Gilley’s country-western club seeks new home

Phil Ruffin owns the country-western club’s franchise rights for Nevada and remains tight-lipped about where or when the nightclub will reappear on the Las Vegas landscape.

The boot-scootin’ comes to a halt and the mechanical bull throws its last patron around 5 a.m. Sunday morning, when Gilley’s ends a run that began Dec. 3, 1998.

“I would love to see it relocate at South Point,” said long-time customer Joanna Maestro-Smith, referring to the Michael Gaughan property eight miles south of the New Frontier on the Strip.

She said it would make sense because Gaughan is a fan of the country-western lifestyle.

Najam Khan, the New Frontier’s general manager, declined to say where the dancehall might relocate, only saying that Ruffin is looking at a couple of locations.

Gilley’s manager Larry Black said the 652-person capacity club had a 2 1/2-hour wait last weekend and he expects more of the same tonight.

No patron may be more disheartened about the loss of Gilley’s than Las Vegan Lamar Briley.

A local country-western dance instructor, he has been going to the club for eight years, usually four nights a week.

“I love it and it would be nice if they relocate,” he said.

Briley’s attachment to the country-western nightclub goes beyond just having a place to dance and socialize with friends.

He met his wife, Marsha, at Gilley’s 2 1/2 years ago.