Early History of the Las Vegas Strip- Discussion Friday Evening

When it rains and it pours but the good news is that y'all get to reap the benefits of all this historical talk.

As part of the Clark County Centennial, each month they are offering a historical roundtable discussion.  This month the focus is on the Early History of the most famous five mile Strip in the world, our very own Las Vegas Strip!

We've got some great panelists:

Betty Bunch, a dancer from the 1950s and 1960s and she has some great stories!

Lisa Medford, the first topless dancer on the Strip

George Stamos, writer who interviewed a number of employees who worked at the original hotels.

Peter Anthony, musician and comedian who played all the lounges back in the day!

Friday, June 5th

6:00 pm

Clark County Government Center (Bonneville and Grand Central Parkway)

Free

Hope to see you at all three events!

The History of the Mob in Las Vegas- This Friday Afternoon

 Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel and George Raft

 Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal

From Guy McAfee to Bugsy Siegel to Moe Dalitz to Frank Rosenthal and
Tony "The Ant" Spilotro, the Mob has had a hold on the imaginations of
most people who love "classic" Las Vegas.

This Friday I will be giving a  talk that will cover not only the
historical points but also talk about the difference between guys like
Benny Binion and Moe Dalitz and "Lefty" and "The Ant".

Also, I will have autographed copies of my book "Las Vegas: 1905-1965"
for those interesting in purchasing one or more!

I'd love to get a head count (even an approximation) so I can be sure
that we have enough chairs! You can email me or post here, either way will work!

3:30 pm Friday, June 5th

El Cortez Upstairs

Hope to see you there!

Classic Las Vegas Neon Memories

This is our last installment of this week's walk down memory lane.  Tomorrow, as promised, the point behind this trip down memory lane.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy and remember these places:

Blackjack Motel

Cardinal Motel (gone)

City Center Motel (gone)

Clark Inn Motel sign (gone)

El Sombrero Cafe (thankfully still standing)

El Dorado Club, 1988

Lucky Cuss Motel

Lucky Motel (still standing) but the sign is now in a private collection

New Town Tavern (thankfully still standing)

Showboat Sign (gone along with the Showboat)

Star View Motel (still standing) but the sign has been drastically altered

The Tod Motor Hotel (still going strong)

Fremont Street a long time ago

Las Vegas Convention Center Rotunda (gone)

Hacienda Horse and Rider preserved and restored and riding over Fremont Street

Classic Las Vegas Downtown Memories

How many of these do you remember?

As promised, there is a point to all of this.

Coasters from the Mint Hotel (gone)

The Blue Angel Motel circa 1957

The Blue Angel Motel, circa 2007

Nevada Club tourists (gone)

Ad ad for the Lady Luck, circa 1973 (sort of gone)

Golden Goose, circa 1973 (gone)

Fremont Street, 1991

The Ambassador Motel - 1952-2007 (gone)

Union Pacific Train Depot (gone), 1970

Chamber of Commerce ad, 1948

Main Street, 2008

Swim-In-Pool sign, (gone for now)

Not exactly downtown but the Skyway Drive-In (gone)

St Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church

International House of Pancakes

Tomorrow Classic Las Vegas neon!

Thanks to Allen Sandquist (RoadsidePictures) for letting us use these images!