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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECEMBER 15-21, 2016 TO DO
13 24/7
SPACES AND PLACES
34 No Vacancy
What to do around the clock in Las Vegas.
The last motels on Fremont Street.
BY SHANNON MILLER
BY LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS
14 The Deal 41 under 40.
BY ANTHONY CURTIS
15 Birth of a Rebellion
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a slam-bang backstory. BY LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS
FEATURE
17 25 Years of the Las Vegas Bowl
An oral history. BY MIKE GRIMALA
CONVERSATIONS
39 Steeped in Culture
Lucky Dragon’s sommelier fits her role to a tea. BY MARISA FINETTI
Larry Flynt talks free speech, truth in journalism and the importance of being left alone. BY LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS
44 Slytherin and Proud
25 Tricks of the Trade Cruelty-free substitutions vegan chefs use. BY DIANA EDELMAN
Ask a Native
What about paid parking? BY JAMES P. REZA
46 Lucky No. 7
Our go-to holiday digs. BY SEVEN STAFF
SOCIAL INFLUENCE
30 Spray Away the Pain
ON THE FLIP SIDE
BY JESSIE O’BRIEN
Seven Nights
A local artist tries to stop taggers.
Christmas Stories We’ve Heard Before The Hallmark Channel serves up soothing sameness. BY LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS
31 History for the Books
Two tales of how our city came to be. BY MICHAEL GREEN
32 Education Overhaul
OUR SITES TO SEE
Defending the house of He Who Must Not Be Named. BY CHARLIE STARLING
TASTE
Las Vegas Bowl 1994
42 A Man of the People
What to do after dark. BY IAN CARAMANZANA
Taking the Wheel The Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi on his new band, CRX. BY JESSIE O’BRIEN
Club Tour Lavo Italian Restaurant, Casino & Sports Lounge in The Palazzo. BY KAT BOEHRER
Drink This
VegasSeven.com La La Land Director of 10 Cloverfield Lane Damien Chazelle tries something completely different with La La Land. An aspiring actress meets a jazz musician in a city known for crushing hopes and breaking hearts. Read the full review at vegasseven.com/lalaland.
DTLV.com Fremont Middle School When word got out about the potential closing of John C. Fremont Middle School, parents and teachers started to worry. Read DTLV’s coverage on recent developments.
RunRebs.com Weekly Recap Following UNLV’s blowout by Duke, Tyler Bischoff examines whether there will be changes in point guard for UNLV, and if this season is simply about the Mountain West Tournament.
Wynn Resorts is giving back in spades by adopting a local elementary school.
Atlantico Reserva Cognac Finish rum.
BY MARK ADAMS
BY XANIA WOODMAN
SpyOnVegas.com
Rhapsody in Blu
The Hookup Find upcoming events, see highlights from the hottest parties, meet the DJs and more.
PLUS: Finding happiness on Instagram.
Why Gabriel Tileff will never forsake the underground. BY JOHN CARR
December 15-21, 2016 vegasseven.com
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PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Photography GINGER BRUNER
Ryan T. Doherty | Justin Weniger President Michael Skenandore Chief Financial Officer Sim Salzman Vice President, Marketing and Events Keith White Creative Director Sherwin Yumul Graphic Designer Javon Isaac Technical Director Herbert Akinyele Controller Jane Weigel
Letters and Story Ideas Comments@VegasSeven.com Advertising Sales@VegasSeven.com Distribution Distribution@VegasSeven.com
PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP Vegas Seven 701 Bridger Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89101 702-798-7000 Vegas Seven is distributed each Thursday throughout Southern Nevada. © 2016 Vegas Seven, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Vegas Seven, LLC is prohibited.
Publisher
Michael Skenandore Editorial EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Melinda Sheckells MANAGING EDITOR
Genevie Durano SENIOR EDITOR, DINING, BEVERAGE & NIGHTLIFE
Xania Woodman ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Mark Adams SENIOR WRITER
Lissa Townsend Rodgers EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Shannon Miller EDITORIAL INTERNS
Sam Mendoza, Ashley Miles, Zauni Tanil, Ally Tatosian Contributing Editors Michael Green (Politics), Al Mancini (Dining), David G. Schwartz (Gaming/Hospitality) Art CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Benjamin Ward SENIOR DESIGNER
Cierra Pedro STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Krystal Ramirez PHOTO INTERNS
Zach McKee, Wes Morefield VegasSeven.com DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL CONTENT
Zoneil Maharaj EDITOR, DTLV.COM
Jessie O’Brien DIGITAL PRODUCER & WRITER
Amber Sampson CONTRIBUTING WRITER, RUNREBS.COM
Tyler Bischoff Production/Distribution DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION/DISTRIBUTION
Marc Barrington ADVERTISING MANAGER
Jimmy Bearse Sales BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Christy Corda DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL SALES
Nicole Scherer ACCOUNT MANAGER
Brittany Quintana ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Robyn Weiss, Matt Iles DIRECTOR OF SALES, BILLBOARD DIVISION
John Tobin
TO DO
24/7 What to do around the clock in Las Vegas By Shannon Miller
THURSDAY 15
FRIDAY 16
SATURDAY 17
Winter wonderland? How about desert wonderland?
If you sit in a classroom or office all week (and even if you don’t), some fresh air might be nice. Gilcrease Orchard offers holiday wagon rides, with caramel apples, apple cider doughnuts, kettle corn, chili, hot cider and hot chocolate available for purchase. 4–8 p.m., $2 entry, 7800 N. Tenaya Way, thegilcreaseorchard.org
It’s the holidays, which means you need to get your aggression out before you spend what seems like countless days cramped in one home with your family. See WWE NXT Live, and root for your favorite wrestler as they hammer down in the ring. 7:30 p.m., $26–$113, Mandalay Bay Events Center, mandalaybay.com
Ethel M Chocolates’ Botanical Cactus Garden
PHOTO BY COURTESY OF ARTIST
takes you on a journey through thousands of holiday lights adorning more than 300 species of cacti, succulents, desert trees and shrubs. 5–10 p.m, 2 Cactus Garden Dr., ethelm.com
The In Transition: Female Figurines exhibition brings us closer to understanding pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica, Central America and South America. Each unique figurine reveals the history of the people who created them thousands of years ago. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum, unlv.edu
Meet artist Shelbi Schroeder at her Dec. 20 Reclaim exhibition reception.
