BLVDS Las Vegas "Local Flavor"

MAKING las vegas HOME

community

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We’re proud to give back to the community we call home.

At Bank of America, we’re committed to giving back to the neighborhoods where we live and work. That’s why we contribute our time, energy and support to these area organizations: After School All-Stars American National Red Cross Assistance League of Las Vegas Big Brothers Big Sisters of S. Nevada Boys and Girls Clubs of Las Vegas Candlelighters for Childhood Cancer Child Focus Community Action Against Rape Community Services of Nevada Consumer Credit Counseling of S. Nevada Foundation for an Independent Tomorrow Gay and Lesbian Community Center Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada Goodwill Industries of Southern Nevada Habitat for Humanity International HELP of Southern Nevada Housing for Nevada, Inc. Huntridge Teen Clinic Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada Las Vegas Natural History Museum Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada Lied Children’s Discovery Museum Lutheran Social Services of Nevada Make A Wish of Southern Nevada Nathan Adelson Hospice

Nevada Cancer Institute Nevada Fair Housing Center, Inc. Nevada Homeless Alliance Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth Nevada Public Radio Nevada Rural Housing New Vista Ranch Opportunity Village Rebuilding Together of S. Nevada Rural Nevada Development Corporation Salvation Army Shelter Providers of Southern Nevada, Inc. Southern Nevada Children First Special Olympics Nevada Spread the Word Nevada St. Rose Dominican Health Foundation Teach for America The First Tee of Southern Nevada The Smith Center Three Square United Way of Southern Nevada Variety Early Learning Center Vegas PBS Women’s Development Center YMCA of Southern Nevada

For more information, stop by any of our convenient banking centers or visit us at www.bankofamerica.com/opportunity.

Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC. © 2011 Bank of America Corporation.

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Inspired by the greatest live music clubs in the world, from Dizzy’s to Feinstein’s, Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center is a new, elegant yet easygoing club where you can grab a bite, lift a glass and be entertained by the finest musicians from around the country.

Featuring two stories of intimate seating and a stage overlooking the city, it’s the kind of place Vegas has been waiting for. A place where live music can truly come alive.

TICKETS STARTING AT $35 SFJAZZ Collective: Music of Stevie Wonder – March 17 & 18, 2012 Branford Marsalis – March 31, 2012 Clint Holmes – First weekend of every month, beginning April 2012 Andrea Marcovicci: Marcovicci Sings Movies – April 13 & 14, 2012 Suzanne Vega and Duncan Sheik – April 15 & 16, 2012 Joey DeFrancesco Trio – April 20 & 21, 2012 James Gavin’s STORMY WEATHER: The Lena Horne Project Starring Mary Wilson – May 11 & 12, 2012 Jane Monheit – May 18 & 19, 2012 Barbara Cook – May 24-27, 2012 Emily Bergl: Kidding on the Square – June 8 & 9, 2012 Lucy Woodward – June 15 & 16, 2012 The Preservation Hall Jazz Band – June 29 & 30, 2012

TheSmithCenter.com I 702.749.2000

COMMUNITY PHOTO CONTEST

Town Square Las Vegas invites you to “Capture the Moment” with photography at Town Square.

For the last four years you have made Town Square a part of your life and now is your chance CATEGORIES: Lifestyle (people & activities) Architecture (buildings & landscape) 1ST PLACE $500 - 2ND PLACE $250 - 3RD PLACE $100

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 4.15.12 For more information on how to enter, contest rules, entry levels, file sizes/requirements and entry information, please visit mytownsquarelasvegas.com

to share those moments.

Community 11 Spotlights

Ginger Bruner and Doug Vega

14 Vegas LOMA

what’s inside ISSUE 30: LOCAL FLAVOR

Inspiring LV to shop local

16 Create a Change Now

Planting seeds to fight childhood obesity

Culture 22 Popup Art House Art that stimulates the economy

25 The Reluctant Departure of Block 16 Brothels and booze are hard to let go in Vegas’ “redlight district”

26 The Mob Museum

© Krystal Ramirez

Looking at Las Vegas’ past to redefine its future

30 Upcoming Events

Design 34 Soft Modern with a Twist Jill Abelman creates highly personalized urban environments

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37 Downtown Tech Library © Alex Stone

Inspiring community and collaboration

38 Open Chords

Tim Bavington renders his musical paintings into public art at Symphony Park

Flavor 42 Rainbows End

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The long reign of the green goddess

43 Snack Attack Solutions Quirky and quick, these snacks satisfy

44 Joseph James Brewery Imperial Stout to Gluten Free and everything in between

48 IMHO

In my humble opinion by Oscar Goodman

On the Cover

“Heart Above Head” a painting by local artist Tim Bavington blvdslv.com

44 BLVDS Las Vegas LOCAL FLAVOR 5

from the publisher

February and March introduce more than spring. The Mob Museum opens in February, and what local doesn’t have a few stories to add to this amazing piece of history? In March we have the much anticipated opening of the Smith Center with an unveiling of a public work of art by none other than Tim Bavington who’s painting “Heart Above Head #4,” graces our cover!

If you love “local,” watch for our updated website at blvdslv.com and let us know your favorite “Local Flavor.” Blvdslv.com will be your go-to place for your local cultural and community events fix, and if you haven’t done so yet, sign up for our biweekly newsletter that will keep you up to date and informed on what is going on in your community!

And last, but not least, speaking of gusto, I wish the happiest of birthdays to my mother, Nancy Craddock, who will be turning 90 at the end of this month. This woman is amazing! Go Mom! This year is going to be great! Regardless of what the economy has in store for us, let’s get out and enjoy our fabulous city and all the flavors that it has to offer.

One of my personal favorite stories in this issue is about beer, and not because I wrote it. It is a story about the Joseph James Brewery that creates fabulous local brews and beverages that are available

Copyright 2011 by BLVDS, Inc., all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission from BLVDS, Inc. Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this publication, however, BLVDS, Inc. assumes no responsibility for errors, changes or omissions.

BLVDS, Inc. accepts editorial and photography submissions. Send all submissions to: editor@blvdslv.com.

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MAKING LAS VEGAS HOME

the BLVDS team Jan Craddock President & Publisher Sherri Kaplan COO & Co-Publisher Pat Marvel Consulting Editor Hektor D. Esparza Managing Editor Victoria Hart Creative Director Greg Warden Senior Photographer

Editorial Board

Brian Paco Alvarez Tracy Bower Durette Candito Shelly Cochran Chris Cutler Audrie Dodge Gina Gavan Nancy Higgins LuAnn Kutch Wendy Kveck Pam Lang Rob McCoy Jason Roth Kimberly Maxson-Rushton Karen Rubel Rick Sellers Kimberly Trueba

Contributing Writers Jack Chappell John Dunia Jillian Plaster Jan Craddock Jarret Keene Oscar Goodman Amey Esparza Eric Schellhorn Al Gibes Erika Bayer-Polak Patrick Gaffey Valerie Miller

PHOTOGRAHY & ILLUSTRATION Greg Warden Checko Salgado Spencer Burton Mike Weintz Alex Stone David Lancaster

Scan with your smart phone using a QR Code reader app >

Welcome to our 30th issue of BLVDS! This issue marks our fifth year of celebrating all that Las Vegas has to offer. As a “glass half full” publication, we go into 2012 with the word “gusto” as a guiding theme. We want to celebrate this new year and this anniversary issue of “Local Flavors” with all the gusto we can muster.

citywide. Another theme you’ll see that we approach with gusto is the “shop local” movement—a movement BLVDS believes in strongly. An alliance was created by a local restaurateur called “Vegas LOMA” (vegasloma.com). It’s a local’s only marketing association that helps keep the dollars here in Las Vegas!

BLVDS fans follow us! email : editor@blvdslv.com call : 702.386.6065 see : blvdslv.com like : facebook.com/blvdslv follow : twitter.com/blvdslv mail : 241 W. Charleston Blvd., #173

Las Vegas, NV 89102

BLVDS Las Vegas LOCAL FLAVOR 6

“I W S THERE.” Join us for The Smith Center’s Opening Celebration and be part of a legacy that will last for generations. Throughout the month of March, we invite you to experience everything this new heart of the arts has to offer, from phenomenal music and dance performances to our Community Open House. This is our stage. This is our moment. We hope you will join us for it.

COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE – Sunday, March 18, 2012 – FREE TO THE PUBLIC Spend the day in beautiful Symphony Park as The Smith Center presents live entertainment as well as showcasing art from around our community. Visitors will also enjoy tours of The Smith Center.

