It's hard to believe that five-years have passed since a guy by the name of Steve Cutler convinced the Big Brass at the Tropicana Hotel to place the Legends Hall of Fame inside its property.
I remember when Cutler and the hotel opened the museum. It was located where it is now but was condensed in size at the time. Cutler, who was at one time located downtown with his fabulous collection of gaming stuff, had put his life and soul into the idea of preserving chips, contracts, photos, etc., for everyone to enjoy. The Tropicana liked the idea and wanted to go a step further: create a special exhibit of those men and women who helped to make Las Vegas famous. The first ceremony was held in the Tiffany Theatre the evening of February 4th, 1999. The inductee's that first year were: Benny Binion, Hank Greenspun, Howard Hughes, Jr., LeRoy Neiman, Jay Sarno, Bob Stupak and Lou Walters in the Builders and Visionary section; Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson and Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston as gamblers; The "Good Guys" section saw Senator Harry Reid, Governor Grant Sawyer and Phil Tobin inducted along with Showgirls Barbara Beverly Crockett, Janet Ford Spelman and Debbie Davis Lee. The neat thing then was that a special painting was done of each inductee by world famous artist Neiman.
For the remainder of 1999 and into mid 2000 the Hall inducted various people into its growing list of notables with brief ceremonies inside the Hall itself. Then in October, 2000 Tropicana management and Cutler agreed it needed a more prestigious ceremony and returned to the Tiffany Theatre. The first emcee was impressionist / singer Bob Anderson with entertainer Clint Holmes presently holding down the job. Each year since, the ceremony has become a very important event looked forward to by entertainers and locals alike. In 2002 The Joe Delaney Award was created to honor the men and women of the media who helped to build the city with their words. Joe's daughter received the first award named for her father, who had passed away earlier. Last year my friend Murray Hertz was honored with the prestigious award.
If you live in Nevada and want to visit the museum then February is the month for you as it's free with a Nevada I.D. Believe me you'll see things you cannot see anywhere else, including some very interesting signed contracts by various entertainers. It's a must see for anyone who likes memorabilia. Congratulations to the Tropicana, Lisa Keim (hotel publicist) and Cutler for keeping the tradition alive.
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A LOT OF THIS AND THAT: Luciano Pavarotti, one of the world's most popular tenor, will kick off his 2004 North American Tour with an exclusive performance at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Saturday, Feb. 28. He has told the world that this will be his final year of touring...
Brendan Gaughan and Kurt Busch, along with younger brother Kyle Busch are really looking forward to returning to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the annual Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Race on Saturday, March 6 and the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Sunday, March 7. All three locally raised drivers had great tests at the speedway in January, which we reported on previously. From all my sources the report is that there are no seats left for sale to the general public, except for the all new 22,000-seat Earnhardt Terrace. We went and took a look from the new seats and wow, what a view. It overlooks turn four and you can see everything on the 1 1/2 mile tri-oval. Price of $333.00 includes admission to the track during the NASCAR weekend as well as tickets for the Sept. 25 Las Vegas 350 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. There are a lot of perks that go with the ticket. For further information call (702) 644-4444...
The original International Phenomenon Riverdance returns to the Aladdin Theatre Feb. 11-15. Tickets have been on sale since Dec. 5, so I'm not sure if there are any left to be purchased. Call (702) 785-5000 and you might get lucky. It's a tremendous show...
This Friday (6th) and Saturday the Cannery Casino / Hotel will honor the 40th Anniversary of The Beatles first live American television appearance with a tribute show presented by "The Fab." The following weekend, Feb. 13-14 (my birthday just happens to fall on Valentines Day) my friends Steve Lippia, Doug Sparks and Rick Michel will take to the stage inside The Club as "Frank, Sammy and Dean - Hear and Now" in concert with a 12-piece orchestra. I have seen this show, gang, and it's worth every cent. These three guys work their butts off to make it a great and fun show for everyone, including themselves...
Feb. 12-15 the Mt. Charleston Lodge (at the very top) is once again offering a romantic Valentines Day Lodging and dining package which includes a gourmet dinner for two and lodging in a romantic log cabin. Call (702) 872-5408 for further information...
From Feb. 9-15, Michael's Salon & Spa, inside the Rio Hotel has created four special spa packages for Valentines ranging from $70 to $350. For further information call (800) PLAYRIO...
Also  "Tony `n' Tina's Wedding" celebrates its second anniversary at the Rio on Valentine's Day. More than 194,000 people have watched the wedding since the show opened. That's a lot of wedding guests!...
One of my favorites art galleries (even though they don't display my bronze sculptures) is Art de Vignettes inside the Fashion Show Mall. The last time I was there was for actor Paul Sorvino's showing of his sculptures. Now it's comedian Jonathan Winters turn to show off his paintings. Owner Barbara Lee Woolen throws a good party for the media and VIP's of our little village. He will be on hand Wednesday, Feb. 11 between 5 and 7 pm., and on Thursday between 11 am., and 1 pm...
The Comedy Stop at the Tropicana has Greg Morton headlining this coming week, along with Mike Donovan and Glen Jensen...
Well, gang, that's it for another week. I'm outa here!.
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