Nevada Travel News Spring 2004
Tickets are on sale now for the first Lake Tahoe Jazz Festival, May 21- 23. Working in consultation with the 31st annual Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, the event will transform Incline Village and Crystal Bay to the ultimate jazz venue featuring big name jazz performers, food and fun. The event will feature an impressive lineup of traditional jazz artists including Coronet Chop Suey, Hot Jazz Band and special guest clarinet soloist Bob Draga, to name a few. The 12 jazz bands performing will be appearing at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee the following weekend.
Lake Tahoe performances are: Friday, May 21 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, May 22 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday, May 23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tickets start at $22 for an all-day pass and can be purchased online at www.LakeTahoeJazzFestival.com or by calling 1-800-GO-TAHOE (800-468-2463) or 775-832-1606. Media contact: Jenny Frederito, 775-745-2058 or jenny@rkpr.com
The Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino, which recently completed $60 million in renovations, is offering special accommodation packages. Call 800-233-1234 (ask for offer code: JAZZ) or visit www.laketahoehyatt.com. Media-only contact: Karen Vaughn, 775-886-6659; kvaughn@tvlltpo.hyatt.com
Wait … There’s More!
2004 Reno Jazz Festival to Feature Robin Eubanks and Joshua Redman
The 42nd Annual Reno Jazz Festival returns to the University of Nevada, Reno April 22-24 with world-class performers, music educators and thousands of jazz students.
The Jazz Fan Ticket Package provides entrance to all events, including daytime competitions, clinics and evening concerts with preferred seating. General admission for the package is $50, but individual-event tickets are available for $12 or less. Jazz superstars Robin Eubanks, No. 1 Trombonist of the Year, and The Collective will perform April 22 at Nightingale Concert Hall. www.robineubanks.com
Joshua Redman, named Best New Artist, Jazz Artist of the Year and No. 1 Tenor Saxophonist, will play April 23 at Lawlor Events Center. www.joshuaredman.com
Jazz competitions and clinics will be April 22-23. The festival closes with the Festival Showcase and Awards Ceremony April 23 at Lawlor Events Center with encore performances by groups and soloists. Tickets: 775-784-6847. Information 775-784-4046 or www.unr.edu/rjf. Media contact: Mon-Wei Kuo or Andrea Turman, 775-784-4046; kuo@unr.nevada.edu or acturman@unr.edu
And More…
Reno/Tahoe Wine, Food and Jazz Festival to Feature Celebrity Chefs
This year’s Reno/Tahoe Wine, Food and Jazz Festival at the Reno Hilton April 30-May 2 includes a lineup of nationally recognized celebrity chefs, such as The Singing Chef, Andy LoRusso, author of “Sing and Cook Italian;” the Crazy Cajun, Crazy Charley Addison; chef, wine connoisseur and radio personality Les Kincaid and Jennifer Bushman, producer and star of the “Nothing To It!” gourmet TV news segments.
The three-day event includes the Grand Tasting April 30 with fine wines and gourmet creations for $40 and Festival Days May 1 and May 2 with a marketplace to sample regional wines, gourmet foods, art from local artists, seminars and demonstrations on wines and foods, live jazz throughout the festival and casino and a collectible wine glass. The Festival is open Saturday 2-7 p.m. and Sunday noon – 5 p.m., each with a $25 admission.
The Grand Tasting event April 30 from 6-9 p.m. will showcase select wineries and their wines, signature hors d’oeuvres from the Reno Hilton’s finest restaurants, live jazz and a demonstration by The Singing Chef. Tickets to the Winemaker’s Reception and Art Auction May 1 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. are $75. A package that covers everything is available for $115.
All activities will be at the Reno Hilton, which is offering festival/room packages. To book, call 800-648-5080. For festival tickets, call 800-648-3568 or 775-789-2285. Media contact: Jocelyn Lantrip, 775-789-2015; www.renohilton.com
Philippine Airlines Now Serving Las Vegas
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has inaugurated new service to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, flying from Manila with one stop in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The airline is flying a 264-passenger four-engine Airbus jumbo jet four days a week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
PAL was Asia’s first airline, flying since March 15, 1941. Currently, PAL’s route network spans 29 foreign cities and 21 domestic points.
The new flight is the easiest and most direct for travelers from the Philippines. Other airlines require a change of planes airlines to fly from the Philippines to Las Vegas. Contact: www.philippineair.com
Winter’s Gone, but Heavenly Ski Resort is ‘SpringLoaded’
Heavenly ski area at Lake Tahoe is celebrating the warmer season with a round of fun events, live music, food, street fairs and plenty of sunshine at the SpringLoaded ’04 festival that began March 24 and runs through May 2.
