Nevada
Northern Nevada businesses and organizations find traffic through van and RV travelers
Imagine a ranch with roaming alpacas. And then, off to the side, parked vans and RVs. It’s a sight you might not expect to see on a farm. But for Stacey Payne, this has become a part of her business.
At Olde LYFE Alpacas, people can stay overnight in trailers, vans, tents and more. She rents land on L. Davis Ranch in Washoe Valley, where her chickens, goats, llamas and alpacas live, surrounded by barns and large grazing areas.
Travelers stay overnight on her ranch in two different ways. Payne has a link on her website which allows people to book a parking or camping spot on the ranch. But she’s also signed up for services that do the booking process for her. She’s a host on several websites, including Harvest Hosts.
“I look at every single thing that could possibly draw people here. And people love that they get to have free ranging alpacas around them,” Payne said.
Payne signed up with these companies because she wants traffic for her agritourism business. In addition to renting out spaces, she also sells yarn and animals. She travels to New Mexico, Arizona, California and other states to shear animals as well.
But with Harvest Hosts, she doesn’t get any income from the booking itself. When travelers book the camping spot on Harvest Hosts, they’re encouraged to spend $30 on products or services from the host. For Payne, this means selling beanies, alpaca wool and felted soaps. People can also walk and feed the alpacas for a fee.
“It really comes down to a lot of different revenue streams. You’ve got to have guests coming. You got to have sales going on, of either animals or product, in order to combat downtimes, like right now, winter. Very few people are traveling this area in their RVs,” she said.
Other farms around her use Airbnb, but she doesn’t have the means to do that, she said. By hosting campers on the property, she offers something new for the mainly retirees and families that come to visit.
“I think that there’s a huge draw to not staying in a Walmart parking lot. And not staying along the side of the road somewhere or not staying where there’s a bunch of people,” she said.
While hosts can sign up for free, RV users and other travelers pay a fee. Those who sign up with Harvest Hosts pay a $99 yearly membership.
Mary Dierker is one of those members. She and her husband, along with their dog, have used the service for three years.
“So say, we’re in between places and we just need a place where we can park and have some of the local feel of that area. It’s a helpful tool for when you’re traveling long distance,” she said.
Her favorite part is meeting new people on her travels, Dierker said.
“It’s not so much the location for me. It’s those random, wonderful conversations that when you travel, you get to have with another. And the likelihood of you ever seeing them again is slim, but they’re the most engaging,” she said.
Her favorite location is a whiskey distillery out in Wyoming. And as a retired small-business owner, she likes that people get exposed to these local businesses, she said.
“It’s encouraging travelers who so easily get on interstates and blow by unique small communities that have a lot to offer us,” Dierker said.
Many of the businesses and organizations that signed up with these types of companies saw the opportunity to attract more people.
One of them is Gold Hill Hotel, located right next to Virginia City. Tony and Jill Clough own the oldest hotel in Nevada. They’ve operated the business for three years. The weekends between May and October are their busiest, Tony Clough said.
“Going up into Virginia City is difficult from where we are here. Typically, the RV route would be taking the truck route, which runs around the other way. So if we weren’t a part of Harvest Hosts, that would be a whole group of folks we’d probably never see here at the Gold Hill,” Clough said.
But there’s many more choices than just hotels and ranches. Distilleries, breweries, golf courses, historical sites and even churches are among the locations listed.
One of those churches is the North Valleys Church of the Nazarene. Senior Pastor Pam Plaisted enjoys hearing about other people’s travels. Instead of the recommended $30 purchase, travelers have the chance to leave a donation with the church.
“I feel like it helps the church and gets our name out there. I don’t preach at them per se, but I give them the opportunity, obviously. And I always ask them, ‘Can I pray with you? Is there something I can pray for with you or for you,’ ” she said.
The church typically hosts a majority of female travelers, Plaisted said.
“And I’m like, ‘Aren’t you afraid? You know, you’re out there on your own.’ They’re like, ‘Well, you know, gotta be smart.’ It’s one of the reasons that women will come to our place in particular, is they feel that they’re safe here,” she said.
As for the members themselves, the majority are 55 or older and retired, said Ali Lindsey, senior business development manager for Harvest Hosts. Typically, summers are the busiest season.
“Those special occasions like the solar eclipse are always busier. I think it is beneficial in the way that it drives revenue to those small businesses,” Lindsey said.
KUNR’s Ember Braun is a student at the Reynolds School of Journalism.
