Las Vegas Real Estate News

Uncle Jack Says: (Finally, and I Hope You’ll Agree)

June 29th, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

There’s all kinds of slumps. Batting Slumps, Pitching Slumps, Career Slumps, Income Slumps (if you’re in sales you know what I mean), Oil Clean-up Slumps and Political Capital Slumps (ask the President – he knows).

There’s also a new one. IT’S A BLOGGING SLUMP. There’s any number of things that can lead up to it. Just not enough hours in a day. Burn Out (the big one), Exhaustion. Depression. Arthritis. As I geared myself up to write this today, I got curious and googled “blogging slump” and lo and behold: I’m not the only one.

The Blog Herald describes it best as to what I’ve been thru recently:

When you start out blogging, you’re full of energy and ideas, and it’s hard to imagine that enthusiasm ever waning, but ask almost everyone who’s been blogging for a long time, and they’ll tell you that it does. Suddenly, where you once had seemingly endless articles waiting to be written, you feel like you have nothing to post about and not much interest in writing anyway. What do you do when you hit one of these blogging slumps?

I really screwed up by not knowing this piece of their advice was out there:

2. Take a break. Sometimes, when you’re burnt out on blogging, a break will help re-energize you. Tell your readers up front that you are taking a hiatus, and let them know how long you’ll be gone. For most readers, this will be no problem at all as long as you let them know before you stop posting for a period. It’s very important to make them aware up front. If you don’t, they will think you’ve just disappeared and may unsubscribe and stop visiting all together,

AND, it was just plain rude of me to drop off without even letting you know. I apologize.

THE GOOD NEWS: I’m back and anxious to blog again.

One reason I’m anxious to blog again, is so that all the KIND READERS who have emailed me, run into me at an event, or called me TO GET OFF OF MY BACK.  I yelled that in caps to have an excuse to use a smiley face, which I’d sworn I’d never do. I really appreciate all the concern, and even all the expressed anxiety that I was done blogging for good. NOT SO!

For 3 and half years, I was, I believe, one of the most prodigious real estate bloggers in the country. Don’t believe me? Try reading it backwards all the way to the beginning. There’s well over 1000 posts. It put me dead at the top of the any google search that contained any of following terms along with the words Las Vegas: mid century modern, MCM, historic, vintage, retro, urban etc etc. I may have lost some of my “google juice” during the slump, but I’ll get it back.

It’s worked wonders in establishing me in the minds of so many of you as “the” go-to guy on any of those subjects. It hasn’t lost it’s power, and I won’t/can’t let it, either. Thankfully, my past prodigiousness kept my phone ringing all thru the slump.

I still, amusingly get several calls or emails a week from people around the country who want to buy this pattern or that pattern of the Decorative Concrete Blocks. People call and email asking for contractors and handymen. New buyers are calling me all time. I work with some of them and not with others. I talk to buyers who HAVE to use their boss’s cousin’s girlfiend as an agent. Even the Boss’s Cousin’s Girlfriend calls me for advice because “she’s clueless” about old houses and historic neighborhoods. I talk 5 times a day with homeowners who are distressed about what to do about their “upside down” mortgage.  I can help some of them, but not all of them. But I give them all at least the time of day.

And I’m still in business!

I’m grateful to all of you. And I’ve heard it so often, that many of you are grateful for my past blogging.

So here’s the deal:

I’m geared up to get at it again. Mentally, physically, and time-wise. There’s even a new post below this one if you’ll scroll down. If you get my posts by email, or by RSS feed, you already know that.

If I remember correctly, the most number of comments I ever received to any one post is 21. That’s a lot if you’re not a political blog.

I’m thinking that a few or many or a lot of you might want to tell me what you’d like to see more of. Tell the other readers why this blog is an important one. Tell them why it’s important to you, or how how it helped you make a decision about where to live or something about your house, or why your neighborhood is so great. If you’re a past client, tell them about your experience working with me. Tell me what a scum I am for only posting 3 times in the last 3 months and how glad you are that I’m back again. Anything you want to say.

Let’s have at it. The more comments I get to THIS POST AND ALL FUTURE POSTS, the more I’ll blog. Deal??

Sincerely,

Uncle Jack

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It’s Hard To Type When You Are Handcuffed

May 12th, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Mary Joy handcuffed me. Then she tied me to the chair in front of the keyboard and said “TYPE!!!!”

I’m only just barely kidding, since I asked her to do that last Sunday as joke. I can’t explain why I missed 3 whole weeks of blogging, and with a minor exception, it’s actually more than a month. There’s a ton of excuses, but no good reason for not blogging regularly except – maybe burnout. It’s been over 3 years of blogging daily at VeryVintageVegas, and quite frankly, I’d become brain-dead.

During my “vacation” an important (to me) anniversary date came and went without comment or mention. April 1^st was my 20th anniversary of being a Realtor, Back then, you spent a month in school, then waited a month or so for the next monthly exam date, then a couple of weeks till you found out if you passed or not. Then you’d apply for the real estate license and wait till it came in the mail. It arrived on April Fools Day, which probably set the tone for the next 20 years.

It’s been a VERY interesting 20 years! But I’m still here, and still helping people buy or sell real estate. If you or someone you know needs to talk real estate, don’t hesitate to call or email me. Referrals are STILL always welcome.

 

There’s plenty of stuff I should have reported or told you about, but here’s 3 that deserve mentioning:

Helldorado Parade!