OPENING CELEBRATION PERFORMANCES Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

The Canadian Tenors

Reynolds Hall

Reynolds Hall

Monday, March 12, 2012 - 7:30pm

Saturday, March 17, 2012 - 7:30pm

Michael Feinstein - The Sinatra Project Reynolds Hall Thursday, March 15, 2012 - 7:30pm

Imagination Movers Reynolds Hall Friday, March 16, 2012 - 7:00pm

SFJAZZ Collective: Music of Stevie Wonder Cabaret Jazz Saturday, March 17, 2012 - 7:00pm & 10:00pm & Sunday, March 18, 2012 - 2:00pm

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Reynolds Hall Tuesday, March 20, 2012 - 7:30pm & Wednesday, March 21, 2012 - 7:30pm

TheSmithCenter.com I Call 702.749.2000 for tickets 361 Symphony Park Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89106

community people + places IN THIS SECTION 10 Ginger Bruner Meet this versatile, accomplished and creative life-long Las Vegan.

12 Doug Vega Executive Chef Doug Vega talks about his early influences and the two Las Vegas kitchens over which he presides.

14 Vegas Loma The Locally Owned Merchants Association encourages patronage of locally-owned shops to strengthen the community and support the local economy.

16 Create a Change Now This local nonprofit is committed to fighting childhood obesity and teaching kids about proper nutrition through school gardens they plant and tend themselves.

< Painting by local artist Biscuit Street Preacher, available at TrifectaGallery.com

Š David Lancaster

Renaissance Girl

GINGER BRUNER

Bruner has seen the art scene change in Las Vegas and she thinks it’s getting better, one indicator of which is the increasingly healthy arts district and a growing appreciation of the “native” Vegas art, neon and all. “Las Vegas and its particular brand of kitsch are influential in popular culture.”

One lament is that the arts are the first to be cut when schools face financial shoals.

“For some kids, that’s the way they relate to everything else. It’s the very thing that opens the world to them.”

What makes me say WOW!?

Some people are so creative they crackle.

Like lightning in a bottle or a plasma globe, they sparkle with ideas, images and sound. Ginger Bruner, a life-long Las Vegan, is one of these people.

She’s a musician (tuba, string bass, trombone and percussion), photographic artist, graphic artist, public radio producer/personality, bon vivant and night person.

“I’ve never been really good at doing just one thing,” Bruner says during an interview at The Stake Out, a local watering hole near UNLV. There, she turns a table into an artistic stage. She positions ice tea glasses, a lemon wedge and straws; shoots it all with her iPhone camera and then manipulates the image with four different photo apps to create an aesthetically remarkable still life. It all happens in the blink of an eye while Bruner is explaining the advantages and capabilities of each application.

“You see things you like and you just start shooting,” she says. She had four

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fine art exhibitions last year and while she has a battery of old school cameras, she uses the iPhone now, shooting with it and creating within it.

Extreme talent, whether it’s juggling, music or art. Real LIVE talent.

What makes Las Vegas feel like home?

It is an aptitude that’s akin to her work at KUNV, the public radio station at UNLV. Sometimes she’s in front of the microphone working as a jazz program DJ, and sometimes behind the glass working as an engineer and/or producing programs.

Well, I’m a native, so frankly, heat feels like home, and being able to see the beautiful mountains that surround the valley. I get nervous when there’s too much “green,” as in vegetation.

Bruner began with music at age 14 playing trombone, later switching to tuba when the band needed some heavy metal. She began photography at age 19 and she moved into graphic design as technology moved into the digital environment. A UNLV grad, her degree is in tuba performance.

As a musician, that’s impossible to truly answer. I do love “Caravan”, “Wipe Out”, and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” though.

As a regular with Killian’s Angels, an all women Irish Celtic band, she performs with tuba and bass at a variety of pubs and places in Las Vegas. At other times she’s formed up Dixieland, klezmer, and polka bands. “You can’t be unhappy and listen to polka.”

What’s your favorite song?

And as far as travel...

My favorite way to travel is to go live somewhere and work for a period of time, to make friends and actually experience the culture. (Japan is like a second home for me because of that.)

“Vacations” just seem so fast, like you’re skating across the culture.

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COMMUNITY the local spotlight

Some people are so creative they crackle. Like lightning in a bottle or a plasma globe, they sparkle with ideas, images and sound.

Ginger Bruner, a life-long Las Vegan, is one of these people.

© Checko Salgado

© Greg Warden

Betting on Vegas with a recipe for success Executive chef Doug Vega currently presides over two kitchens: Bottles & Burgers at Tivoli Village, and Wine & Whiskey at Town Square. Vega is modest and unassuming.

As a relatively recent transplant to the Las Vegas restaurant scene, it was a little intimidating having peers that include world famous chefs. When local celebrity chef Jet Tila recently gave a dish of Vega’s the nod of approval, he began to feel a little more comfortable with his responsibilities as chef in a city where expectations are high and reputation is everything.

Vega’s initial perspective on Las Vegas was formed ages ago when the city was known to his So. Cal. Based family as a place to go for cheap vacations with underpriced buffets. His restaurant experience began in the dish room of a California restaurant, but his culinary career really got started after he moved to the East Coast. It was there he experienced the hard tutelage of two french chefs whom he credits with pushing him to develop a skill set that would open up a world of opportunities when he arrived in Las Vegas in 2005.

He says, “They were tough to work under but they really taught me a respect for fresh, quality ingredients.” They also imbued him with a sense of responsibility to handle and cook the foods with methods known to bring out their best qualities. One rookie mistake that he now teaches his line cooks to avoid is to resist the urge to flatten the burgers while cooking. It makes them cook faster but also pushes out fats and juices along with much of the flavor.

On the East Coast, he worked his way up to leadership roles at two different restaurants. He then moved to Vegas to attend Le Cordon Bleu, knowing that he needed to add credentials to his work experience if he hoped to better provide for his family as a soon-to-be father. Arriving on the cusp of the fine dining boom driven by people like Elizabeth Blau, he had no idea just how well his training and education would pay off.

Le Cordon Bleu helped land Vega an externship position at Commander’s Palace. He says there is a sort of unofficial testing process at Le Cordon Bleu where those proven to have real world skills are vigorously assisted to secure gainful job placement. As he recalls, “I went to see the place and it was amazing. I’d never seen anything like it in my life.”

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Vega admits his workload today is challenging, but feels well prepared for it and is determined to see his kitchens put out food worthy of all of those who have supported him, including those perfectionist french chefs back east.

Can you give us an example of some fresh ingredients that will accompany the sandwiches at Bottles & Burgers?

Hydroponic watercress on the tuna burger. Fresh buffalo mozzarella flown in from Italy weekly for the pear salad.

And heirloom tomatoes on the Double Helix Burger.

Any favorite dishes at Whiskey & Wine?

The flatbread pizza with rosso bruno tomatoes and the angus skirt steak are really nice.

What do you see in the near future for Las Vegas restaurants?

With big expensive restaurants closing we are going to have more small and affordable places opened by their chefs.

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COMMUNITY the local spotlight

DOUG VEGA

Inspiring Las Vegas to shop local

As the “shop local” movement gains attention, VegasLOMA, the Las Vegas branch of the Locally Owned Merchants Association, is trying to do their fair share of getting the word out.

© Ray Nisi

< Raymond Nisi, at the premiere event for Hello Kitty wines.

As Raymond Nisi, co-founder and managing partner of the Double Helix brand, and Stephanie LaBorde, his business associate, were planning the opening of Double Helix Wine & Whiskey Lounge at Town Square, they were struck by the lack of a strong network of local businesses, not only at Town Square, but throughout the entire valley.

Nisi, a New York native, moved to Las Vegas four years ago to open a wine bar at The Palazzo. Next was the Town Square location, and just recently they have expanded to Tivoli Village with Bottles & Burgers by Double Helix.

Seeing that his first business venture in

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by ERIKA BAYER-POLAK

Las Vegas was on the Strip, he wasn’t originally thinking about the local business aspect, but that soon changed as he came to call Las Vegas home.

of locally-owned shops. They have also developed window decals which are meant to help shoppers determine which businesses are locally owned.

“I felt it was important to make local businesses identifiable,” Nisi said. “That way you can go to the local businesses first, and you know you are helping the community, helping the local economy.”

“We understand you can’t always shop local,” Nisi said. “But you can at least give them a shot, you can start there.”

LaBorde, a native Texan, said she was used to knowing which businesses were locally owned and which were large conglomerates prior to moving to Las Vegas. “We had to figure out a way to unify and promote the locally owned businesses.”

So, LaBorde looked to Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, two cities she thought had well-developed business communities that knew how to promote locally-owned shops, which is how she came across the Locally Owned Merchants Association.