April events include the Dummy Gelande April 8 where participants race their “dummy” down World Cup run. On April 10, extreme skier Glen Plake and competitors participate in the one-of-a-kind ski marathon on Heavenly’s famous Gunbarrel run
Easter weekend will feature an “Egg-stravaganza” with prize-filled eggs for children to find, a family snowshoe race and tubing derby and free on-mountain concerts Easter day.
Spring breakers can cool off April 17 at Slush Pond Mania, where skiers and riders will compete. The resort plans to close April 18, but it will open Friday, April 30, for a three-day skiing and riding celebration, through May 2. Contact: Molly Cuffe, 775-586-4451, 1-800-HEAVENLY; www.skiheavenly.com
‘Wild West’ Tour of Kit Carson Trail is First of Three
Carson City’s annual Wild West Tour of historic homes along the Kit Carson Trail will be May 29, the first of three such tours this year, each with a different theme.
Wild West Tours will depart every 30 minutes from Telegraph and Curry streets downtown from 9:30 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for seniors age 65 and children 12 and younger.
The 1.5-mile Kit Carson Trail is a route through the Historic District marked by a blue line that leads past stately old mansions, Victorian homes and other houses that once were home to prominent residents who helped establish Carson City. The Wild West tour will stop at homes where costumed characters recreate scenes from early 20thcentury life in the capital.
Other tours of historic homes that include costumed characters or docents will be the 90-minute Halloween-themed Ghost Walk Oct. 23 and the Victorian Home Christmas Tour to see decorations Dec. 12. Contact: Candy Duncan, 775-687-7410; Phil Weidinger, 775-588-2412.
In the News
Boulder City’s New Railroad Museum Now Offers Train Rides
Seeing the dramatic Southern Nevada landscape from the vantage point of a historical railway train is offered this year at the new Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City.
Like the railroad museums in Carson City and Ely, the Boulder City facility provides excursions that enable visitors to experience rail travel as the early settlers did. The Union Pacific Railroad built the Boulder Branch Line in 1931 to haul equipment for the construction of Hoover Dam, then called Boulder Dam.
The railroad’s Pullman coaches, dating back to 1911, have been restored and air-conditioned, and there are open-air cars for those who prefer the outdoors. The route offers panoramic views of the El Dorado Valley, the Colorado River and McCullough Mountain ranges and many examples of Mojave Desert plants and cacti.
Trains depart one weekend a month from the Nevada State Railroad Museum station at the intersection of the Boulder Highway and Yucca Street at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon and 1:30 p.m. for a 45-minute seven-mile roundtrip that costs $5 for adults, $4 for seniors 65 and older and $3 for children age 6 to 11.
Excursion dates are April 10, May 1, 2, June 12, July 3, Aug. 14, Sept. 11, Oct. 2, 3, Nov. 13 and Dec. 4, 5. The excursions in July, October and December are in conjunction with the July Fourth parade, Art in the Park and the Santa Train, respectively. The museum plans to offer full time year-round excursions in 2005.
To plan a trip, seek group rates or confirm the schedule call 702-486-5933.
Watch Reno’s Kayaking Action on the Web
The new $1.5 million Truckee River Whitewater Park in downtown Reno will be promoted over the Internet through a Web cam that will deliver real-time images 24 hours a day on the city’s Web site, www.cityofreno.com, starting this spring.
The Web cam will “watch” kayaking action from the Truckee River Lane Building on the north bank, offering an unparalleled, unobstructed view of the river and whitewater park, which already is attracting kayaking enthusiasts from around the world.
The Reno River Festival May 14-16 will launch the first full season of the kayak course from Wingfield Park, an island in the river downtown. The festival will draw top kayaking pros and many others to Reno for competitive events, free clinics, product demonstrations the premier of the new kayak movie, “Burning Time,” vendors, food and music. The festival is free to the public.
The whitewater course is 2,600 feet long and rated a class 2 to 3 for difficulty on a scale of 1 to 6. The course includes the north and south channels of the Truckee River at Wingfield Park and features 11 “drop pools” and boulders for kayaking maneuvers, and a slalom racing course. It is useable year-round and free. About 7,000 tons of smooth flat rocks provide easy river access and spectator seating.
