Sunday, April 22, 2007 | 7:13 a.m.
Anyone new to Las Vegas who wants to plug into the philanthropic scene should do what Sandy Peltyn did when she moved here 24 years ago:
Try.
"It started as word-of-mouth. When I first moved here I called the Kidney Foundation to see if they needed any help," Peltyn said a few hours before she was honored at Wynn Las Vegas by the National Jewish Medical and Research Center. "A week later I was hosting an event for the Kidney Foundation."
More than 400 guests turned out for the fete.
Since moving to Las Vegas from Marina del Rey, Calif., with her husband, structural engineer Roger Peltyn (who died in 2004), Peltyn has helped promote and host nearly every large-scale philanthropic gala and event in the city. She seems to live in formal attire and flashy accessories and has a rare knack for attracting a crowd. Events at her home have overflowed with guests who forgot to RSVP but showed up anyway.
"I don't do this to get an award. I do it because you can see the benefits of good work, to make a difference. It's really an award for the community," Peltyn said. "To say this is gratifying is an understatement."
Side note: Peltyn is an accomplished vocalist who had her own TV show in her native country of Puerto Rico. For years she sang the national anthem at UNLV basketball games, when Jerry Tarkanian was the Rebels' coach. Her last anthem was during the Bill Bayno era. "When I sang, they always won." Peltyn said, adding that Tark's teams usually won no matter who sang.
NoteMart
A few years ago when I was editor of a section of the Las Vegas Sun called Accent, Jerry Fink and I brainstormed a column he could write each week called Jerry's Lounge. The premise was to give the many fine entertainers who perform in our city's lounges some coverage in the paper. I remember asking Jerry if there were enough lounges in the city to merit a column every week, and he just chuckled. No problem there. Jerry grew the column into a full-time entertainment beat and he is being recognized for his tireless efforts tonight at the Meatball Awards at Imperial Palace. Jerry has lost about 60 pounds and is shaped more like a bread stick these days, but the award is deserved nonetheless. I'm proud to have hit the lights at his lounge ...
So maybe it's not as tabloid-worthy as Miss USA Tara Conner checking into rehab, but a former Miss America has caused a ruckus in Waynesburg, Ky. Venus Ramey, Miss America 1944, reportedly fired a handgun to shoot out a vehicle's tires and halt a would-be intruder. The incident occurred last week when Ramey, who is 82, 86'd a guy wandering around her farm in south-central Kentucky. As the interloper, identified only as Curtis Parrish of Ohio, tried to drive away, Ramey leaned on her walker and shot out the tires with a snub-nosed .38-caliber handgun. She then summoned a passing motorist, who called 911. Ramey had recently had farm equipment stolen from her property; Parrish was charged with misdemeanor trespassing ...
Another transmission from our favorite nightclub combatant, Gilley's stalwart Amanda Ostermeyer: Ostermeyer, the 22-year-old roughhouser who was recently banned from the club's mud-wrestling events for her continued dominance, reports that in her return to the ring Wednesday night she wrestled against a woman who outweighed her by 30 or 40 pounds and "it was not pretty. She kept trying to pull my pants off." Ostermeyer won the match and $50, but in doing so strained a muscle in her right shoulder and was unable to continue her reign of terror. She says the injury will not prevent her from competing again this Wednesday night, however ...
Bare Pool Lounge at the Mirage, operated by the omnipresent Light Group, opens at noon today. The European-style (which is code for "topless") pool area is shrouded by palm trees and offers pitcher service as a form of bottle service. For bed reservations (which are not to be confused with reservations in bed), call 791-7442 ...
Scheduled for Tuesday morning on ABC's "Good Morning America," Andre Agassi gives "GMA's" Robin Roberts a tour of Andre Agassi Preparatory Academy. On Wednesday's broadcast Agassi will join a group of famous jocks to announce the new foundation Athletes for Hope, which will focus on a variety of philanthropic causes. Agassi has long been a prince of such efforts ...
The 99-cent breakfast lives on (for now) at Eldorado Casino in downtown Henderson. The deal lasts at least through April, but might extend to May depending on the public's, um, appetite. The special is offered Mondays through Thursdays from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. For just a buck you get two pancakes, two eggs, hash browns, and a choice of bacon or sausage ...
The inevitable has transpired at "Spamalot" at Wynn Las Vegas: During a show last week the knight's head lopped off by the killer rabbit rolled into the orchestra pit. It was swiftly thrown back onstage and not a beat was missed ...
Peter Parker behind the wheel: A colleague reports the plate SPDERWEB on a green Hyundai.
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