Nisi noted that VegasLOMA is simply trying to assist the community; they are not undertaking this effort to make money or for the notoriety. They just want to see our local economy thrive.

“We are not looking for handouts,” Nisi said. “We are just trying to help the local economy, and help locals help their community. This is just another way to create awareness. It really does help everyone.”

“There’s no cost to join, it’s really just a philanthropic initiative to raise awareness about which businesses are locally owned and the positive impact of supporting locally-owned businesses,” LaBorde said.

Nisi and LaBorde launched the website, in November 2011. At the moment they are focusing on building the online directory

BLVDS Las Vegas

© Mike Weintz

the local spotlight COMMUNITY

VEGAS LOMA

Taryn Mumpower and Robyn Holt owners Pick Your Posion Bake Shop Downtown Las Vegas.

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the local spotlight COMMUNITY

Create A Change Now

Planting seeds to fight childhood obesity

by VALARIE MILLER

Candace and Jimmy Maddin didn’t just think that children should eat healthier, they put their money where their minds are. The retired couple invested more than $20,000 in a nonprofit that teaches kids how to eat better and live longer, more energetic lives. Create A Change Now was founded in 2007 by the Maddins after the couple saw a news story about childhood obesity.

Jimmy Maddin, who along with his wife Candace had recently embarked on retirement, was shocked by what he saw on TV. “I was watching the news and a woman said, ‘If you don’t believe they [kids] are obese, go out to the mall and sit there and watch them walk by,” Jimmy Maddin recalled. “I told Candace we had to do something to make a difference.”

Jimmy Maddin came up with the idea for Create A Change Now. The nonprofit raises money used to change the way families eat by educating children at their most impressionable age—during their elementary school years. Through Create A Change Now, students learn about healthy eating by learning how to grow their own food. Chefs come to schools to get students excited about cooking, as well.

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The woman at the forefront of Create A Change Now, former flight attendant Candace Maddin, said the organization’s mission is one of life or death. “We [the United States] are number one in childhood obesity, and you can’t pick up a newspaper without reading that the next generation may not outlive their parents,” she said.

Candace Maddin admits to being shocked when Create A Change Now began working with some of the valley’s most at-risk schools. “One student saw us chopping up carrots and asked, ‘What are those?’” she recounted. Candace sees incidents like that as validation that Create A Change Now is desperately needed. Candace Maddin explained that the income level of families often has a direct bearing on how well their children eat. “It’s economic. I have been to at-risk schools where the children didn’t even know where vegetables come from,” she said. “They think they come from the market.” Rose Warren and J. T. McWilliams are among elementary schools served by the nonprofit.

That perception in the minds of some students suddenly changes when they get to plant and tend their very own

BLVDS Las Vegas

school vegetable garden. Those gardens, which also serve as outdoor classrooms, are created by donations to Create A Change Now. As business owners themselves- Jimmy Maddin owns Baja California Restaurant & Cantina in Boca Park- the couple knows that support from the business community is vital. Candice points out that the Las Vegas Valley’s commerce leaders need to step up to help young residents. “I tell them, ‘Hey you have made money from Las Vegas, and it is time to help our children. You can have a garden dedicated to someone for as little as $2,000.’”

A few business leaders have already responded to Create A Change Now’s call for help. Firefly restaurant Chef-Owner John Simmons and Par 3 Landscape & Maintenance, Inc. donated funds and materials to build the garden at Rose Warren Elementary School. Garden Farms of Nevada also recently joined forces with Create A Change Now to build future school gardens. But the task of getting the local business community to back a local nonprofit was a lot harder than Jimmy Maddin anticipated, he admitted. “I could raise a hundred million dollars to open ten restaurants before I could raise $100 to help our kids. It’s sad,” he said.

Create A Change Now does not have a brick-and-mortar location. Instead, Baja California Restaurant & Cantina, which is a separate entity from Create A Change Now, benefits the nonprofit by serving as a meeting place when the organization needs a venue. On a recent night, Baja California hosted Green Drinks Las Vegas, a networking group focused around supporting environmentally-friendly

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COMMUNITY the local spotlight

businesses. Green Drinks Las Vegas organizer Tara Pierce was pleased to have Candace Maddin speak to her eco-friendly group, and to introduce Green Drinks members to Create A Change Now. “Childhood obesity is a national trend, and they work to prevent it by teaching healthy eating and living to children,” Pierce said. “We want to collaborate with committed organizations like this.”

The Maddins are undeterred in their quest to keep kids healthy. Even at their Baja California restaurant, Jimmy focuses on a healthy menu. In addition, ten percent of the proceeds from the children’s menu at Baja California are donated to Create A Change Now. For more information on Create A Change Now, go to

Carrots gr own in the Glen War d school gr aden

g Workin

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rd en ke a g a r to m a togethe

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Kid s learn ab out veg ta bl e s in school cl as sroom s BLVDS Las Vegas LOCAL FLAVOR

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© Photos courtesy Create A Change Now

© Spencer Burton

www.createachangenow.org

Sustainable Indoor and Open Air Markets – LOCAL Seasonal Tree Ripened Produce – Handmade LOCAL Indie Artisans – Chef Demos – Special Events and FREE Kids Art Park – Pet Friendly – Be Green and Bring Your Reusable Bags

Fresh 52 Farmers & Artisan Market SAT: Tivoli Village, Alta & Rampart SUN: Sansone Park Place 9480 S. Eastern Coming soon to Town Square. www.fresh52.com

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March

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Vegetable & Herb Mix. Work it into the soil, and water.

• Plan before you plant: Rotate your • It is fertilizing time for deciduous vegetables, herbs and other annuals fruit, nut and shade trees. Use ® in your garden. Avoid planting Dr. Q’s Fruit & Nut Tree Food or them in the same spot year after Tree, Shrub & Vine Food. year. Rotating can help prevent disease and pest populations from increasing.

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Feburary 27 - March 2, 2012 This spring marks the inaugural launch of Spring Las Vegas Restaurant Week, a week-long celebration of fine dining.

Over 50 of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest restaurants are joining together to help fight hunger in Southern Nevada.

Enjoy exclusive three-course menus for unbelievable prices and a portion of each meal is donated to Three Square Food Bank.

To view all of the menus

www.helpoutdineoutlv.org

Wells Fargo is proud to support Three Square Food Bank

a QR Code app.

Scan with your

smart phone using

A benefit performance for the College of Southern Nevada

Performing Arts Center and the

Ira Aldridge Theatre Company

The College of Southern Nevada Department of Fine Arts presents

A Voyage Round My Father

by John Mortimer

April 20, 21, 27 & 28 â&#x20AC;˘ 7:30 pm April 22 & 29 â&#x20AC;˘ 2 pm

BackStage Theatre

culture entertainment + activities IN THIS SECTION 22 Pop Up Art House Established by gallerist Shannon Mc Mackin in a nearly abandoned strip mall, this art gallery is attracting patrons and encouraging the reclamation of discarded space.

25 The “Redlight District” Learn how the downtown Las Vegas brothels bucked the feds and local government to keep the business of sin booming.

26 The Mob Museum Scheduled to open on Valentine’s Day, 2012, this world-class destination will offer a fascinating look at the mob’s impact on Las Vegas history.

< Painting by local artist JW Caldwell, available at TrifectaGallery.com

entertainment & activities Culture

POP UP ART HOUSE Rejuvenating Concepts, Within and Without

By Amey Esparza

< Pop Up Girls, Shannon Mc Mackin (second from left) with taxidermy and friends in her galleryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office.

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standing deserted.

We remember what our environment was like before this era, but the question is: what can we do to get past it? Rely on investments in our economy from corporations, stuck in the ways of the boom days, but ever fearful of a future in which Las Vegas never regains its former glory? Perhaps a different approach altogether is in order.

Pop Up Art House owner and gallerist Shannon Mc Mackin serves as an example of an entrepreneur taking a more cavalier approach. When she decided to return from L.A. to her hometown and open an art gallery, she didn’t do things the old way, using market research to find a trendy local niche known for attracting informed patrons with expendable cash. Instead, she employed a novel solution to a common problem. Mc Mackin opened Pop Up Art House in a nearly-abandoned strip mall in an industrial area within the City of Henderson’s redevelopment zone. Her plan was to use the beauty of the gallery’s exhibits to attract patrons, and then use them to attract other small businesses to open as neighbors, reclaiming the discarded space in reaction to and rebellion from the state of our economy.