The Reno Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority, as part of a partnership to promote the park that includes the Nevada Commission on Tourism, purchased the Web cam for the city’s use. Media contact: Sharon Spangler, 775-334-2000. www.renowhitewaterpark.com; www.renoriverfestival.com
Wynn Las Vegas Resort Opening Date Set
The new Wynn Las Vegas Resort is reported to be planning an opening of April 28, 2005, to coincide with two significant dates for owner Steve Wynn. Inside Gamingreporter Rod Smith reports in the Las Vegas Review Journal that Wynn chose the date because it’s the birthday of his wife, Elaine, and the 55th anniversary of the opening of the Desert Inn, one of the original Strip hotels, which formerly occupied the site.
Wynn Las Vegas will have its own golf course and is situated near the Fashion Show Mall, the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Sands Expo Center. Steve Wynn also designed and built Bellagio, the Strip’s Italian-themed megaresort, which opened in 1998. www.wynnlasvegas.com
Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival to Make Much Ado About Something
If laughter is the best medicine, the 2004 Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Sand Harbor July 15 to Aug. 22 will make audiences feel just fine. The Foothill Theatre Company will produce two Shakespeare comedies for the festival’s 32nd season.
As You Like It is the story of quarreling brothers Duke Frederick and Duke Senior, whose sibling rivalry takes place in a forest where Rosalind, Duke Senior’s banished daughter, has gone in disguise seeking Orlando, the object of her affections. A lively cast of characters includes the melancholy Jacques and a flock of funny shepherds. All ends happily with marriages, and brothers reconciled.
Much Ado About Nothing is the story of Beatrice and Benedick, who, determined not to fall in love, spar in verbal duels to convince themselves they despise each other. The charade continues until both are caught in a clever, funny scheme. Interwoven is a subplot about two other lovers whose dark relationship ultimately has a happy ending.
Accomplished actors and actresses perform on a state-of-the-art stage on the shore of Lake Tahoe with mountain peaks, blue water, sunsets and stars serving as the backdrop. Shuttle service and a food court are available at the event.
Tickets, information and membership: 1-800-74 SHOWS or online at LakeTahoeShakespeare.com
Governor’s Conference on Tourism Manager Earns Professional Recognition
Erika Valente, who manages the annual Nevada Governor’s Conference on Tourism, has earned the industry’s premier certification as a meeting professional.
Valente, 33, completed Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) training and passed a three-hour examination that included 150 questions about the functions a meeting professional must perform. CMP designation recognizes those who have achieved the industry’s highest standards of professionalism.
“Producing our annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism for about 1,000 delegates is a daunting task, and NCOT is proud to have a professional meeting manager with Erika’s knowledge and expertise at the helm,” Executive Director Bruce Bommarito of the Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT) said.
CMP applicants must submit an application that awards points for meeting management experience, responsibilities and education, membership in professional organizations and contributions to the profession. The CMP board evaluates the applications and invites successful applicants to take the examination.
Prior to joining NCOT in August 2001, Valente was sales manager for the Hyatt Regency Kauai Resort & Spa in Hawaii. Earlier, she served as Catering and Convention Services manager for the Sheraton Kauai Resort and Leisure Sales and Convention Services manager at Caesars Tahoe hotel-casino.
Barbary Coast Celebrates 25th Anniversary on Prized Las Vegas Strip Site
The Barbary Coast, a Victorian-themed hotel-casino on one of the Strip’s most prized and valuable sites, celebrated its 25th anniversary as a Las Vegas success story. The 200-room hotel, situated on one of the four corners of Flamingo Road and the Strip, has a 30,000 square-foot casino and two award-winning gourmet restaurants.
It was opened in March 1979 by Michael Gaughan, owner of Coast Casinos, which also owns The Orleans, Gold Coast and Suncoast hotel-casinos in Las Vegas and is building the new Southcoast. Coast is in the process of merging with Boyd Gaming, which owns properties in six states, including seven in Southern Nevada. After the merger, the new company will operate 17 hotel-casinos, including 11 in Las Vegas with 5,300 rooms.
The Barbary Coast’s immediate neighbors are the Flamingo Las Vegas, Bally’s, Bellagio and Caesars Palace resort hotel-casinos. www.barbarycoast.com
Tropical-Themed Fandango Casino Holds Grand Opening in Carson City
Enter the new Fandango Casino in Carson City and find yourself in a cool, green tropical atmosphere with colorful plants and décor and lively ambience. Fandango, at 3800 South Carson St., which also is U.S. Highway 395, celebrated its grand opening March 18 to show off the 35,000-square-foot casino, three restaurants and cabaret with live music.
Dining choices include the 24-hour Palm Court Grill that offers Asian, Italian and Mexican dishes, ribs, burgers, sandwiches and low-carb choices; the 24-hour New York Deli and the 350-seat Rum Jungle Buffet. A Chicago-style steak house is scheduled to open in mid summer.
