SEMA Kickoff Party – Downtown Las Vegas

Every year our SEMA Kickoff party gets bigger and bigger.  We brought so many people downtown to 3rd and Ogden this past Monday, we almost ran out of room for our private car show.  Not sure if our lovely neighbors at the Downtown Grand are too thrilled with us this week.  Hopefully some of y’all played table games and ate a little food over at their place while you were visiting Hogs 😉

We’ll be packed the remainder of the week with crowds from the SEMA Show.  Vegas also plays host to the NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals starting today, so one can expect a different crowd of speed junkies to make their way into the saloon over the weekend.  This time of the year is always slamming for us.  If you’ve never experienced a packed house at Hogs & Heifers, now is the time to get down here and throw a few back with our world famous bartenders.

We have so many people to thank for helping us pull off our largest SEMA party yet…  Shannon Vanderaa from Freaks of Nature organized a car show that had over 20 rides on display out in front of the saloon.  World famous artist Mickey Harris was the leader behind our live art show.  Money raised from the show goes to charity, more on this below!  And Bob Hase of the Mini Truck Hall of Fame brought together another awesome induction ceremony.  All of these events together combined for a threesome of action one can only find in a place like Vegas!

Can we get a little appreciation for the companies behind this event?!  Createx Colors, Sata Gear, Iwata, Coast Airbrush, House of Kolor, Badger Air-Brush, Art Circus, and Tank Built were the groups who came together to help throw this fiesta and organize our live art show.  And what was this art show you ask?

Did any of you get to mingle with Ann Laufenburger?  She’s a long time friend of the saloon who represents the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation.  All proceeds raised from the art created during our kickoff party will benefit this foundation.  To date, Hogs & Heifers has helped raise over a half a million dollars for Nevada Childhood Cancer…  WOWWW!!!

Leather Headquarters, Russ Brown, and Klock Works are year long sponsors of our saloon that were also behind our SEMA kickoff event.  We could not host the big parties we do without support from businesses like this.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  If you would like to read more about the people behind our live art show, and fundraiser for Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation, you can find more info below after the highlight photos.

That about wraps up the writing portion of our #HogsLife blog…  Now shut up, get a drink, and enjoy some highlights! Ohhh, and if you begin to wonder what’s up with all the curly haired wigs these artists are wearing, the day we held this event was Bob Ross’s birthday!

Las Vegas Event Photography provided by Shaun Bruscher with noremaC Studios

MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST:

We had a group of famous artists set up out front and paint on metal panels.  These panels were then donated to the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation. The NVCCF will auction off these painted panels at their 25th Annual Profiles of Courage Gala that takes place on November 17th, 2018.

About the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation

The mission of NVCCF is to provide social, educational, financial and psychological support services and programs to families of ALL children diagnosed with life threatening or critical illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell, renal, blood and immunologic diseases and to provide healing arts and wellness programs to adults touched by cancer as well as to chronically ill children and their caregivers.

Artists:

Mickey Harris – Mickey is one of the pioneers of freehand airbrushing. He has been airbrushing for over 40 years professionally. He is an accomplished artist in other realms as well. Mickey is a member of the Pentagon Art Program and has paintings hanging in the Pentagon. Mickey is highly acclaimed and does work for some of the largest companies in the world, but is also affordable to the average person.

Mike Lavallee, Scott MacKay, Rodrick Fuchs, Jim Hessler, Rob Churchill, Ryan Evans, Moe Madrid, Terry Stephens, Ron Gibbs. Mike Learn, Robert Cooper, Jeff Jackson, Steve Gibson and Lonny Spear and Keith Eccles.