Rory Reid’s heels are hitting the gubernatorial campaign trail early with a Saturday appearance at Paradise Park in Sparks.

The noon barbecue for the currently lone Democratic candidate in the 2010 race for the Nevada governor’s mansion is being advertised as a grassroots get-to-know-you session for locals.

“Northern Nevadans are consistently engaged in politics and understand that (Gov. Jim Gibbons) has failed,” Reid said in a press release. “I’m looking forward to talking with folks about the challenges we face and a new vision for Nevada’s future.”

The meet-and-greet, voter registration drive and barbecue were scheduled in the wake of former federal judge Brian Sandoval jumping into the race. The Republican judge renounced his spot on the bench Tuesday.

Reid, the son of Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, is currently the lone democrat in the race after State Assembly speaker Barbara Buckley officially bowed out on Sept. 11.

However, Reid and the Republicans could still face stiff opposition from Democratic Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who is still mulling over a run for governor. However, Goodman told reporters Thursday he might run as a independent.

Reid is currently stumping on a platform of economic change, capitalizing on Nevada’s now 13.2 percent unemployment rate.

Reid’s Web site says his goals are to, “revitalize our economy, rebuild our schools, secure our place in the 21st century economy and remake our state with a new economic vision for our future.”

“We can’t get sick every time the gaming industry gets a cold,” Reid told KOLO TV reporter Ed Pearce in a Sept. 9 interview. “We need to have a diverse economy, just like a financial portfolio should be diverse.”

Reid has spent the past seven years on the Clark County Commission. His most recent years in that post have been spent as commission chairman.

In 2008, Reid also served as the Nevada chairman for Hillary Clinton’s run for the White House.

Reid is a graduate of Brigham Young University, as well as BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School.

Reid has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth and the local council of the Boy Scouts of America.

Paradise Park is located at Oddie Boulevard and El Rancho Drive in Sparks.