Melinda, known as the "First Lady of Magic," plans to retire and make her family her priority. Her last show will be on Sept. 8 at The Showroom at The Venetian, where she's been successfully headlining for more than two years. She beat the odds in a showroom where numerous other headliners and shows like "The Main Event" and "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" have failed.

After graduating from high school in Las Vegas, Melinda began her showroom career as a chorus line dance for Siegfried and Roy. She went on to star in her own show in many hotels over the past 17 years.

Aviation Nation, a free air show will take place at Nellis Air Force Base on Oct. 5 and 6. Also civilians get to park free across Las Vegas Blvd. South at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The event will include the first performances by the 2003 U. S. Thunderbirds Aerobatic Team that will be selected this month.

New this year, the show will feature Unlimited class aircraft racing, in which planes will reach speeds around 500 mph while racing an elongated 5-mile oval about 100 feet above Nellis' runways. These are the fastest piston-driven modified aircraft in the world.

The hope is to turn this into an annual fall event that would compare with the Oshkosh, Wisconsin air show that attracts 10,000 planes and nearly 800,000 people over a week.

Other Aviation Nation highlights will include demonstrations by the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, the Air Force's West Coast F-15 team, the U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B "Harrier," an A-10 Warthog and the new C-I7 Globemaster transport aircraft. Among the 60 to 100 static airplane displays will be a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer.

This fall's event could be a warm-up for 2003, which will be the 50th anniversary of the Thunderbirds and the 100th anniversary of powered flight. For more information on the Aviation Nation Air Show visit www.nellis.af.mil/Airshow.htm.

Super Diamond, a nationally recognized tribute band capturing every detail and nuance of Neil Diamond's incomparable style, will perform in the Bally's Jubilee Theater on Sept. 20. Tickets are $29 with tax included, call 1-877-374-7469 or 702-946-4567.

Hailing from San Francisco, Super Diamond complete with a charismatic lead singer "The Surreal Neil" was formed nine years ago.

Super Diamond fans can take advantage of a special weekend concert package. For $329, guests can receive a two night stay at Bally's, two tickets to the show, $50 in dining certificates and 2-for-1 admission to Bally's Spa. For reservations, call 1-800-7-BALLYS and request the package code PBKBIG.

On Sept. 2, a new late 5 p.m. afternoon production, "Rock This Town - Live," will open at the Riviera and run Monday through Thursday. The show will be a journey through the 50's and 60's and feature impersonations of Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly and the "Man from Memphis." Tickets will be $19.95 plus tax and fee, call 702-794-9433. VIP seating, including one drink or a buffet, is also available.

Frankie Moreno, who is a singer, songwriter and piano player, will do the impressions of Lewis, Richard and Charles. He first came to the attention of American audiences on "Star Search" in 1989. In order to put out records, Mareno started his own label and he's currently watching the charts for his follow-up album, "Thirteen," just released with 13 new tracks.

George D. Trullinger will perform the Holly tribute. He played the Holly role for 17 years in "Legends In Concert" and has toured the world.

Harry Shaholan will take on the role of the "Man form Memphis." He began impersonating Elvis back in 1993.

Get ready... the cows are coming the Las Vegas valley and they will be everywhere beginning Oct. 17 through mid-February. The famous CowParade that began in Switzerland in 1999 has worked its way to Las Vegas where it's expected that 350 to 400 vibrantly painted and decorated 100 pound life-size fiberglass cows will be on display in parks, storefronts, public buildings, along the Strip and even in a five-star hotel, the Four Seasons.

Two of the faux mammals, a cow painted like a traveling businessman called "Belle, A Cow For All Seasons," and the Valentine's Day-themed "Moo-cho Amour" are sponsored by the Four Seasons.

Strip headliners Siegfried and Roy were the first celebrities to sponsor local cows. Henderson artist Roy Purcell known for his desert landscapes has painted a bovine replica and called it "Cowctus."

The cows are sponsored by businesses, individuals for organizations for $7,500 each and local artists do the painting.

After the cows create what is being described as the largest public art exhibit ever to visit Las Vegas, they will be auctioned off through Sotheby's auction house next February. The average bid for a cow in the past has been $25,000, with the most expensive going for $110,000. Some of the proceeds will go to benefit the local Andre Agassi Foundation. For more CowParade information, visit www.cowparadelasvegas.com.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

The Go-Go's, the ultimate girl band of the '80s, are back on tour and will appear at the Las Vegas Hilton on Sept. 6 and 7 at 10 p.m. Tickets are $45 and $55 plus tax and handling fee, call 1-800-222-5361 or 702-732-5755.

