Desert Messenger

BREAKFAST ALL DAY! SOFT SERVE ICE CREAM! Chicken Quesadilla Quail Burger Arizona Omelet Crepes Arizona Burger Refried Potatoes ~ Free Wi-Fi ~ Ask About our Delicious Desserts! August 12, 2020 www.DesertMessenger.com 3 Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com /DesertMessengerNews Follow on Twitter @DesertMessenger @QuartzsiteRain MOUNTAIN QUAIL C AFE Open 7am - 7pm 7 DAYS/ WEEK 928-927-8890 & Gift Shop 500 N. Moon Mt. Ave., Quartzsite (corner of Moon Mt. & Quail Trail) B-10, Main St. Moon Mountain X Quail Trail N Hwy. 95, N. Central • DAILY SPECIALS • Friday FISH Special • Sunday POT ROAST Enjoy our Famous Bread Pudding ! We're Open Every Day! The Big Tent show plans for 2021 - with changes Organizers of the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show, an annual event taking place each January in the small town of Quartzsite in the southwestern Mohave Desert, are looking ahead to the next round of their legendary RV consum- er event – now the nation's largest – despite the challenges presented by 2020's Covid-19 out- break, according to Kenny King, founder and co- promoter. "Our Quartzsite event, as with all such large gatherings across the U.S., is navigating uncer- tain waters in this topsy-turvy world of the Coro- navirus," said King, who's last show in January was the largest on record, drawing an estimated 150,000 RVers to the remote venue made equal- ly famous over the years for its massive open-air fl ea market for rock, gem, mineral and fossil col- lectors. "With things looking like they're going to get better one day only to then start opening up the economy -- probably prematurely and ob- viously in a piecemeal fashion in most southern states -- and then people just lost their minds and went back to their business-as-usual mode for the most part. And here we are back to square one and even worse in some areas." One of the things that the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show has going in its favor is the fact that it's one of the few areas out west that have not seen the kinds of escalating Covid-19 cases being reported throughout much of the country, added King. "Things aren't quite so upbeat virus-wise 125 miles east of Quartzsite in Phoenix in Maricopa County where more than 110,000 confi rmed vi- rus cases have been reported versus 463 in La Paz County, where Quartzsite is situated," he said. "That's hardly a blip on the radar screen anywhere else." Another thing the show has going for it, said King, is a marked growth in attendance by a younger demographic, judging by last January's record crowd. Looking ahead, King says he's been in commu- nication with Quartzsite's town manager, who will make the fi nal decision on the show being held in 2021, with an eye toward following the guidelines set out by the State of Arizona. "After laying out our new safety procedures and preparedness for the 2021 show that includes mandatory facial coverings, wider aisles with one-way-only traffi c, protective barriers between exhibits and multiple hand-sanitizing stations throughout the show grounds, we were given a provisional green light to proceed as planned for 2021 with the understanding that guidelines may change in the next six months," noted King, who has some contingency plans in place in case any major and/or more stringent requirements emerge in Arizona's policies and procedures. "It was recently mentioned in the national me- dia that we may actually see a viable vaccine made available to the public before year's end," added Kimmy King, Kenny's daughter and show co-promoter, "and we can only pray that this happens sooner than later. Based on the infor- mation we have currently, we are planning to move forward with our plans for Quartzsite 2021 until someone tells us otherwise." In the meantime, the Kings say they'll stay in close contact with "the powers that be" in Quartzsite, La Paz County and the State of Arizo- na to ensure a safe event for the attending public as well as the hundreds of exhibitors who have traditionally shown their wares at the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show, now the corner- stone of Quartzsite's annual January gathering and a key contributor to the local economy. At the same time, they say they're confi dent in sug- gesting that the RVing public start making plans to attend the 38th Annual Quartzsite Sports, Va- cation & RV Show, an event now set for Jan. 16- 24, 2021, billed as "the largest gathering of RVs and RVers on earth." For exhibitor updates and other information, including dates and times, photos, maps, direc- tions and much more, contact the www.quartz- sitervshow.com website or call (714) 377-7940. NEW SUMMER HOURS: 7AM-2PM Mon-Thurs We're still serving your favorite dinners Friday, Saturday, & Sunday : 7AM-7PM B ARB I' S PL AC E 380 E. Main St. Quartzsite 928-322-2862 Call, Text, or Visit our Facebook Page OPEN TUESDAYS Only 12-4pm CALL IN ORDERS ENCOURAGED! Homemade Bread - Lots of Parking TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY TUESDAY

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