Take a lunch break and head to Lloyd D. George Federal Courthouse for a program of holiday classics performed by the Nevada School of the Arts Quartet. Noon, 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South, artslasvegas.org As we near the end of 2016, we pay our respects to those who passed this year. DJ Allen spins at Prince vs. Bowie: A Dance Party at the Bunkhouse Saloon to help facilitate some catharsis. 11 p.m., bunkhousedowntown.com Local musicians bring you The Dark Holidays at Backstage Bar & Billiards. Enjoy the funky bass riffs of iRie along with Prolific’s prog rock and some acoustic guitar shredding and powerful vocals from Kat Kalling. 8 p.m., $5–$10, backstagebarlv.com
Not even an iceberg will stop Santa’s sleigh from visiting Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. Get a pic with jolly St. Nick on the ship’s grand staircase while touring the exhibit. 1–3 p.m., Luxor, $24–$32, luxor.com Special celebrations call for Champagne, but there are more sparkling wines to discover from all over the world! At Sips With a Master Sommelier at Twist by Pierre Gagnaire, Will Costello will show you how to select and pair the perfect bubbly with your holiday meals. 4–5 p.m., $50, Mandarin Oriental, mandarinoriental.com It’s not too late to do good for Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation’s 14th Annual Fill the Fire Truck Toy Drive. Firefighters and volunteers are still collecting new, unwrapped toys and gift cards at select Wal-Mart locations and any local fire stations across the Valley. Donations accepted Sat and Sun through Dec. 18, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., theburnfoundation.org Learn to capture the beauty of winter skies with watercolor. Clark County Wetlands Park provides all supplies and instruction to make your own masterpiece. 11 a.m., advance registration required, facebook.com/clarkcountyparks
December 15-21, 2016 vegasseven.com
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TO DO
Piff the Magic Dragon with Mr. Piffles; Ethel M Chocolates’ Botanical Cactus Garden
PAID PARKING, MONITORED DRINK COMPS,
Sexy nerds show us how the holidays and the horror genre go together at Nerdlesque Night’s Bloody Holiday. 7:30 p.m., $10, Artifice, facebook.com/nerdisthenewsexy Watch competitors perform Herculean feats at Nevada’s Strongest Man & Woman. Cheer them on as they pull logs, pickup trucks and other impressively heavy items. 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., in front of Banger Brewing, unitedstatesstrongman.com SUNDAY 18
How about some live music and comfort food after a morning hike at Mount Charleston? The lodge there has you covered with pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more. Plus, Michael DeGreevs entertains from his catalog of 500 songs from classic rock and pop genres. 12–4 p.m., mtcharlestonlodge.com Marc D. Donovan invites you to Christmas Crooner to benefit Foster Change,
a nonprofit that supports resources for foster, kinship and adoptive families of Southern Nevada. Listen to Sam Phillips, formerly of Million Dollar Quartet, pay tribute to classic holiday baritones such as Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra. 3 p.m., $35-$65, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, facebook.com/christmascrooner Help yourself to a delicious meal that helps others, too. Fresh52 Farmers and Artisan Market and local vegan Chef Mayra serve up a Holiday Farmhouse Brunch to benefit Project 150, a nonprofit that helps homeless and disadvantaged high school students graduate. 11:30 a.m., $50–$90, Tivoli Village, sundaysuppers.splashthat.com MONDAY 19
Mondays Dark turns 3, but rather than throwing a birthday party, performer, philanthropist and host Mark Shunock celebrates the anniversary of the charity event at Vegas’ Night to Give Back. 7 p.m., $20–$50, Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, mondaysdark.com Mr. Piffles wants to remind us that the holiday season is about giving back. Catch Piff the Magic Dragon’s holiday show, Piff’s Piffmas Piff-Tacular, and bring unopened pet food for the Piff for Pets Holiday Pet Food Drive with Three Square Food Bank to help other furry friends enjoy the season. 8 p.m., $63–$103, Bugsy’s Cabaret at Flamingo, piffthemagicdragon.com The Play4Kay Shootout: Women’s Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Arena is a benefit for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Watch teams carry on the message of perseverance and awareness, just as beloved coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Kay Yow did. 11:30 a.m., $15–$50, T-Mobile Arena, kayyow.com They play, you sing. The Golden Tiki hosts A Very Merry Punk Rock Karaoke with a four-piece backup band to push you through your set. 10 p.m., thegoldentiki.com
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December 15-21, 2016 vegasseven.com
TUESDAY 20
Did you know you can see a polar bear family here in Las Vegas? OK, so they aren’t real polar bears, but Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens has put a few made of flowers on exhibit, alongside decorated trees and holiday displays. 24/7, bellagio.com Meet Shelbi Schroeder, the artist behind the Reclaim exhibition. With photography, textiles and other media, Schroeder has challenged domesticity and sexuality and explored female desire. View her artwork, engage in its novel commentary and rub elbows with the artist herself. 4–6 p.m., Las Vegas City Hall Grand Gallery, 495 S. Main St., artslasvegas.org It’s time to kick it up a notch! Emeril Lagasse’s New Orleans Fish House just launched a four-course winter tasting menu, showcasing the restaurant’s signature and new plates, from lettuce wraps to gumbo and other Creole dishes the celebrity chef is known for. Bam! $55, MGM Grand, mgmgrand.com WEDNESDAY 21
Treat yourself! Visit Downtown’s new Vesta Coffee Roasters, which opened this month, to get through slump day. 7 a.m.–4 p.m., 1114 S. Casino Center Blvd., vestacoffee.com
Gold Top Bob & The Goldtoppers soothes Double Down Saloon with sweet old-school blues. 10 p.m., doubledownsaloon.com Looking for more stuff to do in Las Vegas? Go to vegasseven.com/calendar
6-5 blackjack. The casinos seem to be tightening up everywhere. But one area where that’s not happening is room rates. Sure, they aren’t exactly what they used to be, due in most part to resort fees (which belong on the list above), but even when adding in the RFs, rooms in Las Vegas are still as inexpensive as they come. The absolute best month for deep discounts is December, and the best part is right now—the period between the end of NFR and Christmas Eve. Accordingly, every year at this time, we conduct a monster rate survey at LasVegasAdvisor.com. It’s a serious study that encompasses every casino in town (89 this count), and we check lots of sources. This year we found 41 casinos with rates of less than $40. Twenty-two of the 41 were below $30, and three were under $20. Here they are (note that these are base rates; in many cases resort fees and taxes will raise the bottom line by $20-$30). • Under $20 Club: Circus Circus, Golden Gate, Palace Station. • Under $30 Club: Arizona Charlie’s Boulder, Artisan, Bally’s, Boulder Station, The D, El Cortez, Super 8 at Ellis Island, Excalibur, Flamingo Las Vegas, Four Queens, Hard Rock, Harrah’s, Hooters, Luxor, Plaza, Rio, Silver Sevens, Stratosphere, Sunset Station, Texas Station, Westgate, Wild Wild West. • Under $40 Club: California, Cannery, Downtown Grand, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, Fremont, Gold Coast, The LINQ, Main Street Station, Monte Carlo, Palms, Rumor, Sam’s Town, Santa Fe Station, Tropicana, Tuscany. The good deals also extend to the higher-end casinos: New York-New York, $40; SLS Las Vegas, $41; Planet Hollywood, $47; MGM Grand, $48; Mandalay Bay, $65; Green Valley Ranch, $76; Red Rock, $80; The Cromwell, $85; Caesars Palace, $98. It gets even better when you consider bundles, add-ons and other special promos. For example: Treasure Island has a rate of $60, but BOGO deals are also available this month— stay two nights at TI and it’s just $30 per. When considering the best bottom-line deal, California, Fremont and Main Street Station have a $38 rate that comes without a RF, but with a $10-per-day food-and-beverage credit. Apply the credit and it’s like the rate is $28. At MGM Grand, it’s a $50 rate plus a $35 RF ($85), and it includes two buffet passes per day. The dinner buffet is $30, so take $60 off and you get a $25-per-night bottom line. Circus Circus’ base rate is $20 and there’s a $24 RF (funny, I know). That’s $44, but you get a $20 food credit, for an adjusted rate of $24. We live here and don’t need to rent rooms, but if there’s ever a time that the dynamic changes, it’s during the holidays, when relatives visit and perhaps a spur-of-the-moment, around-the-block getaway comes into play. Go ahead take a little staycation. You’ll have the best of the deal, at least for this month. 7 Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor and LasVegasAdvisor.com.
PIFF PHOTO BY ANTHONY MAIR/ CACTUS GARDEN BY L AS VEGAS NEWS BURAU
41 Under 40
THE DEAL
By Anthony Curtis
TO DO
PHOTO BY JONATHAN OLLEY/LUCASFILM
I
f the phrase “prequel” when attached to Star Wars still fills you with Phantom Menace trepidation, allow me to put your mind at rest. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story does its legacy proud with dazzling effects and slam-bang action, but adds hints of ambiguity and complexity to its space-opera flash. Charismatic, cutthroat rebel fighter Cassian Andor (Diego Luna—imagine Luke Skywalker’s ideals with Lando Calrissian’s morals) is leading an effort to find out the nature of the Empire’s new weapon. A rumor about a set of plans that may help destroy it leads him to criminal-with-a-backstory Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), who could care less. “You can stand to see the Imperial flag reign across the galaxy?” he asks her. “It’s not a problem if you don’t look up,” she responds. But when Erso does look up and finally sees the bombs falling, she joins a renegade group attempting to seize the key to stopping the Death Star. The movie is full of drop-your-popcorn chase scenes and cheer-inducing fight sequences, but there’s also a distinct darkness to Rogue One: It makes The Empire Strikes Back look like Return of the Jedi. Rebellion is not easy or fair—the ragtag crew struggling against the Empire takes diversity into a new galaxy (literally), everyone needs a bath, and many have done things they’re “not proud of” in service of the greater good.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story also shows the flaws in the big forces at work: The Alliance squabbles over the “right” ways to fight back and even considers surrender, but the Empire has its own problems with toadying and backstabbing. A CGI Peter Cushing returns as Grand Moff Tarkin—two decades dead and still the chilliest motherfucker in the galaxy, though Ben Mendelsohn as his right-hand fascist gives a few icy sneers of his own. Aside from mandatory Vader, there are also two other quick cameos from the O.G. Star Wars—one obvious, and one that’ll only be caught by the real heads. Perhaps the most compelling figure in Rogue One is Hong Kong action legend Donnie Yen as a blind priest and last believer in the Force—the scene where he takes out a legion of Stormtroopers with just his staff and skills is a standout and a mitzvah to all of us who fantasized of a Lucasfilm/Shaw Brothers Studio collaboration. Yen’s sidekick is a mountainous Wen Jiang, who contributes dry humor and heavy firepower. These two have great chemistry and kick epic ass: Give them another prequel! Rogue One is a rollicking good time at the movies, but it also carries the reminder that, when people choose to die on their feet, rather than live on their knees, some will suffer the former fate. But, as they say in the Alliance, “Rebellions are built on hope.” 7
Birth of a Rebellion Rogue One: A Star Wars Story serves up a stirring backstory By Lissa Townsend Rodgers
The Imperial Death Troopers in Rogue One.
