Busy weekend coming up. We'll all gain an hour in bed as we turn our clocks back, the kids will be out trick or treating, and the adults, at least in our town, will be dressing up like fools and acting like fools as they party the night away at one of the many Halloween parties in the hotels. If you're wondering where you might take the kids for a very fun and scary time, check out Halloween 2006 on the Review-Journal's home page.
SENIOR DREAMS
It used to be said that men age gracefully, get better looking as they get older. Not women, or so we heard. But that hardly seems to be the case today and if you don't believe me, drop in on the 26th Annual Ms. Senior America Pageant Nov. 7-11 at the Imperial Palace. You may even want to enter. Of course, you will have to have beauty, brains and talent and be at least 60 years old.
Now if you think you're going to see women strutting the stage in thong bikinis, forget it, but if you want to see women who best exemplify the dignity, maturity and poise of the "age of elegance" this is the ticket. Each of the contestants will be judged in four categories: interview, philosophy of life, evening gown and talent.
The contestant crowned Ms. Senior America receives "Elegant Queen," a lifetime keepsake glass vase sculpted especially for the pageant by Valentine. In addition, she and the four runners-up will make personal appearances throughout the year on behalf of the pageant and its sponsors.
If you want to attend, you can buy tickets to four pageant events, each being held from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the IP's Imperial Theatre: the talent showcase Wednesday, Nov. 8, first preliminary judging Thursday, Nov. 9, second preliminary judging Friday, Nov. 10, and the national finals Saturday, Nov. 11. Each event ticket is $25 and you can get them at the IP's Show and Tour Desk or by calling 888-777-7664.
BLACKJACK ON BOULDER
If you're a blackjack player, you might want to take a run over to Arizona Charlie's on Boulder Highway. The casino is having weekly blackjack tournaments on Thursdays with added money known as the "Winner's Rollover Purse," which, according to casino execs, gives the casino player and tournament player more value for their tournament dollar. Nice to hear, but we'll be the judge of that.
Here's how it works. Each week Arizona Charlie's Boulder will add $100 to the "Winner's Rollover Purse." Players must qualify through play on their Ultimate Rewards Club card in order to be eligible to win the Purse. Players will be able to qualify each Thursday by playing slots and earning a minimum of 100 Action Cash points or live blackjack for two hours at a $5 minimum bet.
Once the player is qualified, they will be eligible to win the "Winner's Rollover Purse." That means if they win the tournament, they will win both the daily purse and the "Winner's Rollover Purse." If the winner does not qualify for the Purse, the $100 rolls over until the next week. As each week progresses the "Winner's Rollover Purse" will continue to grow until a tournament player qualifies and wins.
Each weekly tournament is limited to 54 entrants (including re-buys) with a maximum of six entrants per table. The tournament will be a three round format: Qualifying Round, Semi-Final Round and Final Round.
Registration takes place at 5 p.m. every Thursday at the cashier's cage. The first turn of the cards begins at 6 p.m. Buy-ins and re-buys are $25 and all monies collected from tournament players will be distributed daily. You can get all the details at the table games pit.
JEWEL OF DOWNTOWN
More big news regarding the continuing development of the downtown area. Later today, the City of Las Vegas, along with a company called Probity International Corp. will unveil one of the largest jewelry projects in the world, a one million-square foot, several hundred million dollar mixed-use project to be built on Union Park across from the World Market Center. I'll have more details later, but hats off to Hizzoner Oscar Goodman for bringing big business to our town and helping rejuvenate our downtown area.
ART FOR AUTISM
Here's the kind of things I like to hear and I think you will as well. The City of Henderson Parks and Recreation Department will be hosting an art class for children with autism and their siblings from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4, Nov. 18, Dec. 2, and Dec. 9. Participation is open to youth ages 4-9 for $32 per person.
Sheri Cordray, recreation coordinator for Henderson said, "Autistic Art" is a new program that offers children with autism an opportunity to explore their senses through crafts and physical activity. The program is designed to encourage creativity, independence of thought, social interaction and fine and gross motor skills. The class enables each child to work at his own pace.
"We developed this program in response to requests from parents in our community who were looking for a unique class for their autistic children, one that focuses on encouragement and nurturing. It also provides a forum for siblings of children with autism to get involved in the creative and developmental process."
She went on to say that "Sensory-based art activities seem to be highly effective for children with autism because these types of activities enhance motor skills while improving concept awareness. Art as therapy can be fun and very rewarding for everyone involved." You can register at any City of Henderson recreation center, by mail or online at cityofhenderson.com (activity number 8743601). For more information, call 267-4065. Sounds like a great program.
MAIL BAG
Okay, let's wrap this up with a letter from Rita California of Buffalo, NY. She writes, "Lenny, Our group of 42 people spent a week in Las Vegas. We were to return home to Buffalo, NY but 22 inches of snow fell and we had to remain in LV another night. We had already checked out to go to the airport when we got the message we were grounded. Treasure Island was wonderful to us. They issued us new comp rooms. We have stayed at TI for 4 years and would not stay anywhere else. Just thought I would let you know they were great....We had a great time and will be back next year.
I'm still finding it hard to associate Rita's last name with Buffalo, but I'm happy to hear they enjoyed themselves despite the inconvenience and I'll add my tip of the hat to TI.
Good luck and I'll see you on the Strip. And don't forget to check out www.valleyblogs.com and tune into Lenny's Las Vegas every Friday night at 7 p.m. on KLAV 1230AM.
If you have a question or a Las Vegas experience you would like to share with my readers, please e-mail me at lennylv@cox.net. Please include your full name and the city or town where you live.