Mc Mackin can certainly consider her plan successful. While applying for a business license, she noticed a grant available in the redevelopment zone. Soon after opening in May 2011, the gallery was awarded $50,000 from the city to improve the shopping center’s facade and add new signs. Since then, she has welcomed new neighbors to the area. And not only has she encouraged an economic change, the several exhibitions that passed through in 2011 assured the local art cognoscenti that Pop Up Art House is one of our city’s most exciting new galleries.

Though its back story is interesting in its own right, the gallery is more than just concept—it is substance. With 20 years of experience, Mc Mackin brings a refined eye to the business of running a gallery.

Pop Up Art House has focused so far on large-scale and installation-based exhibits, but more traditional painting work will find a place in its next exhibit, The Salon Show, which calls on artists to use familiar genres in a fresh way.

Speaking on the recent drift toward highly-conceptualized, sensory overload,

indulgent art installations and oddities found across the country, Mc Mackin shares her opinion: “It makes you want to reevaluate the simplicity of art work on a wall. I have a secret passion for vintage paintings, still-lifes and landscapes.”

The Salon Show, opening February 4, will be an exciting modern take on the The Salon des Refusés, French for “exhibition of rejects,” a presentation of works rejected by the jury of the official Paris Salon. Works in a salon show are displayed more closely together than in a traditional museum show. Recently, interior designers and DIY decorators have appropriated this “salon style,” taking the display from tradition to trend. Pop Up Art House sent out invitations to art schools around the country, challenging artists to show how a ubiquitous trend can be presented as a relevant innovation. This show will include a mix of work by local as well as national artists.

Pop Up Art House 730 W. Sunset, Henderson, NV 89011 www.thepopuparthouse.com Open Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. and by appointment

<

Brent Payne, Garlic (Ravaged), 2010

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Culture entertainment & activities

Valley residents are all too familiar with the look of boarded up windows in unfinished developments, rows of empty storefronts lining abandoned strip malls, even shining, multimillion dollar towers left

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Making Las Vegas A Better Place To Live!

Culture entertainment & activities

The Reluctant Departure of Block 16

BY PATRICK GAFFEY In 1931, the federal government started work on Boulder Dam and on the federal court and post office building in Las Vegas.

When Las Vegas officials and businessmen met with representatives of the Treasury Department over the post office, the city offered the lot on Stewart Street where the building stands today.

The feds objected, because a few hundred feet away sat infamous Block 16 with its illegal liquor, gambling and prostitution.

Prostitution especially offended. The city fathers promised that Block 16 would be moved, and in August 1929, Mayor J. F. Hesse wrote a letter to Treasury putting the promise in writing.

The following June, the building’s plans were complete. Las Vegas Age publisher “Pop” Squires, a tireless promoter of the town, asked where “the redlight district” should be moved. The owners of the whorehouses quietly replied that they would stay where they were. Hordes of young men had come to town seeking work on the dam. The brothels liked their location. They pointed out that the City Council had never officially endorsed the mayor’s letter, and argued there was no obligation to move.

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The federal government was raining money on the town, and Squires grew panicky over the danger of a rift with Uncle Sam. But the dependent little railroad stop liked to act independently.

It was flouting Prohibition with an extraordinary concentration of stills.

When dam construction began, the feds brought 36 agents from Southern California to raid the La Salle, the Mineral Club, the Red Rooster and more.

Countless raids followed without denting the bootleg liquor business. In February 1931, to widespread surprise and celebration, Nevada made gambling legal.

The Treasury Department sent a threatening letter, demanding the whorehouses be moved immediately.

The City Council replied by unanimously endorsing Mayor Hesse’s letter. And the result was . . . nothing. The whoremasters showed who really ran the town. Block 16 remained wide open for another

ten years. The feds quietly finished the nearby post office and court building.

Las Vegas would remain dependent on the feds. The city fell into a depression when dam construction ended. Uncle Sam returned to help in 1941 by building the Las Vegas Air Field that eventually became Nellis Air Force Base. But the U.S. Army knew how to handle Las Vegas. The town anticipated a huge air base payroll, flowing down Fremont Street. The army announced that unless Block 16 was closed, the entire town would be declared off limits to army personnel.

After a ten-year delay, the city finally fulfilled its promise and closed Block 16 tight. The federal court and post office building remain remnants of the area’s remarkable historic era.

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entertainment & activities Culture

The Mob Museum 26

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Virg in

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BY HEKTOR D. ESPARZA Major cities across the United States, especially those on the East Coast, take great pride in their historic buildings.

But when people think of Las Vegas, historic buildings, particularly those with political or social significance, are hardly the first images that come to mind. Yet the former post office and federal court building located at 301 Stewart Avenue downtown is exactly that. Moreover, this building that now houses the Mob Museum bears a unique distinction no other building in the United States can claim.

According to Robert Chattel, a consulting preservation architect who has worked on the post office project for the past ten years, “There is no other property that we know of in the United States that is listed in the National Register for its association with organized crime.”

Register designation to identify the Kefauver hearing context because that is at a national level of significance, as it is important to the history of the United States.”

In 1950, Tennessee Democratic Senator Estes Kefauver chaired the U.S. Senate Special Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce.

The activities of the Kefauver committee, as it came to be known, culminated in televised hearings in which he and his colleagues grilled high profile crime bosses. The hearings earned praise from the American public who tuned in by the millions and were relieved to see an end to the unfettered reign of organized crime.

Construction began on the building in 1931 with funding from the New Deal’s Works Progress Administration.

It was first listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 for its neoclassical architecture and its association with the federal government.

It remained an active courtroom until the 1960s and a U.S. post office until 2005.

Chattel was asked to join the project of preserving the building and helping to decide what its future use would be when the city first acquired the property from the federal government in 2002.

When Kefauver arrived for a hearing in Las Vegas on November 15, 1950, he was received with less than a hero’s welcome. Key figures such as Moe Dalitz had left town. The few witnesses questioned were uncooperative and the hearings lasted but a few hours. Later commenting on his experience in Las Vegas he was quoted as saying, “Big time gambling is amoral.” Revealing his shortsightedness he added, “Gambling produces nothing and adds nothing to the economy or society of our nation.”

Further Illustrating the irony of that statement, Chattel explains, “So the kind of exponential growth that was experienced in Las Vegas in the ‘50s and ‘60s grew directly out of the Kefauver hearing in our opinion.”

“As part of our study in 2004, we recommended to amend the National

The context of the 1950 hearing is pivotally important to the development

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of Las Vegas. In other cities where the committee’s hearings were held, their communities cracked down on organized crime and drove the mobsters out of town. Many of the people who called Las Vegas home at the time welcomed them to stay.

The Mob Museum’s focus is not on the history of the building or on Las Vegas in particular, but rather on the history of organized crime and law enforcement nationally. As it positions Las Vegas in a national historical context, this is considered a perfectly acceptable “adaptive use” of the historic building

by Chattel and his colleagues. And while many of its exhibits center around major events and figures of organized crime in other parts of the country, its star attraction remains the wonderfully and exhaustively restored courtroom where the Kefauver hearing was held, complete with its own bulletproof judge’s bench.

As Chattel says, “I think you could do a mob museum somewhere else, but how would it ever have this kind of meaning?”

The Mob Museum’s Grand Opening Event & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 at 10 a.m. For more information, visit mobmuseum.org.

The Mob Museum National Museum of Organized Crime & Law Enforcement 300 Stewart Avenue Las Vegas, Nevada, 89101 Hours of Operation Sundays through Thursdays 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Fridays & Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

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Culture entertainment & activities

Looking at Las Vegas’ past to redefine its future

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The Wizard of Cause

Myron Martin

by JOHN DUNIA Las Vegas has been the scene of many spectacular grand openings, brimming with glitz, glamour and gala. However, this March will herald a different kind of opening, one that will change the cultural direction of Las Vegas forever.

After more than a decade of planning and construction, the doors of the Smith Center for the Performing Arts will open with Myron Martin as President and CEO. “The Smith Center is the result of the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, from our board of directors, donors, contractors, and partner organizations to our staff,” Martin says. “Their perseverance has brought what started as an idea to a reality that we, as a community, will all be able to enjoy for generations.”

Martin was originally approached as a consultant for his overall knowledge and experience with performing arts centers. His knowledge, however, soon proved invaluable and he was asked to join the team full time. This was the fulfillment of his lifelong dream.

When Martin was in the fourth grade, his class took a field trip to Jones Hall in Houston, Texas. It was then he realized what he wanted to dedicate his life to. “I had the opportunity to experience the arts and it forever changed my life,” Martin said. “It inspires artists young and old.

It’s an incredible, meaningful experience which everyone should get the opportunity to have.”

Sophistication and elegance aren’t the only things which will set the Smith Center apart from other world-class performing art centers. It will provide affordable access to world class entertainment with ticket prices starting at a relatively low $24.