December 15-21 2016 vegasseven.com
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A CITY, ITS GRIDIRON AND 25 YEARS OF HIGH-ENERGY ACTION
By Mike Grimala Trophy Photography Anthony Mair Archival Photography Courtesy of Las Vegas Bowl and the Las Vegas News Bureau
LAS VEGAS BOWL AN ORAL HISTORY
SIX EXECUTIVES INFLUENTIAL IN THE BOWL’S BACKSTORY SHARE THEIR PERSPECTIVES
ROSSI RALENKOTTER Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority president and CEO; Las Vegas Bowl committee member
ROB DONDERO R&R Partners executive vice president; Las Vegas Bowl committee president
THE EARLY YEARS ROSSI RALENKOTTER We were looking for special events from Thanksgiving weekend to Christmas Eve. That’s always been a slow period for Las Vegas. ROB DONDERO Twenty-five years ago, the showrooms would shut, restaurants would shut. Everything went dark for a good portion of December. So the LVCVA and R&R sat down and looked at things that were happening [in other tourist destinations] during that time of the year, and we decided that a college bowl game would be very interesting. DON LOGAN Rossi told me about a chance for them to do a bowl game, and I told them I thought it made perfect sense. Las Vegas should be a bowl city. DONDERO The next step was identifying how you actually go about getting a bowl game. After several calls to various conferences, athletic directors and ESPN, we found out there was a bowl game that was looking to move and change location.
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December 15-21, 2016 vegasseven.com
DON LOGAN Las Vegas 51s president and COO; Las Vegas Bowl game chair
RALENKOTTER Luckily for us, the California Raisin Bowl had decided not to continue in [Fresno]. DONDERO We literally reached out to them and said, “Would you be interested in moving to Las Vegas?” And they were very open to that. So then we had to go to Toledo, [Ohio], for the meeting to get the conferences and the NCA A on board. RALENKOTTER It was Rob Dondero, [Las Vegas PR legend] Herb McDonald and myself at the meeting. It wasn’t a done deal. We knew we had to convince the NCA A that Las Vegas was a place for a bowl game. We sold all the attractions—the great hotels, international destination, all the amenities. We stressed the great experience the players would get. We told them about UNLV being part of the NCA A family, and Sam Boyd Stadium, and that Las Vegas was a college sports town. DONDERO And they said yes. I was very surprised. Being an outsider to the bowl business, I pictured all 20 athletic directors from the conferences hashing it out and voting on it, but it went much smoother than anyone expected. An hour later we were good to go. It was really a matter of being in
JOHN SACCENTI Las Vegas Bowl executive director
JENNIFER LOGAN Las Vegas Bowl committee member
the right place at the right time. The game was going to move somewhere, and we showed up with a great pitch. Everyone thought it was a good idea. RALENKOTTER We knew we had a great product to bring to the bowl series. We sold it, and they were convinced. DON LOGAN They went to the meeting, came back and said, “We got a bowl game.” It happened just like that. DONDERO Now we had something that had never been here. We had to introduce a new event to the Las Vegas community, to the resort partners. We had to create an infrastructure that could produce the event. RALENKOTTER A staff had to be hired to handle the game-day operations and all the things necessary to make the game happen. JENNIFER LOGAN I was a student at UNLV at the time, but I also worked in the athletic department. It was an R&R, LVCVA and UNLV consortium that got together to produce the game.
MARK WALLINGTON Las Vegas Bowl manager of media relations
DONDERO The first thing we had to learn was the best way to communicate to all the conferences and universities that this [was their] new home. We had to convince everyone that this was a legit place to play a game, from the alumni to the players to students to coaches. It was a little tough. It wasn’t a big time for the internet, so a lot had to be done through program ads and traditional media. RALENKOTTER Then we had to reach out to the conferences to get promotion, marketing and advertising figured out. It was about getting word out that we had a bowl game. JOHN SACCENTI The big struggle back then wasn’t trying to figure out a way to get people to travel to Las Vegas, but how do we sell tickets? We couldn’t live and die on the teams. How do you sell locals on tickets when they don’t know who’s playing in the game until two weeks before? So we had to create an experience where it doesn’t matter who’s playing in the game. MARK WALLINGTON It was a little mom-and-pop back then, but the game always offered a tremendous bowl week.
From top: Christmas show performers outside what was known as Sam Boyd Silver Bowl before the inaugural Las Vegas Bowl in 1992; Torrential rains soaked the carnival brought in to offer fans a pregame experience outside Sam Boyd Stadium, but the storms let up enough to draw a crowd of 41,293 to see 10th-ranked Boise State defeat Utah 26-3 on Dec. 22, 2010.; Hometown UNLV has played in two Las Vegas Bowls, including beating Central Michigan 52-24 on Dec. 15, 1994.
THE GAMES 1992-1994 JENNIFER LOGAN For the inaugural game we created a pep rally on Fremont Street. This was prior to the canopy. The plan was to have the Flying Elvii land on Fremont Street during the pep rally and deliver the game ball, but it ended up being in the middle of a snowstorm. DONDERO It was so cold and windy, one of the jumpers landed in the Cashman Center parking lot. One landed behind the Plaza hotel. A third guy literally missed Sassy Sally’s boot by about a foot. It was the craziest opening we could have had. JENNIFER LOGAN It was definitely a Las Vegas touch. DON LOGAN When the teams would come to town, we did the same schticky stuff that every other bowl game does. We would have a battle of the [marching] bands, but in the MAC and Big West days, sometimes the schools couldn’t even afford to send their bands here for the game. But the game itself has always been a strong foundation.
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RALENKOTTER The first game, back in 1992, Bowling Green beat UNR. It was 35–34, really an exciting game. JENNIFER LOGAN After the bowl season was over, the L.A. Times called it the most exciting bowl game of the year. That helped tremendously to create awareness. To get that recognition in the first year was really encouraging to us. UNLV beating Central Michigan in 1994 was another important moment for the game, because it really drew the attention of the locals. Obviously, for this to work long term, we would have to draw locally as well as getting the teams’ fan bases out. So that was a big game for us. 1997 WALLINGTON Air Force vs. Oregon in 1997 was the first really big game. It was the first time it wasn’t the MAC and Big West champs, and we got two high-profile teams. 2001 DONDERO Our broadcast partner is ESPN, and we’ve always had a really good relationship. In the beginning, the LVCVA owned and operated the game, but in 2001 the LVCVA created a deal with ESPN for them to own and operate the game. JENNIFER LOGAN When we did our tie-in with the PAC-10 in 2001, that just helped us so much. Geographically ... getting into those markets, which are good for Las Vegas. DONDERO The PAC-10 brought a footprint from Colorado and Wyoming all the way to the West Coast, which is our key market. So getting the PAC-10 and moving to ABC was a big moment for the game.
WALLINGTON The monumental change came in 2001, and that was USC coming here. USC has a national brand, and they had never played at UNLV, so for them to come to this state, which was so close geographically, with such a big fan base, it was great. And they were playing Utah. It was a big crowd. It was on ABC on Christmas, and it got the biggest rating in the bowl’s history. JENNIFER LOGAN That 2001 game was our first [one] televised on ABC. 2005 SACCENTI The first sellout in the history of the Las Vegas Bowl was December 21, 2005. We owe a lot to BYU and Cal, because we had two unbelievable programs that traveled really well and created excitement. DONDERO I think the key moment was when BYU started coming, because BYU has such a loyal traveling fan base. The first time, they sold out the stadium. WALLINGTON The “BYU era” is a big deal. That’s what elevated the game to its current level. That’s when the sellouts started. We had never had a sellout until 2005. And then we had five straight years [2006-2010] of BYU playing in the Las Vegas Bowl. The next year they were 11–2, they were ranked and there was a lot of demand. We sold 44,615 tickets, which is the all-time largest crowd for a team sporting event in state history. We had to put up temporary bleachers behind the end zone to accommodate the demand. At Sam Boyd you really can’t break that record. SACCENTI All of a sudden, the perception completely changed. We started selling out the day we announced the teams. People didn’t want to get shut out. We were for-
From top: The Hoff, whose daughter attended the University of Arizona, gave the game its most memorable national anthem performance before Arizona upset 16th-ranked BYU 31-21 on Dec. 20, 2008. The pregame highlight even led off ESPN’s SportsCenter that evening; Pioneer served as the Las Vegas Bowl’s longest-running title sponsor, signing on to be part of the event from 2004-08, including this 2005 game between BYU and California; UNLV senior Henry Bailey was named MVP after scoring four touchdowns in a 52-24 rout of Central Michigan on Dec. 15, 1994; the Las Vegas Bowl has been shown by ESPN, ESPN2 and, for the last four consecutive years, ABC-TV.
