Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

What Happens in Vegas …:

The reality of Vegas life, but ‘Vegas’ is not reality

Updated Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012 | 1:42 p.m.

There’s no lack of stories about Las Vegas in the world press, thanks in part to daily email blasts from distributors of travel and tourism stories. Take, for instance, eTurboNews, which aggregates and emails stories to more than 250,000 journalists worldwide.

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Carrot Top, second from right, at Machine Guns Vegas.

Among the stories it cited this week: a piece from Australia’s Skynews about how customers of Machine Guns Vegas can “shoot weapons like those used in the raid to kill Osama bin Laden.”

The story quotes a Brit vacationing in Las Vegas who fired a revolver, a shotgun and two machine guns, who said, “It’s (a) great experience, part of going to Vegas, going to the desert, good fun but very strange.”

•••

Lest you think the Westin Lake Las Vegas wasn’t prepared for any request from its VIP guest this week, consider this:

The resort had a basketball court draped for President Barack Obama’s privacy and protection, just in case the nation’s most famous street-baller decided to shoot some hoops while he was in town to prepare for his debate with Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

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President Barack Obama, right, sits down with volunteers to make phone calls to supporters during a visit to a local campaign office, Monday, Oct. 1, 2012 in Henderson, Nev.

The White House spokesman said he didn’t think basketball was on the president’s agenda, but, of course, better safe than sorry.

•••

For those of us who live in another sports world, the World Adult Kickball Association will host its 15th annual championships Friday through Sunday at Desert Breeze Park, at Durango Drive and Spring Mountain Road.

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New Kickballers on the Block members Jordan Tayce (L) Tanya Abel and James Steinert converge to field a ball during the World Adult Kickball Association's first game of the season Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at Desert Breeze Park.

The sport has matured significantly since the days Mr. Sun kicked the super-bouncy ball on a school playground. Over 55 teams nationwide are expected to participate; the association also has teams playing in London and Iraq. So, why can’t we settle things with a little kickball?

•••

The famed Republican donor and Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO is, of course, Sheldon G. Adelson — “G” standing for Gary.

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Las Vegas Sands CEO and Chairman Sheldon Adelson, shown in this April 26, 2012, file photo, is backing a Republican group trying to persuade Jewish voters in battleground states to support presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Well, except for around the office.

“With Sheldon, it’s ‘G’ for ‘growth,’ ” Las Vegas Sands Chief Financial Officer Kenneth Kay told analysts at G2E this week.

•••

By some standards, the perfect Las Vegas day — a little bit of God, a little bit of gambling — as defined on this Facebook status update:

“Grocery shopping done, went to church, placing my bets now, then oil change, car wash and the rest of the day watching NFL with the Giants vs. Eagles to finish my night. Love Sundays.”

•••

One person’s drunk is another person’s role model.

Witness the woman who was swaying under obvious intoxication as her high heel caught in the escalator at the Cosmopolitan, sending her toppling head first at the lower landing. Casino staff rushed to her assistance as she struggled to right herself.

She looked around, brushed herself off, her short skirt staying glued to the top of her thigh and never riding up to cause her further exposure.

A group of women, in equally short skirts, had been watching as they rode the escalator up toward the Marquee nighclub.

“My goal tonight,” one of the women yelled about the stranger who had fallen, “is to end up like that.”

•••

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Ralph Lamb at the prime time network TV premiere of "Vegas" held Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2012 at the Green Valley Ranch Resort.

It’s great sport among Las Vegas old-timers, calling out factual flaws in “Vegas,” the CBS show memorializing the career of Sheriff Ralph Lamb back in the rough-and-tumble 1960s.

Calling out the distorted Fremont Street is too easy. No points there.

Among the more subtle gotchas: The Bonanza Airlines plane that landed at the airport was, on TV, a four-engine aircraft. Back in the day, Bonanza flew only double-prop aircraft before transitioning to jet aircraft.

And there was another made-for-TV accommodation in the opening scene, where the aircraft rumbled low over Lamb’s ranch, scattering the sheriff’s cattle, as it came in for a landing. The annoyed sheriff rode hard to the airport and, as the passengers were unloaded, scolded the manager for allowing the plane to use the wrong approach.

In real life? Lamb's 12-acre ranch was off Ann Road near Lone Mountain in the northwest valley, more than 15 miles from the airport as the horse gallops. But he said there was some truth to aircraft spooking his cattle and horses: Military aircraft buzzed low over the family ranch at Alamo, some 80 miles north of Las Vegas. "They were jets flying out of Area 51," he said, "and they'd fly so fast and low, they'd suck the dirt right off the ground."

If you’ve seen or overheard something that caught your fancy, a slice of Las Vegas life, email [email protected].

CORRECTION: This column has been updated to correctly place Ralph Lamb's ranch in the northwest valley and to add that he encountered low-flying military aircraft at the family ranch at Alamo. | (October 4, 2012)

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