But beyond big names in entertainment, there is one aspect that is of key importance to Martin. “Education is our DNA,” he is quick to add.

“Our Education and Outreach program has been an integral part of The Smith Center’s mission since day one.” In fact, Vice President of Education and Outreach Candy Schneider was a part of the team even before an architect and design team were chosen.

The Smith Center has partnered with many organizations and has been providing arts education for not only the Clark County School District but many community organizations. “Upon the opening of The Smith Center,” Martin said, “we look forward to expanding those efforts and making a difference in the lives of children for generations to come.”

For more information on upcoming performances, visit www.thesmithcenter.com

FEBRUARY Star Nursery Kids Gardening Club

Now - Summer 2012 10 a.m. or 2 p.m.

Star Nursery, all locations starnursery.com

Inaugural Polar Bear Plunge

International Beer Tasting & Food Sampling

Feb. 11, 2012, 1-4 p.m.

City of Henderson, Whitney Ranch Aquatic Complex, 267-5870 cityofhenderson.com/parks

Feb. 19, 2012, 2-4 p.m.

Roseman University Morton’s’ Steakhouse 702-968-2055, roseman.edu

‘Splendor in the Glass’ Wine & Beer Tasting Feb. 11, 2012, 3-7 p.m.

Vegas PBS, Las Vegas Hotel 799-1010 vegaspbs.org/winetasting

Wings over the Springs – Live Birds of Prey Show Now - Feb. 28, 2012 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Springs Preserve springspreserve.org

Honoring A Legend Steve Lesnick Now - Feb. 29, 2012 Elayne La Porta Fine Arts 121 S. Water Street

Orlando Montenegro “Transfiguration Phase”

events

Now - Mar. 23, 2012 Winchester Cultural Center Gallery, 455-7340 ClarkCountyNV.gov/parks

The Primrose Path with Luke Chueh & Juan Muniz

St. Valentines Dance with the Gene White Octet

Feb. 11, 2012, 8 p.m.

UNLV PAC, Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, pac.unlv.edu

Turtle Island Quartet

Feb. 24 – Mar. 11, 2012 Las Vegas Little Theatre lvlt.org

Feb. 25 - 26, 2012 7:30 or 2 p.m.

College of Southern Nevada Nicholas J. Horn Theatre 651-LIVE (5483), csn.edu/pac

Feb. 17, 2012, 12 p.m.

City of Las Vegas Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse artslasvegas.org

Masterworks III Feb. 18, 2012, 8 p.m.

Las Vegas Philharmonic lasvegasphilharmonic.com

March 02, 2012, 7 p.m.

City of Las Vegas Historic Fifth Street School 229-3515 turtleislandquartet.com artlaslasvegas.org

Second Annual Organ Concert Series: Hans Hielscher

Rock & Worship Roadshow

March 09, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

Christ Church Episcopal 2000 S. Maryland Pkwy. organconcerts.org

Feb. 25, 2012, 4 p.m.

Henderson Pavilion hendersonlive.com

CHAC Presents The KWAK Ballet

Tuck & Patti in Concert Feb. 25, 2012, 2 p.m.

Charleston Heights Arts Center artslasvegas.org

March 10, 2012, 2 p.m.

Charleston Heights Arts Center artslasvegas.org

MARCH Mary Warner March 01 - 30, 2012 Trifecta Gallery trifectagallery.com

SPACE: A Journey to Our Future

Itzhak Perlman, Violin

Play Dates

Nevada Series Tour Show

Gamble-Aires Quartets

Vocal Jazz Solo Nights

Feb. 27 - March 4, 2012 helpoutdineoutlv.org

4th Hands Across the Arts Benefit “A Raisin in the Sun”

Feb. 17 - 19, 2012 Rainbow Company Youth Theater, Historic Fifth Street School, Rainbowcompany.org

March 02, 2012 18b Arts District and Downtown firstfridaylasvegas.com

March 02 - 03, 2012 7:30 p.m.

CSN, Nicholas J. Horn Theatre 651-LIVE (5483), csn.edu/pac

Feb. 11, 2012, 7 p.m.

Charleston Heights Arts Center artslasvegas.org

Now - Mar. 31, 2012 Brett Wesley Gallery brettwesleygallery.com

Now - May 13, 2012 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Springs Preserve springspreserve.org

Las Vegas Restaurant Week

First Friday

Seven Guitars

Keep Memory Alive 16th Annual “Power Of Love Gala” Feb. 18, 2012 Cleveland Clinic Lou Rove Center for Brain Health MGM, 263-9797 keepmemoryalive.org

March 02 - 11, 2012 Nevada Conservatory Theatre Judy Bayley Theatre nct.unlv.edu

Béla Fleck and the Flecktones March 12, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

Xuefei Yang Yankee Tavern March 02 - 18, 2012 Las Vegas Little Theatre lvlt.org

March 14, 2012, 8 p.m.

UNLV PAC Doc Rando Recital Hall pac.unlv.edu

Get even more event listings and information, visit BLVDSLV.COM and select Calendar/Events.

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March 15, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

Sylvia March 16 - 25, 2012 Nevada Conservatory Theatre Black Box Theatre nct.unlv.edu

Dublin Down Festival March 16, 2012, 4 p.m.

Thomas & Mack 739-FANS, unlvtickets.com

Masterworks IV

Words on Dance

March 24, 2012, 8 p.m.

Las Vegas Philharmonic lasvegasphilharmonic.com

March 29, 2012, 7 p.m.

Nevada Ballet The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

Run Away with Cirque du Soleil

Young People’s Concert

March 24, 2012, 7:30 a.m.

Springs Preserve springspreserve.org

Brass Roots Quintet Concert March 24, 2012, 2 p.m.

City of Las Vegas, Charleston Heights Arts Center artslasvegas.org

Imagination Movers March 16, 2012, 7 p.m.

The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival March 16 - 18, 2012 Henderson Events Plaza hendersonlive.com

SF Jazz Collective Music of Stevie Wonder March 17 - 18, 2012 The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

The Canadian Tenor March 17, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Mar. 20 - 21, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

38th UNLVino March 22 - 24, 2012 UNLV, The Mirage unlvino.com

Straight No Chaser March 25, 2012, 7 p.m.

The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

March 30, 2012, 8 p.m.

Henderson Symphony Orchestra, Henderson Pavilion hsorch.org

The Pink Floyd Experience

The Color Purple April 02 - 08, 2012 The Broadway Series The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

Blithe Spirit April 06 - 22, 2012 Las Vegas Little Theatre lvlt.org

First Friday

March 30, 2012, 8 p.m.

The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

April 06, 2012 firstfridaylasvegas.com

Branford Marsalis

Clint Holmes

March 31, 2012 Cabreret Jazz The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

APRIL

Weekends Beginning April 06, 2012 Cabaret Jazz The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

Golda’s Balcony

Bow Wow Wow

April 01, 2012 Jewish Repertory Theatre The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

April 06, 2012 City of Henderson ArtBeat Henderson Events Plaza hendersonlive.com

events

Michael Feinstein The Sinatra Project

Walk with Me Cadillac Through the Years, 1902 - 2012 Iconographic American Beauty MAR. 25, 2012 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

110 years of beautiful automotive history will be on display at the 7th annual “Cadillac Through the Years” show. Findlay Cadillac is giving attendees a first look at the 2013 Cadillac XTS with 70 restored classic vehicles shown alongside the 2012 Cadillac fleet. The event will include a celebrity meet and greet and door prizes as well as an art sale/ auction to benefit Positively Kids and the Coral Academy of Science.

Town Square mytownsquarelasvegas.com

Savion Glover’s Bare Soundz March 27, 2012, 7:30 p.m.

The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

April 07, 2012, 9 a.m.

Easter Seals W. Wayne Bunker Family Park walkwithme.org/lasvegas

Art & Wine - Claude Monet: Impressions of Light

April 11, 2012, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.M. Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art bellagio.com

Luis Zea April 11, 2012, 8 p.m.

UNLV PAC Doc Rando Recital Hall pac.unlv.edu

The Good Lovelies April 02, 2012, 8 p.m.

City of Las Vegas, Historic Fifth Street School artslasvegas.org

Andrea Marcovicci – Marcovicci Sings Movies April 13 - 14, 2012 Cabaret Jazz The Smith Center thesmithcenter.com

Sign up for Our Bi-Weekly Events Newsletter by Emailing OutOnTheBlvds@BLVDSLV.COM with SUBSCRIBE in the Subject Line.

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SAMPLE SALE EVERYDAY. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Strategically creative, puuurrrfect design.