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tunate to go on a string with BYU, and I know some people will say it’s pretty easy to fill that stadium up when you have BYU, but we haven’t had BYU in a while, and I think we’ve gone on to create something pretty special. 2008 WALLINGTON The biggest star moment of my career with the bowl is the year we got the Hoff to sing the anthem. It was 2008, and we found out David Hasselhoff’s daughter went to Arizona, which was playing in the Las Vegas Bowl that year. So we reached out to the Hoff. There was some skepticism about whether it would work, but the throng of media around him on the field—he didn’t just have the sports media there; all the paparazzi were at the game to get a shot of him singing—you would have thought it was Whitney Houston [out there]. It was great exposure for the game. It led off SportsCenter. I still have it on my DVR. Then he came into the press box with pre-autographed photos. [Laughing] He was just passing them out! He loved it and we loved him. 2010 WALLINGTON After BYU, we kind of switched to the Boise State era. In 2010, Boise played Utah, and it was the first game that matched up two ranked teams. And it showed it didn’t have to be BYU, because the game sold out. Sellouts kind of became the norm for the Las Vegas Bowl. Last year, when we had the return of BYU to play Utah, their big rival, playing outside of the state of Utah for the first time, it was the hottest ticket in the history of the game. We could have sold 10,000 more tickets. We ended up selling 43,213. It was the eighth sellout in the last 11 years.
THE STORIES SACCENTI I think we’ve taken it to a new level. I want our people to ask, “What has nobody done at a game, and can we do that?” I can tell you that no other bowl game has built an entertainment stage in the heart of the stadium and had the Jabbawockeez, Rock of Ages and other Strip headliners. We’ve had world-class DJs playing [before and during]. The experience people get is different. Back in 2010, we were trying to create a bigger, better fanfest. So we contracted a traveling carnival company, and we were going to have a full-blown carnival before the game—Ferris wheel, Tilt-A-Whirl, the whole deal. We were averaging 39,000 people, so the contract was we’d give them space to set up, and they’d get to keep the revenue from the carnival. Well, that day we had the hardest rainstorm. I think it rained for about seven straight hours, and every ride got flooded out. I was standing there watching the Ferris wheel, and every time the last car got to the top and turned over, gallons of water were just dumping out. It was a complete disaster. I don’t think one single person went to the carnival. DONDERO One year, before Sam Boyd had a score board, we had a vendor who set up a giant video wall on the north side of the field between the locker room and the stadium. And it was the windiest day I think I’ve ever seen in Las Vegas. It must have been 60 miles per hour, and the video wall was just swaying back and forth. I thought it was going to fall and kill somebody! WALLINGTON When Oregon played here, the team mascot was getting ready to go to an event, so he came down from the hotel with his suit and head on. He thought
From top: Future NFL players quarterback Kellen Moore (left) and running back Doug Martin helped sixth-ranked Boise State roll past Arizona State in 2011; the field-size American flag has been a fixture at the Las Vegas Bowl for years; eight of the last 11 Las Vegas Bowls have been sellouts, including this night game featuring BYU and California on Dec. 22, 2005; Utah defensive back Tevin Carter (No. 9) became only the second defensive player to earn MVP honors in a Las Vegas Bowl after he had two interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown, in last year’s Las Vegas Bowl win over BYU.
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it would be funny to go through the casino. The Oregon duck was detained by casino security. That is only in Las Vegas. DON LOGAN One of the challenges of Sam Boyd Stadium is that you know the sewer is going to back up in the locker rooms. Anyone who’s been at a UNLV game with more than 20,000 people there, it’s just a given. DONDERO Before one of the games, we had a sewer issue in the north end zone. It was one of the years BYU was playing, so traffic into the stadium was bumper-tobumper. We had to get a police escort to get the plumber here in time. WALLINGTON You’ve got to give credit to these guys who brought it here. There were disbelievers. Remember, that was before a lot of these events we have here now. It was before the raceway was even built. Las Vegas was more of a gaming town. It was before the culinary and the shopping, and before all the college basketball tournaments. It seems like a no-brainer now, but it wasn’t a sure thing. They guessed right, and they went out and got a bowl game to come here. DON LOGAN Nobody has done more to promote Las Vegas in the last 40 years than Rossi. In my mind, Rossi is the most important marketing entity that Las Vegas has ever had. He continues to understand and figure out new ways to fill those 150,000 rooms we have. And working hand-in-hand with Rob, the bowl has been the beneficiary of two guys who are good friends and who are tremendously successful working together.
THE FUTURE RALENKOTTER We’re well established among the bowl landscape now. There are a lot more bowls now than when we started, but when you have that brand in Las Vegas, everyone wants to be involved. Because of Las Vegas, we have a competitive advantage over all the other cities that have a bowl game or might want a bowl game. DONDERO We are now the 16th-oldest bowl game on the roster. I remember when we started and people didn’t really take us seriously. They said, “Eh, you’ll be in for two years and then it’s going to die.” But we made sure it survived and grew. DON LOGAN Now you look at the longevity of it, and I think with the new stadium that’s being discussed right now, it could change the dynamics of the game for the better. I could envision a future where Las Vegas has two bowl games, or maybe because of the new stadium we get into the bowl playoffs. Look at the way college basketball has embraced Las Vegas—Duke is coming here, BYU is essentially hosting a tournament here, the PAC-12, Mountain West and West Coast Conferences all have their postseason tournaments here. I think the Las Vegas Bowl is really well positioned to get bigger and better. DONDERO Word has gotten out to athletes and coaches that this is probably the most fun game you can go to. One thing that’s held back growth is the size of the stadium—we can’t make some financial business decisions without additional ticket sales. But with a new venue possibly being built, that would change the entire dynamic of the game, where we could go from being in Tier 3 to maybe somewhere in the top tier of bowl games. I think we’re in [a] very good position because we have such a proven track record with the people who really matter. No one has left this game having a bad time.
THE STATS ON THE GAME By Rob Miech
When: Saturday, December 17, 12:30 p.m. Where: Sam Boyd Stadium Who: Houston (9-3) vs. San Diego State (10-3) Series: Houston leads 2-0, but both games were played during the Nixon administration. Television: ABC The Line: Houston Cougars -3.5 Prediction: San Diego State 21, Houston 20 Houston boasts the nation’s third-ranked rushing defense, having allowed fewer than 98 yards a game. It is a fitting denouement, then, for Las Vegas native Donnel Pumphrey to try to become collegiate football’s all-time rushing leader; he has tallied 6,290 yards in four seasons at San Diego State, and with 108 more he will eclipse Wisconsin great Ron Dayne. Pumphrey, a product of Canyon Springs High, has had success at Sam Boyd, having accumulated 226 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries in two previous games against UNLV. Houston senior linebackers Steven Taylor and Tyus Bowser nullify many opposing runners, as does 290-pound freshman tackle Ed Oliver. However, they are not infallible. Houston defeated Oklahoma and Louisville when both were among the top three in the country, but the Cougars also allowed Navy to run roughshod, for 306 yards, in a rousing victory by the Midshipmen, and four other teams ran for triple digits in yardage against Houston. Pumphrey has 66 career TDs. That draws attention. If SDSU coach Rocky Long employs his ace Rashaad Penny—a 5-foot11 junior who ran for 995 yards and 11 TDs this season—as a decoy, that could confound Taylor, Bowser and Oliver. Overplaying Pumphrey can be hazardous in other ways, too; a year ago, Pumphrey completed the lone pass attempt of his career for a 16-yard TD. Does Long tap that play on this stage? Houston senior quarterback Greg Ward Jr. is gifted as a thrower and as a runner. But he, too, will be challenged against an Aztecs defense that leads the nation with 22 interceptions.
NCAA Career Rushing Leaders Name School Yards 1 Ron Dayne Wisconsin (1996-99) 6,397 2 Donnel Pumphrey San Diego St.* (2013-pres.) 6,290 3 Ricky Williams Texas (1995-98) 6,279 4 Tony Dorsett Pittsburgh (1973-76) 6,082 5 DeAngelo Williams Memphis (2002-05) 6,026 6 Charles White USC (1976-79) 5,598 7 Travis Prentice Miami-Ohio (1996-99) 5,596 *Pumphrey prepped at Canyon Springs High in Las Vegas
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VIVA LAS VEGANS
TASTE
By Diana Edelman
Photography Krystal Ramirez and Zach McKee
TRICKS OF THE TRADE Cruelty-free substitutions that savvy vegan chefs use to fool the eye and the palate
IT’S MEAT-FREE MAGIC! All around the Valley, chefs are re-creating dishes to cater to the growing plant-based movement. Here’s how they do it. CAULIFLOWER T-Bones Chophouse executive chef Mike Deas offers vegans an interesting vegetable alternative to actual steak. His thick cauliflower steak is topped with grilled asparagus and drizzled with a yellow tomato Béarnaise sauce. The dish is served with a side of mushroom “scallops” seared in soy sauce and maple syrup. “The meal is satisfying and hearty enough to serve in a steakhouse, without animal products involved,” Deas says. $24, in Red Rock Resort, redrock.sclv.com
Cauliflower steak and mushroom “scallops” at T-Bones.
