bounce houses and slides, a rock wall, zip line, raffles, costume contests, plenty of pumpkins, field games, vendor booth trick or treating, music, food, drinks, entertainment, and fun for the whole family.

Attended by hundreds of Southern Highlands families from the surrounding neighborhoods, the free community-focused event also served as a fundraiser to benefit the Southern Highlands Boys & Girls Club – who provide a safe and fun place for kids to grow and thrive through life-enhancing and mentor-ship programs and Andson – who provide financial literacy and academic mentoring programs in the Las Vegas Valley. Through raffle ticket, food and beverage, and pumpkin sales, $11,000 was ultimately raised for the impactful charities.

Creativity was on full display with imaginative costumes spotted throughout the event including favorite characters from television and film, an abundance of superheroes, scary skeletons, fairy princesses, and more. Standout family costumes were eye-catching and included two little hotdogs with their parents, ketchup and mustard, and a multi-generational Nightmare Before Christmas ensemble.

Families enjoyed a number of photo opportunities with festive seasonal backgrounds including a spooky Halloween themed one as well as a fall harvest setting. Not surprisingly, picking out pumpkins was also a fun family favorite this year with residents of all ages inspecting the bounty of pumpkins available.

Throughout the day, live performances from Las Vegas Circus Center and Southern Highland’s Gotta Dance Studio kept event attendees amazed and enthusiastically entertained.

A big thank you to all who attended this year’s Fall Festival with special appreciation for the many volunteers and sponsors.

Having the right school supplies, clothing, and hygiene items can make a big difference for homeless, displaced, and disadvantaged high school students who are currently struggling as they pursue their education. Research shows that students with the appropriate school supplies can improve grades, creativity, attitude towards learning, behavior, and self-image – increasing their chances for success at school.

To help meet the need of Clark County high school students who were preparing for the 2021-2022 school year, Southern Highlands partnered with non-profit Project 150 on a Back-To-School Collection Drive for new school supplies and full-sized hygiene items.

The generosity of the community really shined through as school supplies, hygiene products, personal items and cash donations totaling more than $1,100 were secured and dropped off at either the OMS office or at Perk Up Coffee Shop.

All collected items went to Project 150’s Betty’s Boutique. Eligible high school students were then able to shop for their free items.

With a mission to provide support and services to homeless, displaced, and disadvantaged high school students so they can remain in school, graduate, and build bright futures, Project 150 has been serving Nevada students in need since 2011.

Summer has arrived in Las Vegas and to welcome it, the Southern Highlands Community Association hosted two family-friendly nights of Movies in the Park. For each well attended movie night, Goett Family Park was transformed into an outdoor cinema under the stars. On June 11, families enjoyed the adventurous journey of Moana and on June 25 it was the music-filled action of Trolls World Tour. Residents enjoyed free Popcornopolis popcorn while watching the features on a double-sided LED screen.

There was no shortage of snacks with Perk Up Coffee selling sandwiches and coffee both nights. Wetzel’s Pretzels joined the party on the eleventh, and everyone rushed to beat the heat and enjoyed frozen lemonade.

In honor of Trolls World Tour, a “dress-up” contest was held, where each contestant dressed up as their favorite music genre. The grand prize winner, Ellie, dressed as Princess Poppy and won a $25 Target gift card. Hunter, in second place, wore a Mickey and the Roadster Racers costume, winning a $20 Target gift card. Another Princess Poppy received the third place prize of a $15 Target gift card.

As the summer continues, Southern Highlands looks forward to hosting more events for its residents and neighbors.