Date: Jan. 17, 2021
NEONOPOLIS WELCOMES NEW TENANT - HATERADE
The Neonopolis complex downtown is a 250,000-square-foot, one-of-a-kind dining, entertainment, and shopping experience with businesses such as Heart Attack Grill, Cat’s Meow, Banger Brewing, and more. The new eccentric retail concept, Haterade, is located on the first floor where a formal ribbon cutting ceremony will be held Jan. 21 at 11 a.m.
Haterade is the newest concept by Tim Tempas, co-founder of Fremont Amusement specializing in finding niche business opportunities. Tempas previously conceived and produced an interactive experiential retail system, which saw incredible volume across the USA with operations in 10 states. He has been a resident of Las Vegas for almost two decades and has a passion for bringing innovative entertainment to the community.
“We believe that the solution to society’s problem of hypersensitivity and attacks on free speech is to make fun of everything,” said Tempas. “We are ready to bring fun, freedom, and positive energy back to beautiful Downtown Las Vegas.”
Haterade aims to take an irreverent approach to sports, entertainment, and politics with t-shirts and other product offerings taking jabs at any topic a consumer can imagine. Shoppers will be able to custom design items with their choice of insult, making a great gag gift for a friend or statement piece for themselves.
GOLDEN GATE CELEBRATES 115 YEARS IN LAS VEGAS
This month, Golden Gate Hotel & Casino downtown celebrates 115 years of history. As the first hotel and casino in Las Vegas, the property has played a pivotal role in the evolution of the city’s hospitality and gaming industries. The downtown hotel was a landmark during the Roaring 20s and was a popular hangout for Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin. The hotel also debuted many of the town’s firsts – including Las Vegas’ first telephone with the phone number “1” and some of the first electric signs along Fremont Street Experience.
The Golden Gate has the noteworthy address “1 Fremont Street” and has kept its vintage Vegas charm by offering guests the chance to take a step back in time with the preservation of 10 of its rooms from the original incarnation of the property. The casino also is home to a museum-like collection of artifacts in the lobby including a 1907 registration book, replica of the first phone, Prohibition-era booze bottles hidden in the walls and found during later renovations, old gaming records and much more.
Now, the oldest casino in Las Vegas sits directly across the street from the newest one Circa, which shares the same owner Derek Stevens.
LEGENDARY MAGICIAN SIEGFRIED FISCHBACHER DIED
Siegfried Fischbacher, whose 50-year collaboration with Roy Horn created “Siegfried & Roy,” the most successful magic act in history, died this month at his Las Vegas’ home from pancreatic cancer. He was 81. Horn died of complications from Covid-19, last May.
Their four-decade run in Las Vegas included 14 years at The Mirage where they ushered in a new era of Las Vegas entertainment, setting unparalleled attendance and box office records. It’s for this reason we all celebrate them. Their passing leaves a big hole for all their global fans.
Making history Siegfried & Roy began in Las Vegas in 1967 as a featured act in “Follies Bergère,” “Hallelujah Hollywood” and “Lido de Paris.” They became headliners in “Beyond Belief” at the New Frontier in 1981. But the duo became a Las Vegas “destination” of international renown at The Mirage in 1990. Their $30-million production – unheard of at the time – sold out the then-largest theater in Las Vegas history nightly. In their good vs. evil spectacle of lights, sound, and never-before-seen magic, they were also famous for their animal family – white tigers, white lions, leopards, jaguars, even an elephant.
HASH HOUSE A GO GO EXPANDS TO SUMMERLIN CELEBRATES
Hash House A Go Go opened in Summerlin last week, marking the company’s sixth location in the valley. The business has distinguished itself with enormous portions, and farm-fresh food with a funky, modern twist. The over-the-top menu includes such popular dishes as their signature house hashes and scrambles; oversized flapjacks and waffles; homemade biscuits and jam; multiple varieties of their twisted burgers and sage fried chicken and waffles; accompanied by signature Bloody Marys, the Kiwi Watermelon Lemonade and more, in addition to a full-service bar.
