by Norm Johnson Send Me E-mail

Well, gang, guess what this writer did the other evening, along with, Nancy Barr and her daughter-in-law, Stephanie, and the grandkids, Caitlynn and Devon? We took advantage of Stars & Stripes Air Tours to fly over the Las Vegas Strip at night in one of its helicopters.

Of course the youngsters were excited to be taking their first ride in a copter, as were Nancy and Stephanie. I had flown the Strip many times with my buddy, Mel Larson (who started the Strip flights back in the late '70s). But, I knew this would be different and it was. Chief Pilot, Mike Crout, was our pilot and he made sure the kids got to sit up in the front where the co-pilot seat is located. Devon was especially excited, but so was Caitlynn (she's the oldest you see, but doesn't like to show it), as were the two ladies.

After being firmly belted into the, Eurocopter AS350 Astar, Crout lifted off the helipad and away we went towards the famous Las Vegas Strip. There is one thing you must know by now, the kids were snapping photos as fast as they could, whereas, we adults were calmly taking in the sights. You really get a great look at the construction taking place, especially City Center. Where the Stardust Hotel once stood is now a parking lot for steel beams and some construction (which has been stopped for a while). Crout stays to the right side of the Strip as we head south and begins a left turn right at the Luxor and its giant beam of light (we actually fly through it), then the flight heads north back towards the Wynn and its sister hotel, Encore, passing the Stratosphere Hotel on our left. We arrive back safe and sound at the heliport, where management greets us.

It's a quick, but fun, flight. The heliport is located at 500 E. Cheyenne Ave., North Las Vegas, and operates from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. Stars and Stripes Air Tours also offers tours to the Grand Canyon. For further information call 1-888-779-0800.

An old friend (he's not old, it's just that we have known each other for quite a long time) of this writer, Dirk Arthur, has an afternoon show at the Tropicana Hotel / Casino, "Xtreme Magic," which was a perfect venue for Nancy's grandkids. So, that's where we ended up last Sunday afternoon (we went to the 2 p.m. show). Arthur has the only magic show on the Strip featuring exotic cats, and are they beautiful.

The one-hour show features four dancer / assistants that are truly great looking and can actually dance! The show moves quickly from one illusion to another and are nicely performed by Dirk and his assistants. In one illusion, he takes an empty stage with one prop and before you can blink an eye, a helicopter appears from behind a curtain. One of the unbelievable illusions is when Dirk gets locked into a steel contraption with a huge drill bit hovering over his body. Within minutes, the drill comes down and supposedly goes right through him. Again, before you can blink an eye, he is standing in the audience, alive and yelling at the audience. It's a good one!

But, what the kids and audience really want to see are those beautiful cats Arthur uses in the show. Not only are they fantastic specimens of the cat family, but they are huge animals.

Dirk maintains his cats on a large estate and shows a film of their living conditions, which is truly amazing. The biggest cat is an orange Bengal tiger that is truly magnificent. He is raising a Liger (half tiger, half lion which is the only one in the United States) along with a baby African spotted leopard, and two of only 15 Snow tigers still in existence in the world.

One of the close-up illusions Arthur performs is when he makes a cone out of a Dirk Arthur poster, and amazingly, a group of white doves appear from inside the cone, followed by a large white goose.

This is definitely a show for the entire family and well worth the price of a ticket. Show times for Xtreme Magic starring Dirk Arthur are 2 and 4 p.m. daily except Friday. Tickets range between $22.00 and $27.50. For reservations call the Tropicana box office at 1-800-829-9034.

THIS AND THAT QUICKLY: Giovanna Sardelli received rave reviews from every corner of the New York media, including The New York Times, Variety and Theatermania for her direction of a new play by, Rajiv Joseph, called "Animals out of Paper." "Ms. Sardelli's masterly direction follows through, pinning down the laughs as well as the emotional anguish," wrote Anita Gates of the Times. Congrats to a future Broadway director... Believe it or not, there will soon be an actual Ice Lounge in our village. It's part of a global expansion plan by the original Ice House group in New Zealand, called Minus 5 group. This first Ice Lounge will be opening in September and will be located adjacent to Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Everything inside is ice, including the glasses you'll be drinking from. Everyone entering will be furnished sheepskin-lined parkas, gloves and boots... Yellow Brick Road will do two live concerts Monday, Aug. 18th as part of the Tropicana's Mint Monday poolside at 7:30 and 9 p.m. and it's free to the public... Anita Nelving has been named managing director of CineVegas Film Festival... Gerry McCambridge has been awarded the prestigious "Merlin" Award by the 37,000 member strong International Magician Society. McCambridge performs his fantastic feats of mental magic at Hooters Hotel / Casino... Chrissi Scinta and her husband, John Milke, sent me a note about their daughter, Deanna, who has her own web site on YouTube. Not only is Deanna beautiful, but she has a really strong voice - just like her wonderful mother. To watch her video, go to www.youtube.com/user/deannamilkie.

Well, gang, that's about it for another week.

I'm outa here!

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