Untold Stories and the Future

Thursday evening was the final "Untold Stories" at the Springs Preserve.  We had a great panel of Las Vegas High School alumni that enjoyed talking to about their high school days.  The audience was terrific, with many alum attending as well.

Due to budget cutbacks at the Springs, they are refocusing their educational programming and one of the programs impacted was "Untold Stories".

I am forever grateful for the 2.5 years that they supported the program.  It was the only monthly series that allowed long-time residents to share their stories and memories of a younger and smaller Las Vegas with residents.

We covered a number of historic topics from "The History of Fremont Street", "The History of the Strip", "A Look Back at the MGM Grand Fire", "St. Thomas" and more.

I want to thank all the people who participated on the panels over the last 30 months.  We covered a lot of different historic topics and I am grateful to all who came out to share their history.  I also want to thank the class members as well.  Each month it was a joy to look out from the podium to see familiar faces and know that there are people who really are interested in learning more about this place we call home.  Finally, I want to thank Dr. Michael Green for always being available, often on short notice, to be the historian for the evening.

As they say, when one door closes another opens and that is what happened here.  Within days of learning that "Untold Stories" was ending this month, I was offered the job opportunity of a life time.  Unfortunately, it will take me away from Las Vegas. 

However, we will continue to archive the 130 video oral histories that we have collected over the years and hope to have that monumental task completed by this time next year.  Late last year, with the help of a grant from the Historic Preservation Commission, we delivered the first 25 archived interviews on DVD to the Nevada State Museum and to Special Collections.  We are currently working on the next set.  So our work does continue though I won't be a monthly presence the way I have been for the last five years.

The Friends of Classic Las Vegas will have a meeting next month (details to TBA, so stay tuned) and will continue to be a vital voice in historic preservation.  I won't be able to do as much of the organizing as I once did but I will still be involved and look forward to advising the group.

This blog and site will continue on as well.  I will still be writing here and a few people have offered to contribute historic and cultural pieces as well.  So, if you are a regular reader, fear not, Classic Las Vegas is not going anywhere.  We will still be here and the power of the internet will make it possible to stay connected to you.

As for me, I begin a new adventure later this month as the Digital Archivist for the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio in San Francisco.  It is a world class museum and I am excited about this opportunity.

In the meantime, historic preservation in Las Vegas still needs all the support it can get so I do hope you will stay with us and continue to learn more about the 20th Century history of Las Vegas right here.

Springs Preserve Celebrates Black History Month

Looking for the UPDATED info on the upcoming Las Vegas High School program?  Click here

To commemorate the contributions of African-Americans to Southern Nevada's history and culture, the Springs Preserve and Las Vegas Black Image magazine will host a Black History Month Festival at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd., on Sunday.

The festival will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-17, and free for children 4 and younger. Advance tickets are available at Sight and Sound Center, 1000 N. Martin Luther King Blvd.

Visitors will be able to view a special "Historic Black Vegas" photo exhibit.

Entertainment will include a Children's Film Festival, a Greek Step Show, a Children's Hair and Fashion Show, music by 6-year-old DJ "Baby Chino," and other music and dance performances. The event also will feature food sales and access to the preserve's museums and galleries.



Upcoming Cultural Events in Las Vegas this week and one that's not!

Looking for the UPDATED info on the upcoming Las Vegas High School program?  Click here

Yes, Las Vegas has culture.  You know that.  I know that.  It's not a myth.

Here's some of the cultural events happening in the Las Vegas Valley this week:

“The Wall That Heals,” a half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., will return to Mesquite, Nevada, Feb. 25 – March 1. The City of Mesquite first hosted the wall nearly five years ago.

Located on the grounds of the City of Mesquite Recreation Center, the exhibit will feature the replica wall, stretching nearly 250 feet in length and containing the names of more than 58,000 men and women who died while serving the U.S. Armed Forces in the Vietnam War.  The exhibit also includes a museum and information center, providing a comprehensive educational component to enrich and complete the visitor experience.

“We are honored to have been asked by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to host “The Wall That Heals” once again,” said Mesquite Mayor Susan Holecheck. “Mesquite is home to more than a thousand veterans. It’s a very moving experience to be able to bring this message of healing to many who would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the power of the memorial in Washington, D.C.”

Since its dedication in 1996, “The Wall That Heals” has visited more than 300 cities and towns throughout the nation, spreading the memorial’s healing legacy to millions and educating young people about the Vietnam War.

On Wednesday, Feb. 24, a motorcycle escort from the Patriot Guard of Nevada will accompany the truck containing the replica wall from St. George, Utah to Mesquite. The Wall will be available for visitors 24 hours a day from 7 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25 through 6 a.m. on Monday, March 1. Each evening at 5 p.m. names will be read from the wall. The names selected are those who began their military service from Southern Nevada and Southern Utah, and those who have relatives currently living in the Virgin and Moapa Valleys. Daily formal ceremonies are free and open to the public:

·         Opening Ceremony – Thursday, Feb. 25 at 10 a.m.

