Wednesday, Nov. 19, 1997 | 10:32 a.m.
FROM A MODEST beginning in the 1960s to the enormously successful operation of today, Mo Mahoney and his Mahoney's Pro Music and Drum Shop remain a fixture on the local music scene, serving scores of local and traveling musicians and the most ambitious among the music students of our community. Once a touring drummer with Louis Armstrong's Dukes of Dixieland, Mahoney came often to Las Vegas to perform and, in 1962, opened a tiny shop, a far cry from his present 12,000-square-foot operation on Maryland Parkway, where he employs a staff of 32. Clients, past and present, include entertainment greats and legends, among them Liberace, Wayne Newton, Siegfried and Roy, Stevie Wonder, Buddy Greco, Elvis Presley, Tony Bennett and the Smothers Brothers.
Recent festivities to mark Mahoney's 35th anniversary in the music business were held at Emerald Gardens at Sir Williams Court, adjacent to the Badlands Golf Course. It was an elegant, most gracious evening with scores of Mahoney's music cronies, clients and industry moguls attending. The spacious ballroom was decorated in gleaming silver and black with top hat centerpieces, and provided a dramatic backdrop to arriving guests Dr. Harold and Linda Boyce, Fred Steinbach, Mark Malloy, Rob Van Horn, Brian Kell, Mark Dalzell, Alan Greer and Charles Woodson. Samantha Barlow, who presided over the guest book, also registered many of the attending musicians for the late-night jam session which followed the dinner and dancing.
Flying in for this special party were Steve Tirpak (Zilgian Cymbals), Mike Addelia (Ibanez Guitar), Larry Barnwell and Chuck Kish (Gibson Guitar), Remo Belli (Remo Drumheads) and Dale Anderson, national sales manager for Yamaha Music Corp. Bruce and Barbara Cullings, just back from a month's travel in New England's color country, were seen with Dave Sanchez, Joe Lacetti, Brad Reed and Howie Agosto.
Helping plan the celebration for Mahoney's was Rusty Kennedy, who attended with her husband, David, and enjoyed the evening with fellow staffer Frank Woolcott, as well as Dick LaReau and Marion Thomas. Adding a sparkle to the proceedings, too, was longtime friend and emcee Gwen Castaldi, who spoke glowingly of Mo's open-handed generosity toward fellow musicians who shaped this community as the world's entertainment capital. Taking part in the program as well was Keith Hornacin, Mo's business manager, who stood in for son and co-manager Marty Mahoney who missed the party due to illness.
Sprinkled through the crowd were Keith and Dr. Marcia Neel, Chuck Onkst, Paul and Nancy Schkurman, Tom and Buffie Kerestesi, Jon Myers, Jeff Bower, David Lee Meeks and Caesars Palace conductor John Haig. Irv Kluger, a friend of many years who was Mo's first drum instructor in New York City and later taught his son Marty in Las Vegas, attended with his wife, Shirley. Wayne Riggle, who recently performed with his Jim Bridger Middle School Jazz Ensemble for Gov. Bob Miller, was among the dozens of professional musicians-turned-educators attending the dinner. Mahoney is a founding member of the Coalition for Music Education in Nevada and a great friend to the 35,000 children who are enrolled in Clark County's choral, band and orchestra programs.
After-dinner toasts were led by son Mike Mahoney and his brother, Chris, and turned into a round of friendly comments by many, including Frank Leon, Bill Stevenson, Eddie Orlando, Chuck Diamond, Mo's former wife, Isabella, and Cork Proctor. Entertainment on a grand scale began with vocalist Kristine W. of the Las Vegas Hilton, followed by Buddy Greco and his bride, Lezlie Anders, Louie Bellson and a dozen more.
Overseeing the evening was Linda Kutcher, director of operations and former Caesars Palace food and beverage executive. Kutcher took me on a brief tour of the Emerald Gardens, through the kitchens where Soirees staff was preparing the splendid dinner, up to the plush bride's room and across to the romantic courtyard and fountain area. Stepping outside to enjoy the views of both of mountain and city lights from this vantage were many of the guests, among them Charles Watley, Kristy Smythe, Alan Browning and LeAnn Brunnell.