The Go-Go's were formed more than 20 years ago and became popular for their hallmark California-pop sound. Their rise to fame was even the focus of an in-depth "VH1 Behind the Music" episode.

Following their break-up in 1985, the group has reunited for several concert tours and more recently to record their latest album, "God Bless the Go-Go's."

The JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort, Spa & Golf doesn't feature its own course; however, the upscale resort boasts eight championship golf courses within a five-minute drive. The elegant 541-room resort, which is located in the master-planned Summerlin community just several miles northwest of The Strip and less than 25 minutes from McCarran International Airport, first opened its doors on July 15, 1999 and became a JW Marriott property in February of 2002.

The new eatery Rosemary's at the Rio will be opening this week in the space formerly occupied by the Napa restaurant. Chef / owners Michael and Wendy Jordan have established a hit Rosemary's restaurant at 8125 W, Sahara Ave., which is a bit far for a tourist to travel. People have been hearing about the Jordans, who will be making their third trip to cook at the James Beard House in New York on Oct. 7. This is an exclusive invitation-only proposition, which means a chef has arrived.

The new Rosemary's will have a wood-burning oven so the Jordans will be featuring different kinds of gourmet pizza as well as many signature menu items. Also, a daily Happy Hour from 5 to 7 p.m. will feature half-price cocktails, beer and wine by the glass.

The six-fight "Heavyweight Extravaganza" boxing event will be held at the Stratosphere on Saturday, Sept. 21, in the Outdoor Events Center. The main event will feature heavyweight contender Derrick "D-Train" Jefferson against Fernely Feliz. In addition, there will be a full undercard featuring Las Vegas heavyweight prospect Charles Shufford (17-2, 9 KOs) and a women's bantamweight bout with Las Vegan Mandy LaPointe (2-1-1, 1 KO).

Tickets are $58 for Ringside seats, $36 for Premium seats and $24 for Plaza seats. The Outdoor Events Center's 2,850-seat configuration for boxing events includes 768 Ringside seats, 740 Premium seats and 1,346 Plaza seats. For tickets, call 702-380-7711.

Nevada's first Nordstrom department store is scheduled to open Nov. 1 at the Fashion Show mall on the Strip. It will be a three-story, approximately 200,000-square-foot outlet making it larger than the company's standard prototype generally ranging from 140,000 to 170,000 square feet.

The much-anticipated Nordstrom outlet will be the Seattle-based retailer's 88th full-line store. Among its features will be a concierge, valet parking, a caf‚, expresso bar, five shoe departments, an entire second floor devoted to women's clothing, and different architecture that will include tiles hand painted by local children.

Here's an interesting fact. The Las Vegas Valley is home to 26,000 Nordstrom credit-card holders, compared to the usual 4,000 to 5,000 cardholders in other markets without Nordstrom stores.

Alliance Gaming Corp. of Las Vegas has announced plans for a series of "Saturday Night Live" slot machines showcasing legendary SNL actors such as John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Dana Carvey, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtain, Joe Piscopo and many others. Game themes scheduled to be on display at the Global Gaming Expo, Sept. 17-19, at the Las Vegas Convention Center include the Blues Brothers, Hans and Frans, Church Lady and the Coneheads.

The property on Harmon Avenue where the Shark Club used to a happening nightclub is slated to become a $240 million luxury high-rise timeshare resort called "The Chateau." The proposed upscale project featuring a 33-story, four-tower, 850-unit complex will be built on the 3.5-acre parcel. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2004 and the first tower is supposed to be ready for 2005.

Turnberry Place, a very exclusive high-rise condominium development located across Paradise Road from the Las Vegas Hilton, has begun building its third 40-story tower. The third tower will take about 18 months to build and its units are already 60 percent sold.

The entire Turnberry Place project will be complete in 2005 and include four 40-story towers. The $650 million development is more than a year ahead of its projected construction schedule. The project features ten-floor plans ranging from 1,550 to 8,000 square feet. Residences are priced from $500,000 to more than $5.25 million. The sales office with a 2,825-square-foot model residence is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Times change, at least that's the case for two shows at the Riviera in the Le Bistro Theatre. Beginning Sept. 3, Trent Carlini will move his "The Dream King" show about Elvis to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Stephen Sorrentino's "Voices In My Head" performances highlighting many impersonations will take over the 8:30 p.m. slot, Friday through Sunday, and 10 p.m. on Monday.

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