Thursday, May 4, 2006 | 7:32 a.m.
In the winter of 1970 a notorious criminal was lured into a trap set by Las Vegas police at the home of former Flamingo executive Chester Simms.
For weeks John Durbin, a member of one of the biggest burglary-robbery gangs in Las Vegas history, had been planning a heist at the Simms home while the family was vacationing in Florida. But the Sheriff Department's intelligence men learned of the scheme, and for two nights detectives staked out Simms' house on South Sixth Street.
On the third night Durbin and a sidekick sneaked in through the kitchen door and were met by Sheriff's Lt. Conrad Simmons. Durbin fired at Simmons and missed. Simmons and Deputy Arky Hanley fired back, and Durbin collapsed in a pool of blood after being pursued for half a block.
Two weeks later Durbin, who had a long record of robbery and forgery convictions, died at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital.
Such stories are the stuff of legend, and Simms - prominent enough to be targeted by the most notorious of bad guys - was certainly that. He was a visionary, too, predicting Las Vegas' grand designs while working as casino manager at the Flamingo from 1951 to 1967. For the last year or so of his career, Simms worked as manager of the Frontier, when that hotel was owned by Howard Hughes.
This weekend Simms, who died in 1970, will be honored with a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars in the humanitarian and pioneer category. Events are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday and 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Flamingo Las Vegas. The latter event will be at Steakhouse 46 in conjunction with the Kentucky Derby, as Simms was known to be a huge horse racing fan.
An endowment of $15,000 is required to place a name in nomination for the Walk of Stars; a committee then considers the request. In Simms' case the endowment was put up by his son, Doug Simms, who is managing director of a private investment company, Desert Capital Group, and president/director of the SIMMS Foundation, which has promoted cancer awareness for 50 years.
The SIMMS Foundation Web site (www.simmsfamilyfoundation.org) offers a glimpse into Simms' fascinating life. An entry titled "Devil's Island" shows his view of the city in the '60s. A sample: "There are no releases from Devil's Island, only paroles. And almost everyone ever paroled violates that parole and is back here. If you think I'm wrong, leave town. Then see how quickly you return."
NoteMart
The Celine 500: Caesars Palace headliner Celine Dion celebrates the 500th performance of "A New Day ..." on Sunday at the Colosseum. Many special events are planned, including the unveiling of Dion's Grevin wax figure, which will stand in the lobby of the Colosseum; and the debut of the song "All the Way," which honors Frank Sinatra and will be part of the show.
Dion, 38, missed a half-dozen shows in April. She told the Associated Press this week she is recovering from labyrinthitis, an inflammation of the inner ear that can cause a loss of balance. She said she refused medication that could dry out her vocal cords and today she is "95 percent" better. She performs 165 shows a year and her extended contract takes her through the end of 2007 ...
Damon weighs in: Performing at the Danny Gans Theatre on Friday and Saturday is former "In Living Color" and "My Wife and Kids" star and current producer of the Showtime sketch show "Underground," Damon Wayans.
The 45-year-old Wayans said the nature of his material has changed over the years. "I pull stuff from my life, but it's different - just the other day my son asked me for $100,000 to start a hip-hop (record) label! When I was his age I was scared to ask my dad for a quarter! But he wants a new car, gold teeth, and a hip-hop label." ...
Pour us: Today's Bubble-Licious event at the Hard Rock Hotel from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. kicks off the three days of the wine-tasting event known as UNLVino (or, for some of us, "Sideways Revisited"). The event was launched in 1974 by Southern Wine and Spirits of Nevada head man Larry Ruvo.
Southern Wine and Spirits is joined by UNLV's William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration as UNLVino's sponsors. Other events are Friday's Auss-Some and Then-Some at Cili Restaurant at Bali Hai Golf Course (7 p.m.-10 p.m.) and Saturday's Grand Tasting & Wine and Art Auction at Paris Las Vegas (3 p.m. to 7 p.m.). Tickets are $50 to $75 for each event and are available at the UNLV bookstore, Paris Las Vegas, Bally's and at www.unlvtickets.com. For information, go to www.unlvino.com ...
Deliberations: Following is a quick exchange at the refreshment table between Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and his longtime friend, Robert Shapiro, at the Bellagio on Monday morning before Shapiro unveiled his Brent Shapiro Foundation for Drug Awareness public service announcements:
Goodman: "You want coffee?"
Shapiro: "I don't drink coffee."
Goodman: "Everyone drinks coffee."
Shapiro: "I have never had a cup of coffee in my life."
Goodman: "Not even in college?"
Shapiro: "Never."
Goodman also told Shapiro he was still smarting over losing money on the Lakers-Suns game from Saturday night. "I had the Lakers minus-1 1/2," Goodman said of L.A.'s thrilling 99-98 overtime playoff victory, in which the home team won but did not cover ...
He's not coming near me with a needle: Las Vegas frequenter Vince Neil of Motley Crue is planning a tattoo emporium at O'Sheas to be called Vince Neil Ink. But no deals have yet been, um, inked ...
After the nappin': Another Las Vegas frequenter, Engelbert Humperdinck, turned 70 on Tuesday ...
Blew by us: Veteran performer Linda Ronstadt has announced her summer U.S. tour dates; Las Vegas is not on the schedule ...
Maybe it's me: Plate spotted in the Orleans Arena parking lot before Sunday's Wranglers game, KATZ.
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