Country star Ricky Van Shelton, who has had five platinum and four gold albums, will be headlining at the Riverside Resort, March 29 - April 3 at 8 p.m. nightly. Tickets are $26, call 1-800-227-3849

Van Shelton found his love for music at age 14 when his brother enticed him into a role as a singer and guitar player in his band in exchange for the opportunity to drive his Fairlane 289. The brothers played in local clubs while Van Shelton supported himself with side jobs from pipefitting to pumping gas.

Van Shelton moved to Nashville in 1984. Three years later his second single, "Somebody Lied" reached number one and his induction into the Grand Ole Opry was in June of 1987.

After a strand of number one hits and platinum albums, Ricky Van Shelton took a brief break. When he came back in 2000 with "Fired Green Tomatoes," it was with a stronger sound. Van Shelton has also released Christmas and Gospel albums that went platinum, and he even wrote a children's book, "Tales From A Duck Named Quacker."

Country music star Darryl Worley will headline at the Ramada Express Pavilion Theater, Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25, call, 1-800-243-6846.

Worley was singing and playing guitar before he reached his teens and turned to songwriting during his high school years. Honoring his father's wishes, he graduated from the University of North Alabama, took a job as a research biologist and later formed his own chemical supply business. All the while, he was writing songs and performing in honky-tonks.

In 1992, Worley ditched his job to become a $150-a-week songwriter in Muscle Shoals, Ala. and later signed as a recording artist with DreamWorks Records in February 1998. Worley debuted on the country charts with a trio of top-20 hits in 2000-2001. In early 2003, "Have You Forgotten" shot to No. 1 and brought him an Academy of Country Music Top New Male Vocalist award nomination.

Harrah's will present a Rock and Sock Production, "A Ring of Their Own," a live, all-women's boxing event from the Rio Vista Outdoor Amphitheater on March 26. The big boxing match will feature Elena "Baby Doll" Reid versus Alicia Ashley in an eight-round bantamweight main event bout.

A Phoenix, Ariz. native and current Las Vegas resident, Reid (16-1-5, 6 KOs) faces off against New York City's Ashley (10-5-1).

For country fans, Lightning Strikes, The Dance Club at the Riverside Resort will be featuring country music exclusively for rodeo fans from March 30-April 2 starting at 5 p.m.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

Irma Norton, the sister of the pioneering rocker Richie Valens, recently took in three performances of "A Really Big Shew" over a weekend while visiting from Watsonville, Calif. She made a special trip to the Flamingo Laughlin specifically to see Ray Anthony's portrayal of Richie Valens. She tries to see Anthony perform as often as she can and finds an amazing likeness to her brother.

Anthony is a self-taught guitar and bass player, drummer, pianist, and songwriter. At the age of seven, Anthony was turned on to rock 'n' roll while watching Elvis Presley. As he continued performing on the road, audience members continuously suggested that he resembled Richie Valens as played by Lou Diamond Phillips in the 1987 film "La Bamba."

The Laughlin River Stampede will take place March 30-April 3. It will be the 11th annual PRCA Rodeo stop with top cowboys on the circuit competing for over $225,000 in prize money, Miss Rodeo America appearances, plus food and beverage concessions. The Sunday finals will be televised on the Outdoor Life Network. Tickets for the rodeo run $12 to $35 for adults.

Plans for a new bridge expected to be completed in 2006 are taking shape. The proposed bridge is a span one that will not touch the Colorado River and will connect to Casino Center Drive south of Harrah's. The bridge will not eliminate the push for a third bridge in the future.

The new Laughlin Bay Marina is scheduled to open in May and it is the first marina to be built in Nevada on private property. It will offer a fully-staffed marina with year-round boat maintenance, launching and storage facilities, a ship store, café and cocktail bar. The marina has adopted voluntary clean marina standards.

The $140 million project will contain about 400 town homes located on approximately 32 acres, with 1,250 feet of frontage that opens to the Colorado River.

A Riverwalk master development plan is being discussed. It should consist of two parts: a North Reach and a South Reach.

The North Reach, which would be located from the Laughlin Bridge to Davis Dam, would offer a variety of recreational opportunities to include fishing, hiking, horseback riding and swimming.

The South Reach would extend from the bridge to Harrah's and feature more urban setting with a variety of indoor and outdoor businesses and activities.

Riverside Development, LLC has purchased 110 acres of land situated between Casino Drive and the Colorado River, near the Emerald River Golf Course for $13 million. This land includes a partially completed casino / hotel structure that was left by the previous developer.

The plus for Laughlin is the property is also within the property area that Riverside Development, LLC purchased n 2001 for the Emerald River Project, which can now become a reality.

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