Summerlin delights in ice cream

Summerlin visitors can benefit the arts in Nevada by attending the All-You-Can-Eat Ice Cream Festival, which is scheduled for Saturday at The Willows Park and will benefit Nevada Ballet Theatre, the only professional ballet company in the state.

The company operates out of a seven-studio facility adjacent to the Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center. It has an academy that provides dance instruction to more than 400 children, while the professional troupe stages three or four professional dance productions annually, including The Nutcracker.

The ice cream festival, now in its eighth year, has become a tradition for many families within Summerlin, and for thousands of ice cream lovers throughout the Las Vegas Valley, according to Tom Warden, vice president of community relations for The Howard Hughes Corp., which is sponsoring the event.

"This event is not only a super fun day for all involved, it's a great fund-raiser for an arts organization that does much to enhance Southern Nevada's cultural climate," Warden said. "While dance and ice cream may seem an unlikely pair, they're a match made in heaven at the ice cream festival."

The festival will feature all-you-can-eat cones, sundaes and root beer floats with ice cream, toppings and root beer. Students and professionals from the ballet company will entertain spectators, as will dogs from Lou Mack's Top Flight Canines, members of the Las Vegas Percussion Ensemble, Summerlin Sam, and clowns and face-painters.

The event costs $4 for adults, $3 for seniors and $2 for children over age five. Kids under 5 are free.

Situated along the western Las Vegas Valley, Summerlin is being built as a series of villages, which include trails, parks and golf courses. There are more than 45 neighborhoods featuring more than 200 model homes, 15 schools, and several office and retail areas.

Housing includes single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums priced from $90,000 to more than $700,000. Custom lots range from one-quarter acre to one-third acre and are priced from $90,000 to $300,000. Predesigned custom homes are priced from $500,000 to more than $1 million.

To visit, take Summerlin Parkway to Town Center Drive and turn north, then turn east on Hillwood Drive. Or, take Sahara Avenue west, past Hualapai Way, to Blue Willow Lane, and turn south. Both centers are open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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