The casino includes 650 coin-less slot machines from one penny to $25, 10 table games of blackjack, roulette and craps, a race and sports book and Carson City’s only casino poker parlor. Media contact: Phil Weidinger, 775-588-2412; Steve Forester, 775-885-7000 ext. 247.
AAA Nevada Spokeswoman Named to Governor’s Staff
Lisa Foster, well known to travel and tourism writers and reporters as a spokeswoman and lobbyist for AAA Nevada, is the new deputy chief of staff for Gov. Kenny Guinn. Foster has handled media and government relations for the auto club since 2000, lobbying on transportation and insurance issues and managing public relations.
Foster also served as communications manager for the cities of Las Vegas and Sparks and as a board member for the American Cancer Society, Planned Parenthood and the Nevada Women’s Lobby.
Proposed New Megaresort Would be Tallest in Las Vegas
A proposed 53-story hotel-casino on the Strip to be built by hotelier Sheldon Adelson next to The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, which he also built, would be the tallest and have the highest guest rooms of any resort in Las Vegas, the Associated Press reported.
Plans filed with county officials in Las Vegas show an expansion of The Venetian, called The Palazzo, would have 3,020 rooms, 100,000 square feet of casino, 400,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space and 225,000 square feet of retail. It would have a 1,500-seat theater and 4,000 underground parking spaces.
The Palazzo would be built on the corner of the Strip and Sands Avenue across from the new Wynn Las Vegas, which is scheduled to open in April 2005. No completion date has been set for The Palazzo.
Although The Stratosphere hotel-casino would remain the tallest structure in Nevada, and elsewhere west of the Mississippi River, it does not have hotel rooms above 24 stories, considerably lower than The Palazzo.
Carson City Hotel Adds Convention Center and Wedding Chapel
The Plaza Hotel near the state Capitol in downtown Carson City is expanding to add a 3,200-square-foot convention center, wedding chapel and 30 new suites. An old motel behind The Plaza was torn down to make room for the new suites and a nearby business property was acquired for the convention center and wedding chapel site. The 168-room Plaza is located three blocks from the Nevada Legislature, Nevada Supreme Court, Capitol and other state buildings and caters legislators and business people as well as visitors.
Nevada’s Colorful Past
Las Vegas Group Plans to Restore Tonopah’s Historic Mizpah Hotel
A Las Vegas group has purchased the shuttered Mizpah Hotel in Tonopah and announced plans to restore it to its former glory. The historic hotel opened Nov. 17, 1908, on Tonopah’s main street and became a landmark, hosting many prominent Nevadans, including U.S. Sens. Key Pittman, Tasker Oddie and Pat McCarran. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
State archivist Guy Rocha says the hotel once marketed itself as “the finest stone hotel on the desert.” The five-story, 54-room hotel-casino was Nevada’s tallest building from 1914 to 1929 and was among the first to have an elevator and electricity.
The new owners, Mizpah Gambling LLC, say they hope to preserve the hotel’s Old West charm, including the Jack Dempsey Room restaurant and Wyatt Earp Bar and reopen them later this year. The hotel has been closed for several years.
Piper’s Opera House Opens Spring Season
Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City is launching its spring entertainment lineup with a variety of shows to suit every taste in the historic building, which still has a 19thcentury atmosphere.
The scheduled includes the first annual Piper’s Review and Variety Show April 23, 24 with musicians, dancers and comedy acts; South Africa’s Umzansi Zulu Dancers and Drummers April 30; the modern American opera Susannah by Carlisle Floyd May 1, 2; The Austin Lounge Lizards concert May 8; the Preservation Ball with Victorian or elegant western dress May 15; the Ballet Society of Nevada’s spring recital May 22 and the Scurvy Bastards West Coast Celtic punk group May 28.
Piper’s was built in 1885 at the corner of B and Union streets, one block uphill from Virginia City’s main street, C Street. It is partially restored but has retained the look and feel of the original structure and is one of the city’s favorite attractions.
For show times and tickets call 775-832-1606, www.activitytickets.com; 800-GO-TAHOE
Did You Know?