Located in The Shoppes at Canyon Pointe at 10810 W. Charleston Blvd., the 5,339-square-foot space accommodates 150 guests. The restaurant and bar are now open for brunch from 8 a.m.–2 p.m. daily and open for dinner service from 5–8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Delivery and curbside pickup, complete with its own separate entrance, is also available.
During this austere time of COVID, the new restaurant created 75 new jobs.
WEDDING CHAPEL SIGN ACQUIRED BY THE NEON MUSEUM
The term “quickie wedding” became a part of the local vernacular in the 1930s, when marriage and divorce laws were lenient in Nevada and a growing market for wedding services flourished in Las Vegas.
The Wee Kirk O’ the Heather wedding chapel adobe structure, which was built in 1924 originally as a house, was later converted into a chapel in 1940. This chapel began to establish itself as a quick spot to get married after couples obtained a marriage license at the nearby Marriage License Bureau downtown.
In October of 2020, the building overnight was demolished. At the time of its closure, it was the longest-running wedding chapel in Las Vegas. The property’s 700-pound roadside pylon is now part of The Neon Museum collection and has been placed in storage for the time being. The sign contains neon flowers that pay homage to the Scottish translation of the chapel’s name, meaning “the little chapel of the lucky flowers.” This chapel on Las Vegas Blvd. has been a part of the Las Vegas community for 80 years, and as a structure for 96 years.
SOUTH POINT OPENS THE FEED STORE
Last week, South Point Arena & Equestrian Center debuted the property’s Feed Store alongside their partner, Tractor Supply Company, the largest rural lifestyle retail chain in America. In addition to the store, the partnership also gives Tractor Supply Company naming rights to Barn A and B, both located inside the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center.
Tractor Supply Company has been passionate about serving its unique niche, as a one-stop shop for recreational farmers, ranchers and all those who enjoy living the rural lifestyle, for more than 80 years. As of Sept. 26, 2020, the Company operated 1,904 Tractor Supply stores in 49 states.
EL DORADO CANTINA CELEBRATES NATIONAL SOUP MONTH
El Dorado Cantina with locations at Tivoli Village and 3025 Sammy Davis Jr. Drive is celebrating the Nuevo Año and National Soup Month by offering a warm bowl of the restaurant’s popular Pozole through Jan. 31 for $9, which is normally $14.
There’s a choice of traditional Red Pozole and the new Green Pozole.
CABO WABO GOES FOOTBALL FIESTA FOR THE BIG GAME
The Big Game is around the corner on Sunday, Feb. 7. While it will look different this year like everything since last March, there will places to go.
Cabo Wabo Cantina inside Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood is planning a football fiesta with a viewing party on Feb. 7, priced at $200 per person.
The all-you-can-eat-and-drink fiesta will include tailgate-style favorites such as homemade guacamole and chips, nachos, chicken wings, macaroni and cheese, carne asada and chicken sliders, and churro and brownie bites, among other options. Cabo Wabo’s all-you-can-drink premium bar will offer house margaritas, handcrafted cocktails, and draft and bottled beers.
The game will play on flat-panel, big-screen TVs, visible throughout in the cantina. Reservations to watch the Big Game in Cabo Wabo’s private upstairs lounge, The LOFT, are also available.
TREASURE ISLAND OFFERS BOTTOMLESS DRINKS
Treasure Island has announced their offerings for the Big Game, which include bottomless drinks at Gilley’s Saloon, Dance Hall & Bar-B-Que and Golden Circle Sportsbook and Bar for $99 plus tax and gratuity. Reservations required.
For an additional cost, each venue offers dining options. Gilley’s has the Cowboy Burger and Southern Fried Chicken, while the Golden Circle features chicken wings and nachos, salads, burgers, and while supplies last the 26-ounce roasted turkey legs.
