Hundreds of thousands welcome 1999 on the Las Vegas Strip

Thousands of New Year's revelers jammed the Las Vegas Strip Thursday night, and authorities were hoping they could keep a lid on a celebration they view as a dress rehearsal for next year.

Steve Meriwether, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, predicted a crowd of 250,000 to 400,000. Some 230,000 tourists were expected in town for the celebration, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

As was the case last year, many of the celebrants remained inside the city's hotels, where some of the top names in the entertainment industry were performing.

Also keeping the Strip crowd down was the fact that, unlike previous years, no major events were planned outside such as live bands, stage shows, fireworks or hotel implosions.

Matt Berry, 25, and Kristy Shore, 21, both of Las Vegas, sat in lawn chairs in front of the Caesars Palace fountains watching the crowd go by.

"The past two years we would go with the crowd, but that was just too tiring," said Berry, wrapped in a blanket against a chilly wind. "This year we're just people watching. Next year we may go to Pasadena because we think they'll have trouble controlling the crowds here."

Thursday's celebration was part of Dick Clark's annual televised New Year's Eve countdown, with the Las Vegas portion emanating from Harrah's. D.L. Hughley and Elise Neil of TV's The Hughleys introduced musical segments.

Some 550 Metro Police officers were assigned to patrol the Strip, in addition to five newly added mounted horse patrol officers. The horses took an early tour of the Strip Wednesday night to get used to the incessant traffic, bright lights, crowds and attractions such as fountains and flaming volcanoes.

As of 10 p.m. Thursday, there were about a dozen arrests - mainly for drunkenness and driving under the influence, Meriwether said. Officers also began closing streets to control the crowd.

Authorities are projecting as many as 700,000 people will welcome in the new millennium on the Strip next December.

Metro sees the crowd control training this year as practice for the massive crowds expected to welcome in 2000.

"We're expecting next year to be very large," Meriwether said. "We're implementing some new tactics this year."

Included was fencing that keeps crowds on outside lanes of the six-lane Strip, with a lane down the middle for officers and emergency crews, allowing them to move more freely.

"In the past we've just been surrounded by people, and we often couldn't get to help them quickly enough," he said.

This year, a major portion of the Strip was to be shut down most of the evening to accommodate the annual block party that drew an estimated 250,000 people last year.

Parties at various resorts featured Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Harry Connick Jr., The Beach Boys, Andrea Bocelli, Whitney Houston, Harry Belafonte, Olivia Newton-John, Billy Ray Cyrus, Siegfried and Roy, Marilyn Manson, Jim Nabors, David Cassidy, Rodney Dangerfield, Bobby Rydell, Daryl Hall and John Oates.

The partying didn't come cheap, but was a bargain compared to early rates posted for next year.

Phil Cooper, vice president of public relations and advertising for Caesars Palace, said the famous resort will, as always, provide most of its rooms to its coveted high rollers. He said the hotel-casino will be offering a limited number of rooms for the millennium celebration, starting at $2,000 a night for a four-night minimum, with rates up to $3,500 per night.

The Flamingo Hilton is putting fliers in its rooms advertising a New Year's 1999 package of $2,200 for four nights.

Spokesman Terry Lindberg said the Flamingo was still negotiating with entertainers, as are most of the city's resorts.

"It's going to be big, no doubt about it," Lindberg said of next year's celebration. "This city will probably be the most popular resort city in the world for the millennium celebration."

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