GRAPHIC DESIGN

BRANDING

WEBSITE DESIGN

The cats out of the bag, call us 702.521.3113

INSIDE THE WORLD MARKET CENTER 455 S. Grand Central Parkway, C-140, Las Vegas, NV 89106 702-457-0500 www.plumelvdc.com

design architecture + style IN THIS SECTION 34 Consummate Insider

Interior designer Jill Abelman creates urban environments that blend warm and cool.

37 Downtown Tech Library Work together, or just hang out, it is the ideal environment for all things tech.

38 Open Chord

Local artist Tim Bavington renders his musical paintings into public art.

< Painting by local artist Philip Denker, available at TrifectaGallery.com

Jill Abelman creates highly personalized urban enviroments

BY Eric Shellhorn

Jill and Marc Abelman in their > downtown interior design firm

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Š Spencer Burton

architecture & style Design

Soft modern with a twist

Design

The accomplished interior designer winces perceptibly as she recalls the look and layout of her first apartment.

architecture & style

“It was a little guest house in Long Beach California, probably about 700 square feet total,” she recalls of the humble digs she rented in the early 1980s. “I had these two mauve sofas—I’d never do anything in mauve today—and handpainted pillows and a black ebony upright piano. Oh, and there was an art deco bar. It was fun.”

Fun enough, apparently, that a former beau once prophetically remarked, “You should do this for a living.” Abelman, who at the time was working as a singer in a Top 40 cover band that toured around the West Coast, leaped at the idea.

“I immediately decided to enroll at a design school in Orange County, and as soon as I went through orientation, I said to myself, ‘I’m going to be doing this forever,’” she remembers.

Though she’s careful to distance her current work from the aesthetic that shaped her formative Southern California space, Abelman, who co-owns the downtown interior design firm, Inside Style, with husband and businessdevelopment director Marc, notes that a few hallmarks of her style were evident even then.

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© Greg Warden

“There was no clutter and no kitsch, but I used a lot of bold colors throughout the house,” she says. “I like big, bold statements. When you look at my portfolio, you might describe what I do as ‘soft modern, with a twist.’ There are comfortable textures, warm lighting, lots of books. To me, a space should beckon you to come sit.”

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architecture & style Design

© Spencer Burton

These days, the spaces she creates are also beckoning a fair share of clients— anywhere from a dozen to 15 at a time, she reports. Abelman generally limits herself to residential design, though since moving the firm’s offices to 1119 South Main St. in the downtown arts district in September, she’s taken pains to overhaul a cavernous 1940s retail space that had been largely neglected for years. The building comprises a storefront, generous office space, a central work station that Abelman refers to as her design “laboratory,” and a receiving area that may one day double as an event space.

Sometimes the work is relatively routine: Abelman is adept at helping clients tackle the basics of modern home design, from choosing paint colors and carpet to furniture or a new kitchen.

At other times, though, clients with urgent needs and relaxed budgets will call with unusual requests. In the fall of 2008, a well-heeled, globetrotting couple enlisted Abelman to utterly upend their

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overlooking the Strip. They gave her just 90 days to complete the job.

“It was a little crazy,” Abelman recalls.

“We met for the first time on October 1, and they needed the space completed before the end of the year. They were big entertainers, and they wanted the space to look like a modern version of a vintage Las Vegas nightclub. I was sending pictures to them in Europe and Dubai and trying to figure out what they’d want.”

In the end, the “modern Zen” motif she selected for the space delighted the clients. The most outré element, she says, was a three-foot-high wooden platform she laid over the penthouse’s existing travertine flooring to afford anyone sitting on the couches a panoramic view of the Strip. “The client was pushing me to go over-the-top, and that was it,” she says.

Abelman says the process of helping homeowners arrive at design schemes that reflect their preferences and personalities is an inexact science, but that she uses

cues—the way clients dress, behave and speak, for instance—to try and tease out an aesthetic that will make for a comfortable home.

This highly personalized approach is worlds away from her last corporate design job, in which she helped create interiors for model homes built by the large, publicly traded Richmond American Homes.

“What I missed when I was doing the models was that direct interaction with the homeowner— that chance to earn what I call a standing ovation of one or two. Now, I have that, and I’m enjoying every minute.”

Inside Style 1119 S. Main Street Las Vegas, 89104 702.399.1100 info@insidestylehome.com insidestyledesign.com

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Not all libraries are places of quiet studies, book browsing and shushing that noisy neighbor. There’s a new library in downtown Las Vegas that looks more like a high-tech study hall with table service. The usr/lib (pronounced “user, library”) occupies a corner of the second floor of the Emergency Arts Building at 520 E. Fremont Street, and it’s unique in every way.

The space features free Wi-Fi, several shelves of the latest books printed about technology, a handful of meeting tables, clusters of comfy furniture and a large classroom. The mostly 20-something patrons, each with an open laptop, create a buzz of collaboration.

Some are working to perfect smartphone apps and others are collaborating on programs or just soaking up and feeding off the energy. A waitress from The Beat Coffee Shop, located below the library, delivers coffee, beer and food to library-goers who placed their order using @counterless on Twitter.

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The library is sponsored by Zappos, which will soon be moving its headquarters to the old City Hall location. It’s open from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to midnight Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. A $25 membership fee gets you unlimited use of the usr/lib library.

Pawel Szymczykowski, a software engineer at Zappos, organized and oversees the library. “People like to work together, or be together with others who are working on their own things.

We’ve created a more ideal environment for that type of thing,” Szymczykowski said. Volunteers help shelve new books and weed out the outdated ones, but the books are not the focus of this library. Everyone seems to be on the same, high-tech page.

Learn more about the events and offerings at usr/lib at its website: http://usrlib.org.Share your tech tips with Al Gibes at: al@theonlineguy.com.

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© Checko Salgado

© Greg Warden

BY AL GIBES

architecture & style

inspires community and collaboration

Design

new downtown tech library

architecture & style Design

© Spencer Burton

Open Chords Tim Bavington renders his musical paintings into public art at Symphony Park

BY JARRET kEENE London-born Sin City citizen Tim Bavington is an artist who, for the last 10 years, has shown his work in prestigious galleries in Los Angeles, New York and overseas. He’s easily one of the most successful fine artists to call this town home. Now he’s ready for the latest challenge—bringing his art off the refined walls of museums and private collectors and out into the comparatively gritty arena of public art.

Gritty isn’t perhaps the best way to characterize Symphony Park, the 61-acre, mixed-use urban community in the heart of downtown that’s being developed by the city. Inside the neighborhood will be a

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small park with a concert stage, as well as Bavington’s first foray into public art.

Scheduled to open in March, the park is run by, and will come online simultaneously with, the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. But the center will have to compete with the artist’s re-imagining of 20th century composer Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man.” For Bavington, thinking in three dimensions is novel. He’s used to, and famous for, his two-dimensional “striped” paintings—lines of color serving as notation for pop songs.

“The idea was to create something people can walk around by rendering an abstract

painting into sculptural form,” he says. “I really wanted to present an artwork that’s simple, bold, and relying on Copland’s piece seemed a natural fit for a public park.”

Natural isn’t the initial word that comes to mind when considering the size of what Bavington has finished constructing in his L.A. warehouse: At 80 feet in length, 28 feet at its highest point, the work is a series of enamel-coated steel pipes—the height of each pipe is determined by the length of the note it signifies. Each color symbolizes a note in the Western music scale. (A two-dimensional, painted version will be mounted on the second floor of the Smith Center’s 2,050-seat Reynolds Hall.)

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Bavington made his way to Vegas when his parents split up, his father moving here in 1976. The young artist arrived a year after graduating high school and learned

about the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, for which his dad offered to pay the tuition.

Bavington stayed in the States, working in the entertainment industry doing movie posters and graphic design.

Exhausted, he returned to Vegas in ’93, married the daughter of a YESCO neonsign engineer, and was approached by eminent art critic Dave Hickey to attend UNLV’s MFA arts program.

“Dave gets all the credit for convincing me to attend grad school and launching my career,” confirms Bavington. “He’s an influential presence.”

© Spencer Burton

Although he insists the Strip’s intense illumination doesn’t influence him any more than American pop culture in general, he champions living downtown.

“Oh, I absolutely love it,” he says, “I don’t know if I can live anywhere else. With the Smith Center here, I imagine it becoming an even better place to live.”

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For info about Tim Bavington visit www.timbavington.com and Symphony Park, visit www.symphonypark.com.