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TASTE
Meatloaf is meatless and bean-based at Panevino.
JACKFRUIT At Downtown’s VegeNation, chef Donald Lemperle has tapped into the meaty texture of jackfruit—the fleshy fruit of a tropical tree in the fig, mulberry and breadfruit family—to create the popular East West Tacos. “People want the texture of meat in their meat-free meal,” says Lemperle. “By marinating the jackfruit in a sweet sauce overnight and pulling the jackfruit pieces apart, you get a pulled pork texture—without the pork.” $12, 616 Carson Ave., vegenationlv.com. BEANS Panevino general manager and plantbased nutrition specialist Vincenzo Granata taps into the power of legumes to create his meatloaf that replicates the consistency and appearance of meat. One of the most nutrient-dense dishes on the menu, the meatloaf is largely made of organic adzuki beans, portobello and shiitake mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery and organic green lentils. $28, 246 Via Antonio Ave., panevinolasvegas.com. GARDEIN CHICK’N Chef Eric Scott of Nacho Daddy takes a different meat-free approach, using Gardein Chick’n (made largely of soy protein isolate and gluten) to replace the real thing in dishes such as the vegan Chick’n fajitas. Its texture is similar to poultry and is seasoned for a meatier flavor. $16, multiple locations, nachodaddy.com. PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM A longtime vegan stand-in for beef, the humble portobello mushroom is elevated in the hands of executive chef Joseph Elevado of Andrea’s. For his kalbi portobello mushroom entrée, the mighty, meaty ’shroom takes on the bold umami flavors of the Korean barbecue marinade in this new dish. $24, Encore, wynnlasvegas.com/andreas. COCONUT MILK Tableau executive chef David Middleton employs coconut milk instead of heavy cream in his silky fall and winter soups. “It has many of the same characteristics, such as a high fat content, and can be whipped, cooked and more,” he says. You can see this technique in action with Middleton’s vegan beet soup, where it not only adds a touch of sweetness but also delivers a creamier texture and smoother consistency. $17, in Wynn, wynnlasvegas.com/tableau. TOFU Chef Stacey Dougan at Simply Pure taps into the power of tofu for its ability to mimic both ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. She has created top-secret recipes for both cheeses, which she uses in her Mama Mia Lasagna. Dougan credits not only the specific tofu she uses, but also a blend of nutritional yeast, garlic, olive oil and sea salt, for producing a lasagna that routinely tricks nonvegans. $11, in Container Park, simplypurelv.com. FLAXSEEDS Lest we forget the sweets, vegan pastry chef Sinead Kravetz of Mothership Coffee Roasters whips up some of the best sweets in town (and dishes them out at spots such as Sunrise Coffee and TruFusion). Her secret to creating plant-based desserts is swapping her recipes’ eggs—“The hardest ingredient to sub out in pastries,” she says—for flaxseeds. Kravetz mixes them with water, which causes them to swell and thicken, and then whips them like eggs into her popular vegan Twinkies, whose flavor ranges from matcha orange blossom to lavender and everything in between. $3.50 each, 2708 N. Green Valley Pkwy., mothershipcoffee.com. 7
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702.388.2120 | theD.com 301 Fremont Street | Las Vegas, NV 89101
SOCIAL INFLUENCE
Insta-Gratification Follow this account right now
@gretchenrubin Surrounding yourself with positivity is an essential tool for success, so why not add some motivational messages to your Instagram feed? Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, floods followers with inspirations that help combat the usual mindless scrolling by providing some deeper material for thought. Rubin’s messages of self-love and reminders to show compassion to others appeal to a universal audience. Take some time to reflect by listening to Rubin’s latest installment of the Happier With Gretchen Rubin podcast. 46.5K followers
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CHRISTMAS STORIES WE’VE HEARD BEFORE The Hallmark Channel serves up soothing sameness By Lissa Townsend Rodgers HOLIDAY TELEVISION IS ALL
about the marathon—perhaps Star Trek or Westworld stacked end to end, a daylong loop of It’s a Wonderful Life or Mommie Dearest. But the most over-the-top is the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas, an endless parade of themed TV-movies, each swathed in enough red and green to choke an entire Macy’s wrapping department and tepid as yesterday’s hot chocolate.
Lori Loughlin and Colin Ferguson in Every Christmas Has a Story.
Romance is always a major component of the channel’s holiday flicks—the kind of romance that appeals to those who found Maid in Manhattan too edgy and ethnic and think that Fred Astaire–Ginger Rogers musicals are downbeat realism. Every woman has long, wavy hair and a size 4, cardigan-based wardrobe—in A Cookie Cutter Christmas, I couldn’t distinguish between the two elementary school teachers fighting to win the local bake-off and the love of the new hunky single dad in town. They were virtually identical, from the toes of their sensible-yet-pretty shoes to the tips of their French-manicured nails to the comfortingly finite limits of their perky personalities—and the hunky single dads with gleaming teeth and zip-neck sweaters were just as indistinguishable. One phrase you’ll always hear in these programs—usually around 45 minutes in, give or take a commercial—is “We got off on the wrong foot.” Broadcasting Christmas is a veritable wrong-foot waltz starring Dean Cain and Melissa Joan Hart, the Superman and Sabrina the Teenage Witch of the ’90s. (Don’t say they look older—so do you, pal, and worse.) The two play exes fighting for a spot hosting a morning show but, as in every one of these movies, those crazy kids are just one heartto-heart conversation (and several deus ex machinas) away from a lifetime of perfect, paired-off bliss. But in Countdown to Christmas, a job is always a bad thing and a career is worse. It is a rule that the more successful and wealthy you are, the unhappier you are, and one’s human decency is in inverse proportion to one’s ambition. A Heavenly Christmas stars Kristin Davis as a workaholic finance type—her refrigerator is empty! Her picture frames still have the photos they came with! She dies young and becomes a Christmas angel under the
Spray Away the Pain A local artist tries to stop taggers by painting a new Downtown mural By Jessie O’Brien
Photography Krystal Ramirez
Maybe it’s the holidays or maybe it’s a response to the extra-hateful rhetoric these days, but a couple of artists recently brought a little humanity to the streets of Downtown. While airbrush artist and body painter Gear Duran was creating a massive Standing Rock–inspired mural in the Arts District, Las Vegas artist Jerry Misko agreed to help out a friend who was dealing with some graffiti in Fremont East. The temporary obstruction wall hiding the construction of the new Eureka! restaurant on the ground floor of the Emergency Arts building had been tagged multiple times with eggplant emoji-esque symbols. Misko has known the building’s owners, the Epstein family,
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tutelage of a relentlessly soft-focused Shirley MacLaine, charged with the task of reigniting the Christmas spirit in the hunky single uncle (played by Eric McCormack) who is raising his orphaned niece. (Yes, you may have been edgy in the aughts with Sex and the City and Will & Grace, but once 40 is in the rear-view mirror, it’s all dull butter knives. Also, MacLaine in the afterlife? What about reincarnation, Shirley? What about Atlantis and the Turkish harem, Shirley? What the fuck?!) “You came here to find your Christmas spirit,” some rosy-cheeked townie tells Lori Loughlin in Every Christmas Has a Story. And it is always Christmas on Hallmark: No one celebrates Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or Festivus. (Which at least means they won’t have to scrap any of the lineup next December, when President Trump declares all non-Christmas holidays illegal.) Interestingly, if you go to the Hallmark aisle in your local drugstore, you’ll see more complex sentiment, humor and diversity than in two days of the Hallmark Channel. Where’s the movie directed at the sender of the card with a sparkly stiletto shoe on the front, or with a joke about life’s good things coming “by the case” inside? Why not a movie for the recipient of the birthday greeting featuring inappropriate balloon animals, or the wedding card with L’chaim on it? All of the movies eventually blur together, the identical leading ladies and uniform plots morphing into one, endless, poinsettia-festooned, vaguely unwelcome hug. To try to actually sit down and focus undivided attention on one is rather like being beaten to death by sloths. But I suppose they’re not meant to be watched that way. It’s supposed to be background noise, holiday muzak for when you’re bustling around the house in your apron, wrapping cookies and baking gifts, decorating guests and greeting trees … 7
who also own El Cortez, for more than 10 years. He offered to paint a mural on the surface as a way to stop the dick bandits. After the graffiti repeatedly appeared, the Epsteins agreed. Now, after around 50 hours of work, it is impossible to not notice Misko’s psychedelic splatter auras underneath international street artist Fafi’s bright pastel Fly Girl–inspired work, making the south side of Emergency Arts look like a full-blown, three-hit acid trip. This piece is the second time Misko, who typically uses acrylics, has used cans of spray paint. He says that in the past, he didn’t like to use cans because of color control—you can’t mix the paints—but with the number of colors available now he enjoys working with the medium. Unfortunately, this is not a tale where taggers learn the moral of the story, it magically snows on Christmas Day, and we all live happily ever after. Soon after Misko’s work was completed, the piece was tagged again—this time with the name of a local band, which had played music on the streets next to the artist while he was working. Luckily, Misko was able to cover it up right away and the vandals apologized. How does the saying go? Oh, yeah: This is why we can’t have nice things, guys. You can, however, purchase work similar to the mural, as Misko is offering an edition of 21 diptych companion prints—each set going for either $80 or $60 with a new, unwrapped toy. The artist will give the donations (or $20 from each $80 sale) to a holiday drive put on by Polly Weinstein and her Tower of Jewels store, which benefits the local Casa de Luz church. 7
