Helldorado, a 65-year Las Vegas celebration, remains in jeopardy

Native Las Vegan Karyl Dennison remembers her childhood days watching the colorful Helldorado parades along Fremont Street.

Over the years she has taken numerous photos of Helldorado happenings that have gone on uninterrupted since 1934. Now, those memories may be all she will have of the grand Old West tradition.

"It is difficult to picture Las Vegas without Helldorado," she said. "At one time, it was really something."

The event originally slated for this month has been postponed. It could be canceled altogether if an apparent rift between the longtime sponsor, Elks Lodge No. 1468, and the company that is in the second of a three-year contract to promote Helldorado is not resolved.

"Our hands are tied," said Dennison, wife of Elks Exalted Ruler Keith Dennison, who has assisted her husband in trying to contact promoter Rick Kaufman of GEM Entertainment.

"Since January we have sent him registered letters, which have been returned unsigned for, and we have attempted to call him. He has an office that we have stopped by, but it is not open. Chances are not good (that Helldorado will be held this year) if he does not come forward soon."

The Elks signed a contract with Kaufman after losing significant amounts of money on prior Helldorado events. Dennison said that giving Kaufman the exclusive contract guaranteed the Elks $25,000 a year for three years and eliminated all financial risks associated with putting on such a big event.

Now the Elks cannot sign with another promoter for this year or next unless Kaufman lets them out of the contract. By the same token, Kaufman must pay the Elks $25,000 this year and next even if he does not hold a Helldorado.

"We do have another group interested in putting on something in September if we can get out of the (GEM) contract," Dennison said.

"But we have been advised by our attorneys that it will be very costly to try to sue to get out of the contract. Besides, we can't find him even if we wanted to serve (court) papers."

Dennison said the last time the Elks had contact with Kaufman was in December when he paid the organization $25,000 for last autumn's event.

There have been telltale signs of the pending demise of Helldorado for the past few years. In 1997 the 59-year-old parade was canceled as was the popular carnival.

Last year's event, held in early August, focused on the traditional rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center. A bull-riding event offering a potential $1 million prize was featured.

Still, Helldorado, once a weeklong festival, had been reduced to a four-day event that maintained some of its longstanding traditions, including a Western village, a downtown Helldorado village and a Wild West show.

"Our concern is that if we do not have a Helldorado this year or next, there is a possibility it won't be revived after that," Dennison said.

Helldorado was begun 65 years ago to promote tourism and celebrate the construction of Hoover Dam.

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