Cindy Funkhouser grew up in the Midwest where she developed an early interest in "old stuff' as she refers to it. Her self-education in antiques spawned her business, Funk House, which she opened in 2001. Cindy is one of the forces behind the Downtown's arts movement and the development of First Friday, which was inspired by her observations of a similar event in Portland, OR. Cindy moved to Las Vegas around 1980. Her parents had moved to the valley in the late 1970s. When not working as a cocktail waitress at the Four Queens—a downtown casino where she was employed for 14 years—she pursued her interest in vintage items as a part-time business. Today others look to Cindy as a motivator for First Friday and the Las Vegas art movement that is deeply rooted in the John S. Park Neighborhood's sense of community.

When John Gubler's parents moved to Las Vegas in 1936, it was a simple desert community of only six or seven thousand people. John's father practiced law and his mother raised the four Gubler sons. Home was in the John S. Park area. It was a fenceless neighborhood where everyone knew each other. Parents worked hard at their various jobs and kids played on the barren stretches of desert shooting BB guns, exploring artesian wells and playing games. As the gaming industry and the city grew, the Gubler household focused on education and family. It was a life of freedom and no TV. They were a family raised in Mormon values. John went on to become a lawyer and move back to raise his own family here. Today he lives on the western side of the valley. He explains that as an adult when he drives through John S. Park Neighborhood, "I live in the past." It was a good life. As John reminiscences about growing up from the 1940s thru 1960s, his observations are vivid and range from local

In 1944, Robert Forbuss' mother bought a home in a new tract development called Huntridge, adjacent to the John S. Park Neighborhood. She was a single woman who had managed to put together the down payment from her earnings as a cocktail waitress. A couple years later John S. Park Elementary School was built nearby. Through any ups and downs, Marjorie Forbuss refused to live anywhere else for the rest of life, even when Robert encouraged her to move. For this interview, Robert intersperse Las Vegas history while sharing childhood memories of the neighborhood. He graduated from Bishop Gorman High School, the private Catholic prep school, in the mid-1960s. A few years later, Robert returned there as a teacher from 1973 - 1981, teaching kids with familiar last names in the neighborhood he had grown up in. During that time he lived in the John S. Park Neighborhood. He details the charm of the neighborhood, cruising the Downtown area, shopping on Fremont Street and much more. When Robert left teaching, he became the general manger of Mercy Ambulance and Medical Supply, which he ultimately owned until about 2003. During this time, he was a successful business leader and an active community member.

Senator Richard Bryan's Las Vegas roots are deep. His father graduated from Las Vegas High School in 1927, left to attend law school and later returned with his young family. His father was politically active and a role model for young Richard, who would succeed in becoming Governor of Nevada in the 1980s and then U.S. Senator. In this interview, Senator Bryan describes his parents looking at a plat map of John S. Park in 1943 and that they bought a house on Maryland Parkway for around $5500.00. He recounts details of the John S. Park neighborhood development and nearby areas and talks about houses with carports rather than garages, no grass, rough asphalt driveways, and a desert where kids could play for hours without supervision. He mentions the impact of World War II on the community, attending movies at the Huntridge Theatre, and becoming a student leader as well as being active in the Boy Scouts. About the Helldorado Days, he talks about the large undertaking of the parade for the Elks Club. As Las Vegas' population grew, the neighborhoods began to fill in. He tells of the opening of schools, including permanent JSP Elementary in 1948 - with no air conditioning. Neighborhood commerce included a grocery store and Sills Drive-in. On the Strip, he remembers Club Bingo (eventually called Sahara) opening as well as the long list of other hotel/casinos that are part of Las Vegas history.

The Ward charcoal ovens are one of many tourist attractions in White Pine County. These historic remnants of the old mining days in the West are located just outside of Ely.