Vegas Cruise

For all you guys and gals who love music and you guys who also love cars, there's only one place to be this weekend -- the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas where the annual Vegas Cruise event takes place Friday to Sunday, June 6-8. The weekend will feature free live concerts, a free car show and plenty of '50s-themed fun.

Here's the sked for the live performances: Friday, Jimmy Bond, 8-11 p.m. at the 1st Street Stage; The Temptation Review, 8-11 p.m. at the 3rd Street Stage. Saturday, Jimmy Bond, 6-8 p.m. at the 1st Street Stage; The Temptation Review, 6-8 p.m. at the 3rd Street Stage; Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, 9-11 p.m. at the 1st Street Stage; and Cornell Gunter's Coasters, 9-11 p.m. at the 3rd Street Stage. Should be a fun time and they're all great entertainers. Take my word for it.

Classic car enthusiasts will be treated to a free car show all weekend long from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday. The display of cars will stretch over the five blocks of the Fremont Street Experience and features more than 200 classic cars.

All you gals better listen up. Southern Nevada firefighters will suit up for the annual "Fire and Rain" Firefighter Bachelor Auction, hosted by the Firefighters of Southern Nevada Burn Foundation on Saturday, June 7, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Rain Nightclub inside The Palms Casino Resort. Twenty Southern Nevada firefighters will be up for auction to raise money for the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada and the Lion's Burn Care Center at the University Medical Center. This year's goal is to raise $200,000.

The "Fire and Rain" Firefighter Bachelor Auction will include live entertainment from local performers including "Thunder From Down Under" and The Scintas, a raffle with great prizes and the chance to bid on a date package with 20 of Southern Nevada's finest firefighters. Admission is $40 for women and $80 for men. Gonna be some disappointed firemen if a guy wins the bid, unless the firefighter is a gal. Anyway, should be a fun event and it's for a great cause. Add it to your "must-do" list for this weekend.

Good news for Cirque du Soleil fans. You can now get tickets for "Love" Tapis Rouge, an exclusive virtual behind-the-scenes psychedelic experience. Beginning June 26, Tapis Rouge will begin each night 90 minutes before the 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. performances, Thursday through Monday inside The Beatles Revolution Lounge, located just steps away from the "Love" Theatre.

The Tapis Rouge package for "Love" will introduce fans to a uniquely designed contemporary behind-the-scenes look at "Love", available only in Las Vegas. Tickets are $295 per person, but look what you get. A VIP show ticket (best seats in the "Love" Theatre) and the following amenities: Special VIP will-call line at the "Love" box office; customized gift bag of merchandise created specifically for Tapis Rouge; collectible Tapis Rouge lanyard provided for complimentary VIP access to Revolution Lounge for an entire week; exclusive reception before the "Love" performance at the Revolution Lounge including a selection of tray-passed hors d'oeuvres and specialty cocktails, hosts to provide insights into "Love", and behind the scenes footage that includes exclusive backstage video from the Love Theatre; VIP-escorted access from Revolution into the Love Theatre; and VIP line at concessions.

You can purchase tickets to Tapis Rouge by calling 1-866-236-5652 or pick them up at any MGM Mirage box office in Las Vegas. By the way, you have to be 21 or over.

Here's an event I go to each year. It's the sixth annual Blues, Brews & BBQ Festival at The Cannery and will be Saturday, June 14, at The Club indoor/outdoor festival grounds. Along with great blues music, the event will serve up various styles of barbecue from notable local restaurants along with craft-brewed beers and hard ciders.

Festival hours are Saturday, June 14 from 5 to 11 p.m. Admission is $5 at the door. There will be a special Blues Weekend kick-off concert Friday, June 13, at 8 p.m. featuring Michael Grimm and Jeneane Marie. Admission is free.

The Tropicana, hearing the groans from drivers over the ever-rising price of gas, has come up with a promotion called "Roll 4 Gas" giving you a chance to win $100 cash for gas. Here's how you can take part. Simply book a room at the Trop for travel from now thru Aug. 28. Upon arrival, during check-in at the hotel's front desk, roll four dice for a chance to win. The different outcomes earn certain prizes. Three of a Kind = Buffet for two; Straight = Island Tower Jacuzzi Suite Upgrade; Four of a Kind = $100 Cash for Gas; Everything Else = Funbook worth over $200.

Okay, so you're rolling dice to get a poker hand. So what? And yes, I know there are only four dice and one of the prizes you get is if your roll a straight, which we all know means getting five cards (numbers) in sequence. In this case, however, a straight is going to be composed of only four numbers. Please don't send me emails saying, "Hey, Butcher, doncha know a straight has five cards? How's anybody gonna win an upgrade to a Jacuzzi suite if they've only got five numbers to make up a straight?" That's why, my friends, I thought I'd better explain it to you. Now are you happy?

The "Roll 4 Gas" promotion is valid for Sunday through Thursday arrivals only. One roll of the dice is allowed per room. Room rates at the resort start as low as $49 a night. That doesn't include tax and fees, but even with those added, that's a great bargain to stay on the Strip. You can make a reservation by calling 1-800-462-8767 or visit www.tropicanalv.com.

Hats off to "Jubilee!" This long-running production at Bally's celebrated 16,000 performances in May, which means it's now on its way to 17,000.

Since 1981, rhinestone-clad showgirls and a talented cast of performers have graced the stage of "Jubilee!", and just so you can impress your friends with your knowledge of Las Vegas trivia, here are some fun facts. Finale steps taken: (30 finale walkdown steps x 85 dancers x 16,000 shows ) 40.8 million; dry ice (fog): (500 lbs. of dry Ice x 16,000 shows) 8 million pounds; set changes: (22 set changes x 16,000 shows ) 352,000; Fish net tights: (washed & mended): 488,592 pairs; gallons of recycled water: (2800 gallons of recycled water x 16,000 shows) 44.8 million gallons; shirts washed & ironed: 235,872; pairs of shoes: 32,900; pairs of false eyelashes: (16,000 shows/12 shows = 1,333 weeks x 58 showgirls) 77,314 pairs; costume changes: (52 girls X 10 changes per show=520 total changes per show X 16,000 shows) 8.3 million. How'd you like to own the shoe store where those 32,900 pairs of shoes were bought?

Good luck and I'll see you on the Strip. And don't forget to check out www.valleyblogs.com. If you have a question or a Las Vegas experience you would like to share with my readers, please e-mail me at lennylasvegas@gmail.com Please include your full name and the city or town where you live.