Yerington NV – November 2, 2026
On November 1, 2026, the Mason Valley Swim Center announced:
We have a very heavy announcement to make. It will be very upsetting, disappointing, and shocking to many long term residents. In the process of updating our pool and park facility, our much loved rocket will be coming down.
‘Are you kidding me!?‘
We completely get it! It is so upsetting to think how many great memories we have all had. We are doing this out of need for improvements and liability of such a iconic slide.With the history of being known as the “Rocket Park,” We will strive to capture the theme moving forward.
Written & photographed by Albert Valladares
From Pokémon cards and Game Boys to first kisses and scraped knees, generations of Yerington kids made memories that will outlast the playground.
Let me take you back to 2004.
Pokémon Emerald just came out, and your parents had just surprised you with the newest Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Life was simple, and the biggest thing on your mind was getting to school so you could ask your friends if they wanted to trade Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh cards under the rocket slide.
You’d meet up at the park, Game Boys in hand, ready to trade Pokémon, battle, or show off your newest cards. Meanwhile, you’d watch your friends in the distance playfully fighting each other in the nearby grass, while other kids ran around the playground without a care in the world.
Somewhere in the background, a parent was yelling for their kid to be careful, while another watched their children climb the jungle gyms. There was laughter, yelling, running, and absolute chaos everywhere.
But somehow, in the middle of all that chaos, everything felt perfect.
That rocket slide was more than just a playground attraction. For so many of us who grew up in Yerington, it was a place where memories were made.
It was where friendships began, where some experienced their first kiss, where others found the courage to conquer their fear of heights, and where countless childhood adventures unfolded.
We didn’t realize it back then, but those ordinary afternoons would eventually become some of the memories we’d cherish the most.
Now, years later, it’s bittersweet knowing that Yerington’s iconic rocket slide will soon be a thing of the past.
As sad as it is to see it go, sometimes change is necessary. The slide may no longer be safe, and the town has to move forward.
But here’s the beautiful thing about growing up in a small town like Yerington.
Even though we’ve all grown older, taken different paths, and built lives of our own, there’s something that will always connect us.
We all have a little piece of our childhood underneath that rocket slide.
The metal may disappear, the playground may change, and future generations may never experience it the way we did.
But the memories ya’ll? Those are ours forever.
Here’s to the friendships, the laughter, the scraped knees, the first kisses, the childhood adventures, and those simpler, happier days when our biggest worry was making it home before the streetlights came on.
Click on a photo to enlarge & scroll “through a child’s eyes”:
Pizen Switch Times first heard from Albert Valladares in October of 2023 when he wrote: “Hi there, this is Sgt. Albert Valladares. I’m a public affairs officer for the Nevada National Guard. Yerington is actually my home town and I graduated in 2011. Last year we flew a Blackhawk into the airport and figured you’d appreciate the shots from that day”
Click on the link for Albert’s Blackhawk photos!
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