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architecture & style

Indeed, feeling music has always been important to this artist. “Growing up in England, I always found pop music to be a big part of my life,” he says. “For my generation, music was about discovering one’s identity with friends at school— and people found their identity in glam rock, punk, Mod and metal. “Music is

different today, less culturally significant as compared to punk,” he continues. “Hiphop was the biggest thing to happen since that time, but nothing particularly new seems to have developed. Remember, though, my generation didn’t have video games or the Internet. Music was everything to us.”

Design

“‘Fanfare’ is less than 40 bars, which makes it manageable,” admits Bavington. “More than that, however, I looked at the score and just had a feeling for it.”

flavor dining + retail IN THIS SECTION 42 Rainbows End For 35 years this natural food store has provided locals and visitors with a variety of health products as well as a restaurant, classes, and a friendly and knowledgeable staff.

44 Joseph James Brewery Beer culture is on the rise in the Vegas Valley and this family owned brewery is staking its claim with unique microbrews and sodas.

46 Must Haves Shop local and support our economy by enjoying these special home-grown â&#x20AC;&#x153;flavorsâ&#x20AC;?.

48 IMHO Former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman shares his passion for downtown, classic Vegas and his new restaurant at the Plaza.

< Painting by local artist Marty Walsh, available at TrifectaGallery.com

The Long Reign of the Green Goddess

by HEKTOR D. ESPARZA

When Sam Friedman took over ownership of Rainbows End Natural Foods in November 2005, the retired chiropractor from California hoped it would prove an engaging endeavor to occupy his time while his wife finished medical school.

As he recalls, “I thought it would be an interesting business, a challenge for me to learn and a good thing to do for the community.” He was right on all fronts, and as the weeks running Rainbows End turned into years, Friedman discovered what it means to operate Las Vegas’ longest continuously operating health food store and restaurant.

Rainbows End opened in 1977 during a wave of emerging trends in selfhelp and alternative health practices. A stone’s throw from the Strip, Rainbows End is a find for vacationers who have run out of a Chinese herb or an obscure supplement product and cannot get what they need at a chain drugstore. A favorite of locals, people who live in the historic neighborhoods nearby are known to show up at the same time every day, sometimes for years on end. It’s also not unusual to see an entertainer from the Strip dropping in for a smoothie or organic vegetarian meal for a pre-performance energy boost.

Special events and weekly operations include health workshops and seminars, Chi Gong and Tai Chi classes on Saturdays, and new raw food specials on the menu every Friday. The restaurant’s dining room also serves as an art gallery with a new artist showing every month.

© Greg Warden

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General Manager James “J.C.” Cox says, 42

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“It’s so much more than a health food store. I like to refer to it as a wellness center because we also have the organic restaurant, we offer classes, and we support local health related businesses.”

He sees potential for more collaboration and welcomes new ideas from those in the health and wellness field.

Its operational model back in the ‘70s was much the same as it is today: offer a wide variety of vitamins, supplements and nutritional aides and a friendly staff eager to invest knowledge and time in the customer’s health. The Green Goddess, an overstuffed vegetarian pita sandwich, has inspired customer loyalty and kept the name Rainbows End on the lips of devotees for decades.

In the health food industry, customers range from the newly converted to the well-versed true believers and even the nearly militant. As J.C. says, “Younger people are some of our most excited customers. . .They let you know if something is not right, if something can be packaged more thoughtfully. We love seeing this new generation of young adults who are very well-informed and deliberate about how they consume.”

Friedman says an important key to maintaining its connection to the community is having knowledgeable staff whose experience and personalities are a good fit for the wide variety of customers.

He explains, “We have a good cross section of staff, from young and hip to old and wise. Our customer base is diverse and it’s neat to have staff that people can relate to. Young people relate to someone a little younger, and older people may not want to be getting assistance from a 22year old. They want someone with a little more life experience.”

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J.C. says, “We have customers that have been coming for 30 years. They offer stories from our past and experience with natural remedies.” The cumulative knowledge gained over 35 years in operation is shared with the staff and is often helpful to those exploring self-help for the first time.

Snack Attack Solutions!

by Jillian Plaster

Popped Popped, a locally owned and operated popcorn shop in Green Valley, is taking a new twist on the kernel. Get Toasted, Dilly Pickle, Bling Bling Cookies and Cream, and Dirty Vegas are among the unique offerings. But this is just the tip of the iceberg... literally.

If you’ve never had anything frozen with liquid nitrogen, you’ll get the chance to experience something modern and whimsical at Popped. Similar to pouring water over dry ice, the popcorn becomes surrounded by a cold fog that continues to smoke from your mouth as you munch. So forgo the “fro yo” and pop on over.

Popped - 9480 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. 110 Las Vegas (702) 998-9234

Jerky Outlet Tucked at the south end of Las Vegas Boulevard lies The Jerky Outlet, a recently-opened preserved meat store that sources from family farms in Minnesota. Here you can try fresh jerky sold out of a refrigerated case, a welcome rarity. If you’re feeling adventurous you can choose from alligator and kangaroo, but the safest choice for any palate would be the Honey BBQ beef. In addition to the fresh jerky, the outlet sells more commonplace dried jerky and other specialty foods. Make sure to try the deep fried peanut brittle, an addictive take on Cracker Jack.

Jerky Outlet - 8174 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Ste. 115 Las Vegas (702) 773-0311

Friedman says the store fulfills a real need in a city considered by many to be a hedonist’s paradise. “People come to Las Vegas to indulge and go crazy and we provide a sort of constancy and a good light to this city. We all like to have a good time but we also need to have centering and balance, and that is what Rainbows End is about.”

Amena Bakery and Deli

Rainbows End

Great Bao Asian Café

1100 E. Sahara Ave., Ste.101 Las Vegas 89104 737-1338 rainbowsendlv.info Monday – Fri, 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., Sunday, 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.

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Good vegetarians need a falafel fix, and Amena Bakery and Deli on Decatur makes a version unsurpassed in the valley. This Mediterranean quick service cafe and specialty food shop serves them as flavorful and light as they are crispy and piping hot. The creamy and well-balanced hummus is the perfect accompaniment, especially when paired with a bag of homemade pita strips. These are seasoned with the shop’s own spice blend, and make for a delicious takeaway snack. Be sure to take advantage of the flavorful tahini and hot sauces for an extra flavor boost if dining in.

Amena Bakery and Deli - 2101 S. Decatur Blvd., Ste. 10 Las Vegas (702) 382-1010

Great Bao serves steamed Chinese buns in possibly the strangest setting you could imagine, but please don’t let that deter you. Chef Sheridan, who has a string of Michelinstarred restaurants under his culinary belt, has chosen Touch Salon on Trop and Decatur as the platform for sharing his exceptional stuffed creations and a few other delightful dishes. The traditional crispy duck bao with hoisin, scallions and cucumber is flawless, as is the friendly service provided by Sheridan himself and his fiancée, Jenny. The combination will keep you coming back time and again, despite the annoying salon fumes.

Great Bao Asian Cafe - 4965 W. Tropicana Ave. Las Vegas (702) 900-2168

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J.C. notices two factors driving more customers to explore the benefits of alternative medicine and nutrition. One is the fact that many people have lost their jobs and their health insurance. They are realizing the value of preventative measures such as learning which foods are thought to have health benefits and which supplements may help address some of their health concerns. Another factor is the backlash against what many perceive as a health care system that encourages the overprescribing of pharmaceutical drugs with little consideration given to the positive effect changes in diet and exercise can produce on one’s health.

dining & retail FLAVOR © Alex Stone

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Joseph James Brewing Company Beer is amazing: hefeweizens, blondes, reds, browns, pale ales. The possibilities are limitless so when our editor, Hektor Esparza, stumbled upon the local bottling plant of Joseph James Brewing Co. and landed us a tour and tasting, I was eager to join him. Joseph James is a production brewery, not a brewpub with a venue for the public to imbibe. Tucked away in a nondescript, mostly industrial park, the place was not easy to find. We knew we arrived when we spotted their truck with the Joseph James Fox Brews logo parked in front.

As we walked in, we were greeted by Head Brewer Alex Graham who led us into a large warehouse. The scene was out of a movie with the star being the magnificent copper Bohemian Brewing System. This piece of equipment is a work of art. It’s a large double-tank system that is not only beautiful, it has the ability to brew a wide variety of beer styles because of its gentler, indirect heating system. Next to it is a series of Stromberg stainless steel tanks, followed by four more tanks used for fermenting and cooling as well as aging. On the day we went, Graham and crew were in mid-production and it looked a little bit like a scene out of Willy Wonka, only without the “Oompa Loompas.”