·         Service of Prayer and Reconciliation – Friday, Feb. 26 at 10 a.m.

·         Southern Paiute Veterans Ceremony – Saturday, Feb. 27 at 1 p.m.

·         Closing Ceremony – Sunday, Feb. 28 at 3 p.m.

The 2010 visit of “The Wall That Heals” is sponsored by Greg Lee of the Eureka Hotel & Casino with the assistance of the City of Mesquite, the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 993, local volunteers, the Traveling Wall committee and the local business community.

ATOMIC TESTING MUSEUM

Greetings!

On February 27, 2010 at 1:00 p.m., the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation (NTSHF) will mark the Fifth Anniversary of the Atomic Testing Museum (ATM).

On this day, we will be dedicating two artifacts from the World Trade Center, which is one of the biggest events the Foundation has ever planned. To date, we are still seeking sponsors to meet our goal of raising $50,000 for these events.

Thus far, we have raised $38,000. As your support in the past has helped sustain the many events and projects the NTSHF/ATM has offered its members and the public, once again, we are appealing to your generous support, especially for the dedication of the WTC artifacts and the development of the permanent exhibits for these pieces.

To donate contact Dawn Barlow at 702-794-5147 or
 Donate to the Museum online.

To make a reservation to witness a memorable event honoring our fellow citizens and heroes who lost their lives during the World Trade Center attack, click Reserve.

We look forward to seeing you on February 27th at the Museum.

Thank you in advance for your support.

THE SMITH CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS TOPPING OFF CEREMONY:

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts gets one step closer to opening its doors as it celebrates the “topping out” of Reynolds Hall, reaching its highest point of 170 feet. The ceremony will begin with a live performance down City Parkway by Clark High School Marching Band and will culminate with the raising of the final steel beam, topping out construction for this monumental project. 

Guests in attendance will have the opportunity to sign the final steel beam before it is put in place, becoming a part of The Smith Center’s history. Immediately following the ceremony, tours of The Smith Center will be available. 

WHO:             Myron G. Martin, President & CEO

Donald D. Snyder, Chairman of the Board

Oscar B. Goodman, Mayor of Las Vegas

Mr. Fred W. Smith, Chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation

Clark High School Marching Band

WHEN:           Thursday, February 25, 2010

                         2:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

WHERE:        The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Construction Site

Entrance to the construction site is available from Clark Avenue, located on Grand Central Parkway, just north of Bonneville Avenue.

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Tours of Neon Boneyard suspended while work goes on

Up until now, tours of the Neon Boneyard were available by appointment.  But beginning this week, tours have been suspended as the signs are temporarily moved so that work can begin on a park that will be part of the Neon Museum.

From the R-J:

Cranes took up position at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and McWilliams Avenue on Monday to start the delicate work of relocating vintage neon signs, the first stage in remaking the corner known as the Neon Boneyard.

The relocation, to the Cashman Center parking lot next door, will be temporary while a half-acre park is built by Las Vegas.

The Neon Museum, meanwhile, is moving forward with plans for a visitors center and a more organized exhibit of the accumulated neon treasures, including a walking path and a fence that is not made of chain link and barbed wire.

"We don't want to lose the raw experience of the boneyard, but we do have to have a plan," said Danielle Kelly, the museum's operations manager. "The goal is for the whole boneyard to be open to general admission."

Until now, tours of the signs were guided and by appointment only. Those tours are suspended for the duration of construction, which is expected to take 10 months.

The museum is home to more than 150 neon signs from Las Vegas' past. There are huge ones, such as the Stardust sign, which is in nine pieces, or the Treasure Island skull that grins up at the sky (check it out on Google Maps).

There are small ones, like the dancing shirt sign from Steiner's Cleaners or the leftover G, A, M, L and I from a "gambling hall" sign possibly dating from the 1930s.

Their conditions vary. Some, like those lining parts of Las Vegas Boulevard north of Bonanza Road, have been painstakingly restored. Others have suffered from the elements and have cracked and peeling paint, rust spots and missing bulbs.

Eventually, more of the signs might be restored, Kelly said. Some may just have the lighting fixed, however, leaving the wear and tear of history as is, and some will simply stay as they are.

"We really honor the way they wear their history," Kelly said. "The peeling paint and the patina on them -- we think it's very beautiful.

"It's about the story, really. ... The city is young. These things are historic, yet they're within the realm of our memory."

The park is a $1.9 million project funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, which sets aside money from public land sales to pay for parks and trails projects. Work on the museum's improvements is provided by grant funds and donations.

The sign for Neon Boneyard Park will feature re-created letters from some of Las Vegas' most famous signs: N's from the Desert Inn and the Golden Nugget, an E from Caesars Palace and an O from Binion's.