CARMINE’S AND VIRGIL’S CELEBRATION PLANS FOR THE BIG GAME
On Feb. 7, Carmine’s at The Forum Shops will open at 2 p.m. for the Big Game. For $199 per person, you secure guaranteed seating and a food and a beverage credit of the same amount.
On game day, Virgil’s at The LINQ Promenade will be offering a $125 per person dine-in menu that includes favorites such as trainwreck fries, wings, mac & cheese, Texas beef brisket, Memphis style pork spareribs, Carolina Pulled Pork, and banana pudding. T-Bone and Tomahawk steak upgrades are available, as is an unlimited drink package for an additional $50 per person.
In addition, each restaurant offers to-go packages for watching at home. For in person, both venues will be socially distancing as is required by the state of Nevada.
ATOMIC TESTING MUSEUM’S NEW EXHIBIT IS ABOUT COVID-19
Even during the pandemic, the National Atomic Testing Museum on E. Desert Inn Road is currently open to the public on a strict, reservation-only basis.
Keeping up with the times, the museum’s new exhibit is “COVID-19: Battling the Invisible Enemy.” Part of the display is a protective suit that is identical to the ones worn by scientists researching the virus at the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center.
NEON MUSEUM DEBUTS VIRTUAL TOUR OF ‘WHAT YOU MEAN TO ME’
The Neon Museum has introduced a 360-degree, self-guided, virtual exhibition of brand-new artwork by internationally lauded Nigerian-American artist Victor Ehikhamenor. Titled “What You Mean to Me,” it is the two-time Venice Biennale exhibitor’s first solo exhibition in the United States since 2008. This exhibition marks The Neon Museum’s fifth National Artist in Residence; the program began in 2016.
Virtual visitors can navigate around the installation, see photographs of the work in progress. and listen to Ehikhamenor’s recorded discussion of each work. The virtual exhibition is free and available on the museum’s website.
Ehikhamenor produced the work over seven weeks, Oct. 26-Dec. 18, during his artist-in-residency at The Neon Museum. His exhibit is comprised of five three-dimensional artworks illuminated with neon tubing and monumental in scale.
Virtual art exhibitions have become increasingly popular throughout the pandemic, with world-famous art institutions around the world making them available to a global population whose travel plans have been scuttled. Last fall, The Neon Museum debuted a 360-degree tour of its open-air Boneyard Collection of historic Las Vegas signs.
VEGAS STILL PRODUCES WINNERS
While the big conventions, arena shows and events aren’t happening during this pandemic, many folks still enjoy their time gambling as a form of entertainment.
One Las Vegas local hit a $150,000+ jackpot at The Orleans on Aristocrat Gaming ™ Dollar Storm™ slot game on New Year’s Eve. The long-time customer and local resident, who has been visiting The Orleans since 2007, made a $10 bet on a Dollar Storm™ slot machine when he hit the $150,403 Super Grand progressive jackpot at 4:30 p.m. Nice start to the new year.
Last month at Treasure Island slot players won major jackpots of $10,000 or more. The biggest winner playing the Keno 7/7 slot machine was Glenn F, who took home $28,000.
Boyd Gaming destinations across the Las Vegas Valley celebrated the holiday season and the end of 2020 by awarding multiple jackpots of $10,000, or more, in December at Aliante, The Orleans, Gold Coast, Suncoast, Cannery, California and Fremont. In all, more than $20 million in jackpots was awarded last month.
BLOOD DRIVE COMING UP AT TIVOLI VILLAGE
Tivoli Village is inviting participants to support Vitalant by donating their blood on Tuesday, Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in honor of National Blood Donor Month. With blood banks facing critical shortages due to the pandemic environment, every donation counts. Donors will receive a voucher for one complimentary breakfast burrito courtesy of Sonic® Drive-Thru. All successful blood donations will be tested for COVID-19 antibodies.