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All systems were going and the fermenting tanks were burping and belching, which is referred to as the “blow down.” Graham guided us through the brewing process of mixing the mash and creating the slurry while taking quick breaks to look at his iPhone’s brewer’s app. After this part is over, the hops and other ingredients are added to create a unique flavor and then allowed to ferment before being cooled and bottled on site.

The lineup of beers at Joseph James is impressive. From lagers to stouts, Joseph James owner Matt Lisowski hosted our tasting and the care and passion for his craft was plainly evident. They currently produce up to eight different styles including a canned gluten free beer, a Russian Imperial Stout called Red Fox, as well as two different sodas, a root beer and a cola.

Joseph James is a family-owned business started by Matt Lisowski and his dad, James. It was named after Matt’s younger brother, Joseph, whose favorite brew is the root beer which bears his name.

Joseph has Asperger’s syndrome and a portion of the brewery’s profits go to fund autism research.

© Alex Stone

by JAN CRADDOCK

Joseph James beverages can be found at Whole Foods, Khoury’s Fine Wines and Spirits, and at many beer festivals including Spring Preserve’s Grapes and Hops, Brews and Blues, Tivoli Village’s Great Festival of Beer and the Las Vegas Brew Festival at Montelago Village. For a local food and craft beer experience try Project Dinner Table. For more information on these and other events, go to the BLVDS events calendar at blvdslv.com.

Craft beers are alive and well in Las Vegas.

To learn more about local breweries go to the Nevada Brewers Guild website at NevadaBrewersGuild.org.

For more information about Joseph James Brewery, go to foxbrews.com or contact Matt Lisowski at wiezeguy@foxbrews.com.

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A Beer For All Seasons

Must Haves All the things you need to make life worth living.

< Colorado River Coffee Roasters CRCR unites passion, science and art to bring coffee lovers fabulous, highquality, fresh roasted coffee varietals from around the world. Brewed and sold at Sambalatte Torrefazione in Boca Park (750 S. Rampart Blvd, Suite 9), The Beat Coffeehouse and Records (520 Fremont St.), and Valley Cheese and Wine (1770 West Horizon Ridge Parkway, Henderson)

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Local Music

Chris Heers: “Western Stars”, Coastwest Unrest: “Songs from the Desert”, Halloweentown: “Zafra Ct.”, Kid Meets Cougar: “Sierra Papa Tango”. See Kid Meets Cougar live at Winchester Cultural Center Theater, Feb. 24th at 7 p.m., $7 in advance, $10 at the door. All music available at Zia Record Exchange at Sahara & Decatur or Eastern & Flamingo ziarecords.com

>

Objets d’arts

Japanese flower holder, paintings, sculpture, made by positives for positives. Proceeds to benefit ActionRED to support those newly diagnosed with HIV. ActionRED, 520 Fremont Street, #180 (inside Emergency Arts)

< Tenaya Creek

© Greg Warden

Imperial Stout (limited release)

Aliu All Natural Homemade Soaps & Lotions

>

This thick Imperial Stout is brewed using chocolate, roasted and black malts. Available at Khoury’s Fine Wine & Spirits (110 S. Eastern Ave.) and Tenaya Creek Brewery (3101 N. Tenaya Way)

High quality soaps made using the finest oils, butters, and essential oils. Available at: fresh52 farmers & artisan market at Tivoli Village. Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. fresh52 farmers & artisan market at Sansone Park Place, 9480 S. Eastern Blvd.

Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

BLVDS Marketplace

to advertise your business please call 386-6065

Mikel Patrik

KATRINA HASLETT, MD, PC OB/GYN

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Dramatic geometric abstract original paintings available from 5”x5” to over 60”x60”. Custom sizes and colors available upon request.

Printed reproductions also available.

Visit mikelpatrik.com to explore the limitless opportunities.

Dr. Haslett specializes in general Gynecology, General Obstetrics, Essure, Adolescent Gynecology, Abnormal Bleeding, Pelvic Pain, Abnormal PAPS, Menopause, Bioidenticals, Fibroids, Ovarian Cysts, Contraception, and educating women. Accepting most insurances.

520 E. Fremont St., Ste. 184 Las Vegas, NV 89101 622-0727 mikelpatrik.com

Katrina Haslett, MD, PC 6950 O’Bannon Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89117 243-0202

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We offer Health Coverage ideal for: • Individuals without Group Coverage • Students • Self-Employed • Independent Contractors • Small Businesses • COBRA/Alternative Alexandra Nguyen 9133 W. Russell Rd. Las Vegas, NV 89148 702.417.9272 Alexandra.Nguyen@anthem.com

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AtomicTestingMuseum.org 702-794-5161

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Former Mayor Oscar Goodman shares thoughts about his new restaurant, his love for old Vegas and his optimism for a revitalized downtown.

BY OSCAR GOODMAN

I always dreamed of having a gathering spot in the tradition of the old Las Vegas days, where friends can get together over a great meal and conversation. My dream has come true with the opening of my own steakhouse, “Oscar’s Beef ∙ Booze ∙ Broads,” at the Plaza Hotel and Casino.

Oscar’s reflects real Las Vegas, the Las Vegas I love—a classic Las Vegas where people can gather to eat, drink and have fun. It reflects the character that historically made and continues to make Las Vegas great—fun and happiness with elegance and style.

Our city has a personality unlike any other city in the world. Over the years, restaurants in our fair city have served great leaders dining alongside eccentric celebrities. It is that spirit of coming together and enjoying other people’s company that I treasure most when dining out in Las Vegas —that and a big martini with a great steak.

© Checko Salgado

dining & retail FLAVOR

IMHO

As mayor of Las Vegas, I was dedicated to launching a broad and bold revitalization of downtown Las Vegas. This rebirth spawned numerous restaurants and bars from the Arts District to East Fremont. These new eateries and lounges each offer their own unique vibe and contribute to the eclectic mix that makes downtown Las Vegas very special. And now, I have added my own steakhouse and speakeasy to this growing list of downtown venues.

Oscar Goodman at Oscar’s Beef • Booze • Broads at the Plaza Hotel and Casino

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And if a restaurant were to bear my name, it had to be in a location that epitomized Las Vegas. I couldn’t have chosen a more iconic or historic location than the dome of the Plaza, overlooking the lights of the Fremont Street

Experience. Long a landmark structure signifying the glitz of downtown Las Vegas, many have seen the Plaza featured in films and television shows over the years including one of my favorite movies, Casino (in which I starred with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone), which has a scene inside the glass-roofed dome that Oscar’s now calls home.

Joining other popular venues, Oscar’s and the adjacent Simpatico, an Italian Speakeasy and Grill, will further broaden the diverse dining and entertainment options available downtown as well as create new jobs for Las Vegans.

Downtown Las Vegas is bustling and offers something for everyone. And it is this diversity that will attract even more people and businesses.

This year, downtown will celebrate the opening of a world-class performing arts and cultural complex with the debut of The Smith Center, as well as the Mob Museum and the Neon Museum. A new city hall will open its doors, as will more restaurants and bars alongside innovative businesses looking to relocate to downtown, an exciting urban neighborhood that continues to evolve. All of these additions and transformations create a renewed interest and buzz about downtown, one of the oldest and most storied areas of Las Vegas.

As downtown Las Vegas continues to experience this wonderful rebirth, I am proud to open my steakhouse and be a part of it all.

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Help Us Accomplish Our Diamond Studded Goal

Visit www.whyranch.org to donate or find more information, or call our office at 702.644.9177

White Horse Youth Ranch (WHY Ranch) invites you to help us end 2011 with a kick and ring in 2012 with a cheer! WHY Ranch offers Clark County’s only free specialized horsemanship and riding program called “Diamonds in the Rough.” This unique program provides underprivileged Las Vegas youth, ages 8-18, a rare opportunity to experience a safe, healing and inspirational environment where a horse becomes a trusted friend. WHY Ranch develops the leaders of tomorrow by guiding students through learning new life skills which transfer into every area of their lives. We see our students demonstrating a higher level of respect for themselves, others and the community in which we all live. Currently we have 23 children in our life-changing “Diamonds in the Rough” program offered at our partner facilities; Cowboy Trail Rides which is out at beautiful Red Rock State Park and Four Views Equestrian in the Gilcrease area. Each partner provides the location and the horses and we bring our unique program and life changing philosophical approach. In 2012, our capital campaign will be successfully completed allowing us to have our own ranch facility and horses from which to offer our program to 100’s of children per month! Please contact us to find out more about our hope-infused program which offers children unique and valuable experiences that result in their hearts being healed, their minds being inspired and our western heritage being preserved. Contact WHY Ranch today to learn how you can help us make a positive impact upon our Las Vegas youth!

whyranch.org

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(702) 644-9177

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