Friday, October 04, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

First came the mayor of Las Vegas. Then a perma-tanned Wayne Newton, scantily clad showgirl on his arm. And after that, a 6-foot-tall California raisin followed by five local celebrity chefs.

Finally, an Elvis impersonator.

Oscar Goodman's weekly news conference would have counted as a surreal oddity almost anyplace else, but such scenes have become almost commonplace in recent months as the mayor hasn't seen many products or causes he won't endorse if it means publicity for the city.

The reason for Thursday's spectacle was the debut of magazine ads featuring Goodman and the local chefs which are meant to encourage raisin consumption and promote Las Vegas as a culinary destination.

Although all of the chefs depicted in the ad work in unincorporated Clark County, not the city of Las Vegas, Goodman said the publicity will be good for the entire region.

"As long as they say Las Vegas ... I can't think of a better ad to have for our community," Goodman said.

Ever the pitchman, the mayor even found a way to combine the raisin campaign with his other promotional interest: Bombay Sapphire gin. As a pair of representatives from the California Raisin Marketing Board tittered nervously in the audience, Goodman addressed the healing power of combining raisins with his favorite after-work libation.

"The raisin knows the mayor loves his gin," Goodman said. "If you put a darkened raisin into the Bombay Sapphire, it makes the gout disappear."