Nevada
45 from Nevada deploying to help in Hurricane Helene aftermath
About 45 Southern Nevadans are headed to assist with recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Nevada Task Force-1 is one of 28 Federal Emergency Management Administration teams that have been activated to assist efforts in the storm area. The team left Las Vegas about noon Friday.
At least 40 people were killed overnight after Helene came ashore late Thursday east of Tallahassee, Florida, and ripped through several states.
“Currently they have been assigned to report to Atlanta, but this can change,” Clark County Deputy Fire Chief Billy Samuels said in an email. “The anticipated travel time is approximately 30 hours. Typically, these missions are for 14 days, but can be shorter or longer depending upon the need of the communities and the incident.”
The capabilities of the team consists of search, recovery, rescue, heavy rigging, water operations, rescue K-9s, intelligence gathering and whatever else the community needs, Samuels said.
Team members come from the Clark County Fire Department, Las Vegas Fire Department, North Las Vegas Fire Department, Boulder City Fire Department, and Henderson Fire Department, but the team also includes private civilians.
Contact Marvin Clemons at mclemons@reviewjournal.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Nevada
Southern Nevada team heading to Atlanta for hurricane response
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Friday, Nevada Task Force One was notified of possible deployment to assist in Hurricane Helene.
Program Manager Kenyon Leavitt received an alert notification around 3 a.m. Around 8 a.m., it was upgraded to a Type III activation. According to Clark County, that consists of 45 personnel.
NV-TF1 is one of 28 FEMA teams. It includes personnel from the Clark County Fire Department, Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, North Las Vegas Fire Department, Boulder City Fire Department, Henderson Fire Department, and private civilians.
The county says they are headed to Atlanta. It will take the team about 30 hours to travel and the mission could last for 14 days.
The capabilities of this team consist of: Search, Recovery, Rescue, Heavy Rigging, Water Operations, Rescue K’9s, Intelligence Gathering, etc., and whatever else the community needs.
“We would like to thank all the supporting members on helping get this team out the door,” Clark County says. “We will periodically update Southern Nevada with how their efforts are going.”
Southern Nevada’s Red Cross team is also deploying two volunteers to Hurricane Helene.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
Nevada
In August, Nevada sportsbooks generated $25 million in sports betting revenue, a YoY increase
On Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Commission reported $25 million in sports betting revenue. That was a notable year-over-year increase for operators in the state. Compared to their numbers from August 2023, the revenue was up 38.2%. That comfortably outpaced a 5.8% rise in the handle to $455.8 million.
Revenue was down 3% from their figures in July despite a 21.3% upswing in their betting handle. In August, the $4.86 billion handle was down 3.9% compared to their figures in the first eight months of 2023. However, the $289.9 million is up 15.5%. Their 6.4% hold in 2024 is over one percentage point higher. Nevada’s year-to-date totals for state taxes are $19.6 million, roughly $2.6 million ahead of their pace last year.
Where did Nevada sportsbooks see the most wagers in August?
August has Week 0 of college football, NFL pre-season, MLB, and other various sporting events to bet on. While it’s not as busy as the fall, Nevada still saw increased revenue last month. Operators collected more than $8.7 million in revenue in August from football. That was a 72.9% increase from their figures in 2023. Additionally, Nevada’s $84.6 million handle was up 62.2% last year. That also beat their previous record of $72.3 million in August 2019.
The “catch-all” category took a jump in revenue for August 2024. This includes golf, tennis, soccer, boxing, MMA, and auto racing. Nevada sportsbooks collected $7.6 million in revenue, a 64% YoY increase. Their betting handle from the “catch-all” category in August was $112.3 million.
This helped Nevada sportsbooks offset a negative shift in baseball wagering last month. Their revenue for baseball in August was 1.8% higher at $9.7 million. However, the betting action from April – August has decreased compared to 2023. Nevada’s $1.14 billion handle in that fourth-month span is down 15.4% YoY. Their $$61.5 million in revenue is also 10% lower.
How did mobile sportsbooks fare in Nevada?
Despite $14.8 million in revenue from mobile sportsbooks in August, Nevada’s 4.7% hold on $313 million worth of wagers is their lowest in 2024. Digital wagering accounted for 61.4% of the total revenue. That is on pace to be the highest percentage since the NCGB first published those figures in 2020. Retail sportsbooks had a 7.1% win rate in August, enough for $10.2 million in wagers from $142.8 million in wagers.
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