HALLMARK CHANNEL BY RICARDO HUBBS/CROWN MEDIA
SOCIAL INFLUENCE
SOCIAL INFLUENCE
POLITICS
By Michael Green
History for the Books THE TALES OF HOW OUR CITY CAME TO BE
T
he recent election was yet another reminder of how important understanding the past is to understanding our present and future. Two recent books examine our shared history in different and unique ways. Lynn Zook’s Gambling on a Dream: The Classic Las Vegas Strip, 1930-1955, covers what the title says: the period from the Detras opening their Pair-O-Dice nightclub on old Highway 91, now Las Vegas Boulevard South (on land that now fronts a tower with a president-elect’s name at the top), through the mid-’50s building boom. That’s both fun and essential reading under any circumstances. But it’s more than the sort of musty tome that most musty historians (or at least this one) write. If you go to classic lasvegas.com/book, you’ll find dozens of videos and more than 40 photo collections that invite further examination. Another book related to Las Vegas history is Doom Towns: The People and Landscapes of Atomic Testing, A Graphic History, by Andrew Kirk and Kristian Purcell; Purcell is an artist and Andy is a friend and colleague in UNLV’s history department. Their volume is, as the title suggests, a graphic history—a much longer, more serious and wonderfully produced comic book. Zook’s inspiration comes from her Las Vegas background. “Having grown up there in the ’60s and ’70s, I was always fascinated by Fremont Street and the Las Vegas Strip. My mother was a showroom waitress for a number of years and I was able to see a number of shows when I was kid, either from down in front or from backstage,” Zook recalls. “I loved the neon signs and the mid-century modern architecture of the Strip. It was very different from the Western feel of Downtown. When the Dunes was imploded, I realized that the Las Vegas I had grown up with was changing forever, and I wanted to help preserve as much of the 20th-century history of the town as I could. That’s how I came to do the Classic Las Vegas Video Oral History Project,” which features about 120 interviews with longtime Las Vegans. Zook says that “it’s important for people to realize that before the Las Vegas Strip they
know today, its foundation was built years ago. And without those original visionaries and hotels, what we think of as the Las Vegas Strip would be very, very different.” There’s also more to come. “Because there were almost 20 hotels to cover, I decided to break the book into two parts,” she says. “This book focuses on the 1930s, when the Boulevard was little more than a two-lane highway with a couple of nightclubs, through 1955 when the Strip was growing at a fast clip. Part 2, which will be available in the summer of 2017, will focus on the hotels built from 1956–1973.” Kirk’s book also ties together the visual and the historical. He told C-SPAN, “I was fascinated with the visual culture of atomic history, and I thought about various ways you could convey this history and its visual richness to readers…. Kristian Purcell is a classical artist based in the United Kingdom. I was captivated by his work. He was doing with art what I tried to do with history, really write the people back into a story that has predominantly been told as a story of big science, big military, big and crazy technology, all of which are important and interesting. … We thought we could collaborate, try to work toward telling this story both with traditional narrative and a sequential visual narrative, like a graphic novel.” However, the book does nod to aca-
demia, with footnotes and supporting documents. Kirk came upon this story as a western and environmental historian, who helped oversee an oral history project about the Nevada Test Site (digital.library. unlv.edu/ntsohp)—another creative way of conveying that important part of our past. Since this is ostensibly a political column, what makes these books worth pondering is the role of politics in both stories. Nevada became the home of atomic testing, and had the freedom to let its gaming industry grow, thanks in part to Sen. Pat McCarran. His tenure almost matches Zook’s timeline—1933 to 1954. While accumulating power in Washington, D.C., and trampling the Bill of Rights in his quest to find the communists hiding under every bed, McCarran boosted his home state’s economy. That’s what might be called a trade-off—much like the mobster image that resulted from the rise of gambling that Zook depicts, and the horrible effects of atomic testing that show up in Kirk’s work. Both books remind us that history is fascinating and messy, that it can be told in different ways—but also that we can learn from our successes and our mistakes if we try. 7 Michael Green is an associate professor of history at UNLV.
“When the Dunes was imploded, I realized that the Las Vegas I had grown up with was changing forever …”
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SOCIAL INFLUENCE
T Education Overhaul
Wynn Resorts is giving back in spades by adopting a local elementary school By Mark Adams
Wynn employees have clocked hundreds of volunteer hours at Dean Petersen Elementary School in 2016.
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hese are my friends,” a little boy says, sporting an ear-to-ear smile and pointing to a picture on a bulletin board in his first-grade classroom. The photo is of Wynn Las Vegas employees. Countless Wynn Resorts employees have clocked hundreds of volunteer hours this year at Dean Petersen Elementary School, just a few blocks east of Strip megaresorts. Sure, it’s easy for huge corporations to throw checks around donating to worthy causes, but what Wynn is doing here is different: It’s a full investment in improving the lives of students in need—all of Petersen’s students are in Clark County School District’s free meal program—and the greater Cambridge neighborhood community. The company began supporting the school in small ways in 2014, but went all in this year after holding a Petersen Collaboration Summit to identify needs, eventually being invited by CCSD superintendent Pat Skorkowsky to join his Reinvent Schools initiative. And reinvention is a fantastic word to describe the good being done, as Wynn has taken a comprehensive approach to bettering the school that is quite groundbreaking in the grand scheme of education-focused philanthropy. Every classroom at Petersen has been adopted by a Wynn department, with employees providing weekly assistance to teachers and putting on special programs for the children. You might find an XS Nightclub employee making copies in the graphics center, a guest relations representative helping to manage a second-grade classroom or the PR crew putting on “Fresh Fruit Fridays,” when they bring in healthy produce for students. It’s the kind of philanthropy you’d expect out of a high school Key Club, not a global hospitality firm—and by no means is it a drop in the bucket. “The principal is very invested in improving the lives of these kids,” says community relations manager Lisa McAnallen. “We just needed an administration that was willing to work with us ... One that was OK with a nightclub adopting the library.”
It might sound unconventional, but Wynn’s welcomed assistance has produced a positive impact on the Petersen community. In addition to pairing educators with employee teams, the company provides tutoring for students and translation assistance for parents, and puts on special events that serve as academic goals—Petersen’s third-graders recently participated in a perfect attendance competition in which the top two classrooms won a pasta dinner catered by Sinatra chef Theo Schoenegger. The company also hosted the school’s inaugural Fall Festival to provide a fun and family-friendly event free of charge, collaborated with Three Square food bank on a needs assessment for the surrounding neighborhood to ensure access to food distribution and gave the school more than 145,000 employee-donated school supplies in 2016. Oh, and the Food and Beverage team puts on weekly bake sales outside the Wynn employee dining room to raise funds for classroom technology. In the future, McAnallen hopes to expand the program to the junior high and high schools in the neighborhood, especially after seeing last year’s fifth-graders matriculate. In June, Wynn hosted a graduation ceremony at the Springs Preserve, where graduates donned caps and gowns and received diplomas—something to encourage kids to continue their education. “The odds are against them,” McAnallen says. “They’ll remember [the graduation]. That’s a memory.” So what drives this comprehensive operation? McAnallen points to the personal connections employees forge within Petersen’s community. “It’s not about us; it’s about the kids. ... [They] deserve every opportunity that kids in other places have.” 7
SPACES & PLACES
y c n a c No Va tels The last moont Street on Frem
odgers wns e n d R By Lissa To Bruner by Ginger Photography
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SPACES & PLACES
You have to imagine it as it was 50 years ago. Folks would roll down ol’ U.S. 95 in their two-toned, fishtailed Buicks, headed for Las Vegas. As they approached Downtown, they would be dazzled by a parade of neon: tumbling dice and roulette wheels, crescent moons and shooting stars, signage for blocks of motels and auto courts. Back before 1-800 or dot-com, the night’s accommodations were chosen upon arrival and a cascade of lights above a cool swimming pool or a sign advertising “color T.V.” and “air-conditioning” promised luxury to weary travelers.
