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Last call for deep-fried Twinkies and Oreos at Mermaids

When Mermaids shuts its doors, Fremont Street tourists will no longer have the chance to stumble upon a classic locale known for deep-fried Twinkies and Oreos.

The departure of Topless Girls of Glitter Gulch next door will leave Fremont Street without a topless club. Across from the venues, La Bayou casino hostess duos will cease to invite passerby onto its colorful carpet decorated with alligator drawings.

The doors close on all three on Monday.

Fremont Street Experience closings

In April, developers Derek and Greg Stevens acquired all three properties from the Granite Gaming Group. The brothers, who also own the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center and the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate casinos, plan to build a new hotel-casino at the site of the classic properties.

Reached by email Wednesday, new owner Derek Stevens said, “Regarding plans for the new property, there will be a combination of demolition, renovation and new construction. At this point, this is all that is a certainty.”

The three properties, where coins land with a clunk in metal slot machine trays, epitomize old Las Vegas.

When Mermaids opened in 1956, it was called the Silver Palace and was the first two-level venue at the time. At 16,700 square feet, it was also one of the biggest.

La Bayou, which has had several different names over the last 100 years, also holds the distinction of receiving the first state gaming license in 1931.

La Bayou and Mermaids are among the few casinos that still allow customers to cash out real money instead of paper vouchers.

Rudy Nino, 67, is the general manager of all three properties. Nino, who has worked in and around local casinos for decades, lists off historical anecdotes about the properties as if he were a museum curator.

“In 1974, I was a 21 dealer here,” said Nino, who went on to work at other casino properties as a casino auditor, before returning 10 years ago to manage the trio of properties.

Nino pointed to Mermaids’ handmade slushies, available in 17 flavors in all. Recipes were passed down from the family that once owned the property.

The lower level of the building now serves as a storage area, but Nino can still recall when it was the site of an Italian restaurant owned by a Chicago businessman.

On the casino floor Tuesday night, patrons whizzed by slot machines gripping styrofoam boxes heaped with Twinkies. At a nearby slot machine, 47-year-old Charles Bruton of Austin, Texas, was racking up tickets for a Saturday night raffle the casino will host.

Bruton said his friends always hit the Strip but that he preferred to venture to Fremont Street.

“I really like the old Vegas,” said Bruton.

Next to him, Bruton’s friend Pete De Los Santos, 39, of San Antonio was also on a roll. The two had expected to pop in briefly but ultimately spent about 4 hours there, collecting more than 40 raffle tickets.

De Los Santos and many other patrons expressed dissappointment upon learning that their newfound gem was nearing its final hours.

Memories will be lost. So will jobs.

In April, the Stevenses pledged to give priority interview opportunities to employees at the closing venues.

As of Wednesday, Stevens said the company had hired “a high percentage” of the employees that were interviewed.

“I’m not sure of the exact percentage that have been hired but I know we have interviewed 100 percent of all employees interested in working at one of our properties,” said Stevens.

The three properties currently have a total of 169 employees.

Contact Alexander S. Corey at acorey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270. Find @acoreynews on Twitter.

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