Knotty performance
"Tie the Knot," the comedic, interactive wedding play, found an enthusiastic audience among theatergoers on the evening I attended. Staged in the clubhouse at the lush and lovely Oasis Las Vegas RV Resort, the mock "Jewish-Italian" wedding was a delightful romp. All the more amusing, perhaps, because the zany characters are not your own relatives. The entire ceremony, reception and dinner-dance was a chance to relax and laugh without restraint with friends and fellow guests.
Maria Sant' Angelo is a lovely bride who brings an extraordinary voice to the songs performed. Her wedding is peopled with reluctant in-laws (Bernice Lazar, Robert Turnbow, Ann Cavoli), a wannabe Miss America bridesmaid, played to perfection by Finley Bolton, a disheveled beachboy-photographer (Raymond Damiano) and the dangerously handsome Eddie Simmons as Vito's bodyguard. The cast, much given to impromptu scenes and histrionics, does its best to mingle, mix and dance with each attendee through the evening performance. Enjoying their slices of wedding cake and congratulatory champagne were Esther Lynn Cohen and her daughter, Liz, Mary Gafford, Penny Levin, Charles and Diane Walker and Howard and Marie Cox, as well as Thelma and Leon Rubin, who stood and renewed their vows in celebration of their 47th anniversary. Tickets for the dinner theater performances or special arrangements for group events and company parties can be obtained by calling 243-6632.
Treasure trove
Treasures rarely seen beyond the walls of guarded museums will be on display Thursday through Sunday at Brittany & Co. in the Appian Way shops at Caesars, free to the public from 10 a.m. to midnight. The gold bars, coins and chains, precious emeralds, candlesticks, beakers and pitchers and other artifacts of a lost era are all recovered treasures from the famed Nuestra Senora de Atocha. The richest sunken treasure galleon ever discovered, the ship went down during a hurricane in the Florida Keys in 1622. Her bounty, worth a fifth of Spain's national treasury, was a loss felt across Europe and led to an economic decline, which ended the expansion of Spain's empire.
These treasures, after lying on the ocean floor for more than 360 years, were recovered by master treasure hunter Mel Fisher, who spent 17 years looking for this sunken wreck. The exhibit, on loan from the Fisher family museums in Florida, is valued at more than $40 million. Some of the pieces on exhibit will be sold and a portion of Brittany & Co.'s proceeds will be shared with the Ross and Coletta Miller Cancer Education Center at the American Cancer Society in Las Vegas.
Holiday giving
With Thanksgiving at hand and Christmas just around the corner, our thoughts turn to the less fortunate, who face a bleak season without the support of giving hearts. Soroptimist International of Greater Las Vegas is seeking contributions for its annual Holiday Gift and Food Basket project. With help from the public, as well as members and their friends, holiday baskets will be filled and distributed to needy seniors and families who are overlooked by other organizations.
These individuals are without a support system and unable to participate in the usual community charity events. The number of persons served is directly related to the contributions of caring donors. A $30 donation provides a basket with turkey, canned and packaged foods to create several full meals for each family. SIGLV also adds to the baskets small items such as stationery, soaps, stamps, hard candies and much-needed socks and sweaters. Call SIGLV at 362-7666 for further information. SIGLV is part of an international service organization for business and professional women. One hundred percent of funds channeled through the organization will go to the designated service project.
Date change
Last week's announcement of the upcoming UNLV Baseball Celebrity Golf Tournament carried a late November date. The event has been rescheduled for Jan. 12, with the same strong commitment from our hometown baseball heroes Matt Williams, Greg and Mike Maddux, Mel and Todd Stottlemyre and others to play in this benefit for the UNLV Hustlin' Rebels baseball program. Contact UNLV's Sports and Baseball Office, 895-1277, to register for your place in this charity tournament.
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