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SPACES & PLACES
Today, the lights are dark and the only vacancies are the lots where the Blue Angel and the Par-A-Dice Inn once welcomed visitors; same goes for the Chief Hotel Court and Lucky Cuss Motel, although their legacies still sparkle up Las Vegas Boulevard traffic medians, thanks to the Neon Museum. Most of the motels are empty—broken neon tubes, weeds sprouting between faded parking lot lines. The Gables still advertises “nice rooms” and curtains still decorate many of the boarded-up windows under its fairy-tale-peaked roofs; the shell of a payphone hangs on a red brick wall. The Alicia 1, 2 and 3 were once the Las Vegas Motel, Fremont Motel and Star View Motel, respectively. Now they all sit vacant beneath crookedly nailed particle board. The Travelers Motel, with its elaborate gateway, terracotta-tiled roofs and radio tower, seems like someone could whip it into shape and fill it with
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hipsters like they do in Austin or Joshua Tree, but it’s doubtful any well-shod feet will tread these grounds until they become a parking lot. Whether open or closed, the same sign hangs in the window: “No visitors allowed after 10 p.m.” Even motels still serving patrons seem to have one foot in the land of the dead—broken signs, drained pools, doors hanging open into darkened rooms. An anti-meth poster hangs near a notice advising patrons that there will be a “$5 storage fee for all items left in room” by the check-in at the Safari. Bedspreads fly on a line outside the Sky Ranch. Desert Moon Motel seems the most prosperous, but the neon advertising “free XXX movies” probably has more to do with that than the well-maintained cacti. These days, surviving on Fremont Street takes more than pretty lights … 7
CONVERSATIONS
A Tea Garden Grows on the Strip
Lucky Dragon tea sommelier Lola Zhao guides guests through a steep learning curve By Marisa Finetti
Photography Anthony Mair December 15-21 2016 vegasseven.com
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CONVERSATIONS
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ear her hometown of Shenyang, China, 6-yearold Lola Zhao used to run around her uncle’s tea shop while her father engaged in the ritual of sipping tea with friends. She recalls the traditional Chinese string music that played in the background, resonating Zen-like emotional expression throughout the place as patrons drank their relaxation elixir. Today Zhao—now 23 and the tea sommelier at Cha Garden in the newly opened Lucky Dragon Casino & Hotel—hopes that her guests will enjoy a similar convivial feeling. “When they drink tea, I hope they feel relaxed and happy,” says Zhao, who spent the past year serving tea at Chinatown’s Niu Gu restaurant, the perfect preparation for her position. The senior at UNLV’s hospitality program says she enjoys studying tea and sharing her knowledge with customers. Her mentor, Lucky Dragon beverage director Joe Muscaglione, says, “When I first met Lola, I was really impressed with her passion and love for tea.” Curated by Muscaglione, the extensive tea list offers 50 of the best from China, many of them rare and all extraordinary. The teas are sourced from small family-owned and operated farms, and all are free of herbicides and pesticides. Cha Garden’s list, which ranges in price from $10$58 per pot, is categorized by tea types: green, black, white, yellow, oolong and Pu-erh. Discerning tea drinkers can enjoy learning about the exact geographical location, elevation, growers’ names and more about each tea’s flavor. For a tea novice, the list can be slightly daunting; still, Zhao maintains that gaining a little friendly education while enjoying a pot at Cha Garden can contribute to the overall tea experience. “For example, many people don’t know that all teas come from the same plant. How it’s picked and processed is what separates white tea from green, black, oolong, yellow and Pu-ehr,” Zhao says. She hopes to help customers gain a better understanding of teas and at the same time explore other regions and even try something a little more esoteric. And like a sommelier, service is also very much a part of Zhao’s role. “We serve each tea gongfu style, assuring our guests the perfect tea experience,” she says. Gongfu is a ritualized preparation and presentation of the tea. Officially, the gongfu tea service is a 21-step process that takes careful practice, hence the name—a play on “kung fu.” From pouring the water into the kettle, washing the tea leaves and warming the cups to serving, it’s a beautiful cultural art form that gives tea the respect it deserves. Zhao also assists guests in discovering their new favorite tea. “Part of providing our guests with the perfect tea experience is to listen to what they like and learn if they are willing to try something new,” she says. Zhao’s knowledge about the various regions, flavor profiles, the intricate steps of the ceremony and the history of growers are just a few of the skills she offers. But unlike a wine sommelier, tea somms are not known to practice pairing tea with food because it simply does not happen in China. The notion that certain tea styles pair well with certain foods is an entirely American one. Nonetheless, Zhao says, teas can enhance certain foods, and she is willing to offer pairing guidelines: “White or green tea with salads and fresh fish; black tea with pungent cheeses; dark oolongs with meat; and Pu-erh with oily foods,” Zhao says. “These are all wonderful pairings.” For those who want to step outside the box and explore more off-thebeaten-path varieties, there are, of course, more obscure teas. Qinba Wu Hao green tea is one of them. “It’s grown in the Shaanxi province at more than 2,200 meters in elevation on the selenium-rich soils of Daba Mountain,” Zhao says. “Daba is listed as one of W WF’s [World Wildlife Fund] eco regions in the world. Qinba is picked for us usually around the third or fourth of April. It’s the purest tea
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“Many people don’t know that all teas come from the same plant. How it’s picked and processed is what separates white tea from green, black, oolong, yellow and Pu-ehr.”
in China.” Lucky Dragon is the only place in North America where you can obtain Qinba. While perusing the tea list, one might also come across Ya Shi Xiang Dan Cong, otherwise known as “duck shit aroma.” “We have this extremely high-quality tea in limited quantities,” Zhao says. She contends that the taste and fragrance are far more pleasurable than its name. Guests will also discover its origin, which has increasingly become more important to consumers. “Today, people want to know about what they eat and drink—where it comes from, how it’s made, whether the product is chemical free or organic. ... Most teas in our market are unidentifiable, origins unknown,” she says. “This is changing and changing fast.” At Lucky Dragon, Zhao is available in the evening on Wednesdays and weekends to unfurl the mystery of each cup, and she hopes that guests will leave Cha Garden each time with a greater appreciation for high-quality tea. 7
CONVERSATIONS
A MAN OF THE PEOPLE LARRY FLYNT TALKS FREE SPEECH, TRUTH IN JOURNALISM AND THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING LEFT ALONE By Lissa Townsend Rodgers Photography Alyssa Greenberg
HOWEVER HE MADE IT, LARRY FLYNT IS A SELF-MADE MAN.
In his 74 years, he’s gone from being the son of a sharecropper to the king of the Hustler adult entertainment empire, which includes magazines, websites, strip clubs, stores and a casino. Flynt often found himself the center of controversy over obscenity charges and he survived an assassination attempt in 1978 that left him partially paralyzed. He gradually emerged as an unlikely warrior for the First Amendment, taking the battle for free speech from county courtrooms to the U.S. Supreme Court, as chronicled in The People vs. Larry Flynt, an Oscar-nominated film. Flynt took a few moments from signing books and shaking hands at the opening of his newest Hustler store to talk to Vegas Seven.
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Is it a coincidence that you’re opening the Hustler store on the spot where they tried to blow up Lefty Rosenthal? Two guys who survived assassination attempts in the same place. I‘m not a superstitious person, so I never gave it much thought. It is sort of ironic, though. You’ve had a Hustler Casino in California for 16 years now. Have you thought of opening one in Las Vegas? Or any other future Hustler plans? I feel like I’ve got a tiger by the tail: You can’t let go. I’ve opened a lot of stores, the casinos have done very well. I’ve thought about [opening in Las Vegas]—I’ve been toying with the idea. Maybe eventually we will. … I like Vegas. I love to play blackjack. I actually win. What do you think of Playboy taking the nudes out of its magazine? It’s a mistake. That’s the mainstay of a magazine, the centerfold. And to take that out and say there’s going to be more general pictures, more articles—GQ has been doing that for years, it hasn’t set the world on fire. You want to get those subscribers, you’ve got to have something every month. I just don’t see it working out. You published nude photos of former first lady Jackie Kennedy—did you ever think we’d be in a place where the first lady nudies are already out there? Well, I’m still mulling over this Donald Trump fiasco. I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s not going to end good. It’s going to end badly. But none of the options are good: Even if they could impeach Trump, then we’re still stuck with Pence, [who] is even worse.