• The high elevation of Reno and Lake Tahoe causes golf balls to travel farther because the thinner mountain air offers less resistance to flying objects. Reno and Lake Tahoe, “America’s Adventure Place,” offer more than 40 signature golf courses and are a must-visit golf destination. Resort hotels with more than 20,000 guest rooms offer golf packages. Call 888-FOR-RENO (888-367-2877) or visit www.RenoLakeTahoe.com
· Northern Nevada has two Cal Neva hotel-casinos, not to be confused with each other. The Cal Neva Resort at Crystal Bay on the north shore of Lake Tahoe has 210 rooms, a fabulous view of the lake, and the Nevada-California state line literally running through the property. www.calnevaresort.com An hour’s drive away in downtown Reno, the Club Cal Neva Hotel Casino has 306 rooms and is situated close to the Truckee River. www.clubcalneva.com
• The Lingo of a Nevada Sports Book:
1. The Book – The sports book: call it “The Book.” It’s where you place your bets and hang out to watch the game.
2. Favorites and Dogs – Favorites are teams the odds say are supposed to win the game, while the “dogs” (underdogs) have the odds against them.
3. Point Spread – The predicted scoring differential between two opposing teams as set by the sports book.
4. The Money Line – The odds expressed in terms of money. A minus (-) means you lay down that amount of money to win $100, and a plus (+) means you win that amount for every hundred dollars wagered.
5. Ticket – Your bet. When you wager money in the book, you receive a printed receipt referred to as your ticket.
6. Total – The combined number of points two teams will score in a game.
7. Juice or Vig (vigorish) – The commission the sports book takes on a single wager.
8. Cover – When a favorite wins by more than the required number of points.
9. Push – All bets are refunded when a game lands exactly on the wagered point spread.
10. Nickel and Dime Bets – Wagers of $500 and $1,000.
Tourism Tidbits
Was That? . . . Nah, It Couldn’t Have Been!
Starting May 30, familiar faces will be seen around the Imperial Palace during the Fourth Annual Celebrity Impersonator Convention – Las Vegas. The eventculminates with a performance in the Imperial Theater June 1 at noon that is open to the public. Tickets are $10 at the door. The Imperial Palace is home to celebrity impersonators who perform in “Legends In Concert,” and as Dealertainers impersonating blackjack dealers. Contact: Jeremy Handel, 702-794-3114Jhandel@imperialpalace.com; www.imperialpalace.com
White Orchid Named AAA Four Diamond Restaurant for Fifth Time
The Peppermill Hotel Casino’s White Orchid, the most awarded restaurant in Northern Nevada, has received the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Rating for a fifth consecutive year. The rating is for superior personal service, first-class amenities and impressive surroundings, and has been awarded to only eight other Nevada hotel-casinos. Reservations 800-648-6992 ext. 7300 or 775-689-7300. Media contact: Miles Ottenheimer, 775-689-7114; mottenheimer@peppermillreno.com
Tahoe Rim Trail Book Explores the Jewel
Tahoe Rim Trail, Exploring the Jewel, a colorful new coffee-table book, takes the reader on an “arm-chair hike” of the 165-mile Tahoe Rim Trail above Lake Tahoe, describing the geologic and natural history with text and 150 photographs. The hardbound version is $35 and a signed, numbered limited edition is $125. A portion of the proceeds is donated back to the Tahoe Rim Trail Association for trail maintenance.
RA Nightclub Mixes Music and Fashion Scenes
The nightclub at the Luxor Hotel-Casino called RA after the Egyptian sun god, has added a 12-foot runway to its 19,000-square-foot club to mix music with cutting-edge fashion in a show called Flaunt. The fashion show, every other Wednesday night, features clothes for men and women as well as accessories, salon products and makeup. RA is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Media contact: Stephanie Bethel, 702-247-09347. RA, 702-262-4949; www.ralv.com orwww.luxor.com
Tahoe Big Blue Voted Best Adventure Race
The San Francisco Bay Area’s City Sports Magazine voted Tahoe Big Blue the best adventure race in 2003; noting the combination of kayaking, trail running, mountain biking and navigation set amidst the “splendid wonders of Tahoe’s North Shore.” The event welcomed more than 300 racers last September and added winter races this year. The 2004 Tahoe Big Blue is scheduled for Sept. 11. www.bigblueadventure.com. Contact: Katrina Paz 530-993-6051, katrina@gilweepr.com
Excalibur Opens Spa and Fitness Center
The medieval castle-themed Excalibur Hotel-Casino has opened the Royal Treatment Spa & Fitness Center with a 13,000 square-foot spa and workout area, body wraps, massages, facials and state-of-the-art fitness equipment, hot whirlpool, steam bath, dry sauna, showers, television lounge and workout clothing for sale. A one-day spa pass is $15 for hotel guests and the fitness center is free with a $45 spa treatment. Contact: 702-597-7772. www.excalibur.com
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April 2, 2004
Posted in: United States West