Theme park seen coming to fruition at estate of Wayne Newton

With its bankruptcy reorganization plan approved on Friday, CSD LLC will proceed with plans to open later this summer a theme park on the former estate of former Strip headliner Wayne Newton.

Many of the details have not been decided starting with the name, said Texas businessman Lacy Harber, who owns the controlling interest in CSD and has already invested ten of millions of dollars into its purchase and improvements. But several aspects will be missing from the plan first floated three years ago, such as the memorabilia Newton collected from his decades on the stage, his collection of Arabian horses and exotic animals.

Newton himself will be not be there, having moved to another home earlier this month. The original concept called for building him and his family a new residence in a corner of the property while opening his long-time mansion for tours.

As a result, Harber must step carefully to avoid antagonizing the well-heeled neighbors who never wanted to see the 38-acre Casa de Shenandoah, at the corner of Sunset and Pecos roads, turned into a tourist attraction. Late last year, the Clark County Commission voted for a one-year extension to develop and operate the property as a Graceland-style theme park, but only if it was tied directly to Newton and his career.

“I’m going to follow the letter of the law to a T,” said Harber. “I’ve been to Graceland several times and I think I can improve on it.”

Grant Lyon, the president of Odyssey Capital Group in Phoenix, will continue as an adviser to help get the operation under way. He was originally hired in October as the chief restructuring officer for CSD when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October as a way to resolve the heated state court fight between Harber and former project manager Steve Kennedy on one side, and Newton and his wife, Kathleen, on the other.

Lyon raised the possibility of bringing in new horses and exotic animals, although he acknowledged they would not be Newton’s. Harber said one way around that would involve purchasing horses that Newton previously owned but are not part of his current herd.

“There will absolutely be an association with Wayne Newton virtue of this being his home,” said Lyon.

Among other things, the private jet Newton once owned will remain inside the north wall of the ranch.

Across the street to the north, Harber has decided to hang on to nearly 15 acres for the parking and visitor center. There, his county permit allows him to display mementos from Strip entertainers of years gone by besides Newton, Harber said.

To try to sway sentiment on the theme park, Harber said he led neighbors on a tour of the property earlier this month. Further, he said he would employ people from Opportunity Village, a favorite local charity of his, and make it a “beneficiary of tours.” However, the specifics have not been spelled out.

The bankruptcy wrapped up all of the legal disputes that stemmed from earlier redevelopment work. But some of the terms were sealed, including the ownership of CSD. At the start of the case, Harber and his wife owned 70 percent, the Newtons 20 percent and Kennedy and his former girlfriend Geneva Clark splitting 10 percent. The new shares remain confidential, but the Newtons have left the property and Harber remains.

Given the animosity between the principals, “I wasn’t sure how long we would be in (bankruptcy) court when this case was filed,” said CSD attorney Joe Wielebinski. “I’m very surprised we are here today” with a final resolution.

Contact reporter Tim O’Reiley at
toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.