Are you worried about the First Amendment under Trump, given that he’s already attacked certain journalists and publications? The First Amendment is the big right. You have to protect free speech to protect democracy. You’ve got to stand up for it. And I think the main [TV hosts] really laid down and rolled over. You take the most important shows, the Sunday shows, Trump would come on and lie his heart out and they’d say, “Well, that’s not true” or “You get four Pinocchios,” but no kind of reprimand beyond that. If I was running the show, I would tell Trump or whoever it is: “If you lie, you won’t be invited back. Now if you want to give your opinion on something …” A lot of those moderators on those shows feel that it’s not their responsibility to check [interviewees]. I disagree with that: If somebody lied to you in an interview and you know they lied to you, it’s your responsibility to call them out. We’ve moved forward on a lot of progressive causes over the past few years. With a lot of evangelicals proposed for Trump’s cabinet and his conservative Supreme Court picks, are you worried about going backward? It’s really frightening. People want to go back to the era of the Salem witch trials. We’ve made so many progressive advances, and now these people want to fight it over again … The greatest right any nation can afford its people is the right to be left alone. And every politician should philosophically understand what that means. I don’t think they do, unfortunately. 7
By James P. Reza By Charlie Starling
SLYTHERIN AND PROUD A defense of the Hogwarts house in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, where He Who Must Not Be Named got his magic on
oward the end of my trip to Henderson’s Bad Owl Coffee back in April, I mentioned that the world needs to become more accepting of Slytherins (Editor's note: Slytherin is a house at Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter series, similar to a dorm or fraternity house). Recently, this fact was once again thrust into the less-cloudy parts of my brain. Let’s be honest—the world at large has become more Harry Potter-y again lately, with the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, but the real reason for this column is a phone call I received a couple of weeks ago. Leo Slonina, the soon-to-be 7-year-old son of local clown Jimmy and body-painting artist Robin Slonina, took the Sorting quiz—based on the “Sorting Hat” in the Harry Potter books, which places Hogwarts students in one of four houses—on Pottermore, the digital home for all things Harry Potter. He came out as a Slytherin and was, frankly, inconsolable. Robin, knowing of my proud Slytherinhood, called me to see if I could give some soothing advice. I don’t think my guidance was particularly well received at the time, so in the days following, I took to the internet to find advice for crestfallen Slytherins. To be honest, it’s thin on the ground. Even the consolatory offerings on Pottermore don’t offer much except, “Merlin was a Slytherin” and “Who doesn't look good in green?”
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J.K. Rowling only had so much story she could tell, and we didn’t get to meet a lot of the members of Slytherin House. Leo’s reasoning of “Slytherins are the worst, they’re really mean to Harry” is hard to argue with when someone is too young to have finished the series. So, after my scouring turned up nothing of real consequence, I turned to my Slytherin friends and asked them about themselves, their reactions to their sortings, the attributes they take pride in and why they thought they were sorted the way they were. The answers were variations on a theme. As with myself, many had experienced an immediate sinking feeling, followed by a lot of introspection. No, Slytherins are not portrayed well, and even though a certain member of the house [SPOILER— Leo is going to read this article] turns out to be one of the real heroes of Rowling’s story, he’s not exactly nice to Harry. The overwhelming response, though, seemed to be a creeping sense of pride. Ambition and cunning are often looked down upon, but without those attributes I wouldn’t be where I am, I wouldn’t be writing this column and I wouldn’t get to bounce around in my bubble every night in Absinthe. If I’d been sorted into Ravenclaw, I imagine I’d be an English teacher at this point. My good friend and fellow burlesque performer, Anita Brassiere, put it beautifully: “This house has some of the coolest people in it. They may seem stuck-up, but they're really just people trying to find their way in the world. [They] have been given an obligation to do the best that they can. Slytherins are your CEOs, they are your strategists, they are people who command great fortunes and great companies. And because of this I find myself in welcome company.” I always wanted to be a Ravenclaw. I knew as I was taking the test that I was on the cusp of Ravenclaw and Slytherin, and when the time came to choose between black and white, I found myself at a crossroads. I knew if I picked white, I’d be in the house I wanted, but my mind also turned to my wardrobe full of black clothes, and to the very fact that I was calculating this question. I was, quite clearly, a Slytherin. I relayed this story to Leo, who has since retaken the test and—lo and behold—is now a proud Ravenclaw. I don’t blame him, though, and if it was the real Sorting Hat, he’d have been able to make the decision himself. Harry Potter did, and so can he. 7 See Charlie Starling in Absinthe, twice nightly in the Spiegeltent at Caesars Palace, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wed-Sun. Visit AbsintheVegas.com for tickets. Follow her on Twitter: @charlistarling
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What does the Native think of paid parking on the Las Vegas Strip? I've addressed this hot-button issue twice, first in a January 2015 essay, and most recently in a June 2016 "Ask a Native." But each time another resort tumbles into paid-parking territory, the internet heats up and people stamp their electronic feet, threatening to boycott Las Vegas (if they don't live here) or boycott the Strip (if they do). The outsider complaints come largely from those who have long been waxing poetic about cheap Las Vegas vacations that are so far in the past as to have morphed into mythology. The locals, however, might have more reason to complain. As someone who witnessed Old Vegas become New Vegas, the disappearance of free parking seemed inevitable. Once, desert land was inexpensive and so was parking; today, space on our urbanized Strip is at a premium. And so is parking. But the disappearance of free valet? That hurts my Old Vegas soul. And that leads to this: I think a lot of the anger expressed by locals about the loss of free parking is less a matter of money and more a matter of poking into the emotional territory of disenfranchisement. After all, Las Vegas has long catered to those who visit us ahead of those who live here (often understandably so), and the price paid is that actualizing the dreamy "world-class city" to which our leaders aspire (Lightrail! Health care! Education!) always seems a secondary concern. In the interim, locals have found ways to enjoy living here without many of the things found on the world-class city checklist. One of those is taking advantage of the massive dining, entertainment and cultural complex built in our backyard. Over the years, casinos offered many families (including mine) access to wonderful, cost-effective experiences. Sometimes that meant a nice dinner, or dropping in to sip a cocktail and listen to a pianist. Other times, it was simply strolling through the deckedout Bellagio Conservatory and admiring the exhibits. Las Vegas doesn't have many public spaces (Checklist item No. 4), so the kind of aesthetic exposure locals can freely experience in some of our resorts has been an uplifting source of inspiration, comfort and happiness, often when I need it most. As the city has grown, casino pricing has turned dramatically upward. As tourists gambled less and spent more on dining, shopping and entertainment, the value in these items evaporated, leaving many locals priced out of the fun. Now, with paid parking, even the small things might no longer be accessible to underserved Las Vegans, and that is concerning. As we move forward, I hope that casino executives will acknowledge the surrogate community role their properties play in a still underdeveloped city packed with people other than tourists.7 Know of any others? Send them to askanative@vegasseven.com.
ASK A NATIVE
THE MOST FABULOUS THING
CONVERSATIONS
CONVERSATIONS The bartender at The Perch makes a phenomenal “Christmas Coffee”—similar to a White Russian but with cinnamon vodka and crushed candy canes in powder form as the sweetener, topped with whipped cream and sprinkles of the candy cane. –Michael Skenandore, president & publisher
Cracker Barrel. So glad it’s here—it reminds me of home in the South. –Nicole Scherer, director of digital sales
I always go home to New York for the holidays and meet up with my great aunt at a Jewish deli for pastrami or smoked whitefish. We drink hot water with lemon and catch up for hours. I’m curious if the Cake & Eggs—a whitefish scramble served at Goodwich ($9)—could evoke similar feelings of love and warmth. I’m willing to give it a try! –Xania Woodman, senior editor, dining, beverage & nightlife
M&M Soul Food Café is a must. –Brittany Quintana, account manager
My pick is hands down Ellis Island’s nog. It’s not Christmastime until I catch a buzz from the family-owned brewery’s boozy Yuletide treat, which clocks in at 80 proof this year. Get a taste—maybe a bottle?—at the flagship location or the company’s Village Pub outposts. –Mark Adams, arts & entertainment editor
Lucky No. We asked the Vegas Seven staff:
What is your go-to holiday drink, bar, meal or restaurant?
The pasta fagioli at Bratalian is my winter warmer. –Ryan Doherty, chief experience officer
I always make a stop at The Griffin over the holidays, where I run into downtowners I haven’t seen in years because they moved, got married or otherwise left the scene. The Griffin during the holidays feels very much like an East Fremont family reunion. –James P. Reza, contributing writer
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Photography Anthony Mair
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The Mob Museum and the UNLV Public History Program present
OPEN THROUGH SPRING OF 2017 The emergence of speakeasies during Prohibition gave rise to “flappers,� young women who redefined social expectations and tradition through fashion. In partnership with UNLV, The Mob Museum debuts its first fashion-centric exhibition featuring styles of the Prohibition Era called Ready to Roar. This temporary display includes an array of authentic dresses and accessories from the 1920s and early 1930s, reflecting the different styles that evolved during the era.
This program is made possible by a grant from
Free for Museum Members or with Museum admission