This year, I’ll be with the Flamingo Club on it’s first ever Heldorado Float. It’s going to be way at the end of the line, so stick around till the end to wave at us. The Parade is Saturday, May 15 at 7pm. The parade route is 4^th Street between Charleston and Fremont Street. Fireworks at Fremont Street Experience start at 9 pm, and the 3^rd night of the rodeo also starts at 9pm.

Helldorado is a 4 day event in Downtown Las Vegas. It’s been a Las Vegas tradition since 1935. The complete schedule and all the details are on the Elks Club’s Website

Helldorado Days this May 13-16, is an outdoor community event celebrating Las Vegas’s tribute to the wild west and produced by the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks Lodge No.1468. Helldorado Days which began in 1935, is the longest running civic event in the history of Las Vegas, originally created as a means to encourage tourism to the city upon completion of the Boulder Dam. With over 40,000 people in attendance, Helldorado Days offers a 4 day pro rodeo, a parade, carnival, treasure hunt for gold, whiskerino contest, golf tournament, poker tournament, art show and auction, trail ride, exhibits and food. For 4 days Downtown Las Vegas is transformed into Helldorado Days as the event takes over several vacant downtown blocks and builds a rodeo arena and carnival from the ground up. Helldorado Days is a non-profit community event. The members of Elks Lodge No. 1468 are committed to assisting children and veterans in need and have given back over $75,000 in 2009 and over $4 million to the community since 1935. Las Vegas Helldorado Days, May 13-16, 2010. Downtown Las Vegas 2 blocks from the Fremont Street Experience. For tickets and information visit www.ElksHelldorado.com or call 702-870-1221

First Year-To-Year Increase In Home Prices Since 2007

Is it significant that prices rose .2 percent over April of 2009? Time will tell. Can it be explained by the Tax Credit, which expired at the end of April? By the shortage of Inventory? All good questions that Hubble Smith reports on in Monday’s Review Journal.

“I believe it will be months before the market really gives us a reliable indication of which direction it is going after all the government intervention.”

105 Years Old And Still Going…..

I’d like to recommend an excellent essay by my dear friend Brian Paco Alvarez. It celebrates the 105^th Anniversary of Las Vegas, but more importantly – it discusses the opportunities that lie ahead for Las Vegas, and how we can learn from our past.

Whether our staying in Las Vegas was a choice or not, this is a perfect time to see where Las Vegas came from and where we can take it. Las Vegas is a city that developed out of necessity whether it was to supply the trains with water or to create a place that people can visit. Now that we are well aware of our communities vulnerabilities we must look to our past and reflect at how our community reset itself during challenging times. The time is now to use our ingenuity and reshape our community for its future and this can only happen if you are willing to embrace it.

You can read the entire essay at EnculturateLasVegas – The daily blog of all things cultural in Las Vegas.

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Very Vintage Boulder City Hosts “The Green Energy Expo”

March 24th, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

If you’ve never taken a drive or a stroll thru Boulder City, it’s something you really ought to do. It’s got lots of very well preserved pre war houses, and mid century modern hotels and offices.

This Saturday would be a great day to do it, and you can spend much or some of the day at the Green Energy Expo at the Boulder City Rec Center, 900 Arizona Ave. The event is SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2010 from 9 AM to 4 PM — which would leave plenty of time for stroll thru downtown Boulder City, and thru the surrounding neighborhoods. There’s plenty of interesting antiques shops, boutiques and great architecture.

Event Name: Green Energy Expo
Event Type(s): Boulder City, NV
Member Event
 
Description: When it comes to the renewable energy issue, are you wondering what’s new under the sun? Well, March 27 is your chance to find out. The Nevada Green Team is sponsoring its second Green Energy Expo that last time included exhibits and information on solar cookers, hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles and other head-spinning technologies. Find out how to save money on your energy bill and qualify for free or reduced cost energy retrofits. So, if you’re not doing anything March 27, visit Boulder City and see what’s new under the sun. 
Event Date: 03-27-10
 
Event Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Parks and Recreation Bldg. at Bicentennial Park
900 Arizona Avenue
Boulder City, NV 89005

click here for map…
Contact Person: Lynn Goya
(phone: 702-281-8686)
Details: The event and seminars are free and open to the public.

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Where Is It? Number 2

March 15th, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Susanne and Gary, who will be residents of Vintage Vegas next month, guessed right on our first mystery photo. They were the only ones who ventured a guess. (I was right, myself, as well.) It’s on the NE corner of Franklin and 7^th in the John S. Park Historic Neighborhood.

Today’s installment is one that I’ve figured out already as well. Anyone else want to take a stab at it?

It’s clickable to see a larger version.

 

 

 

Tomorrow’s won’t be easy, and I have absolutely no clue.

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Three Articles Of Interest In KNPR’s Desert Companion

March 9th, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

If you’re not a supporter of KNPR – you ought to be. One of the benefits, besides great radio programming is their companion magazine –aptly named– “Desert Companion”.

There’s FOUR articles this month that I thought would be of interest to you as devoted readers of VeryVintageVegas:

Westleigh Neighborhood

The first is about the Westleigh Neighborhood, and it’s disappointing (to me and many others) effort to gain “official” historic designation. I’d covered the story before, but it’s a very good cautionary tale for all the other historic neighborhoods that might want to one day take the plunge into official recognition.

I use the term historic neighborhood all time. I use the term very loosely to describe ALL the neighborhoods of Vintage Vegas. But I guess I should always use it with small case letters. 

The story in Desert Companion starts on page 14 – “Who’s Afraid Of Big Bad History – When residents sought to secure historic status for downtown’s Westleigh neighborhood, they encountered opposition from…..their own neighbors?” by Andrew Kiraly

Commercial Center:

The second story is about Commercial Center, the sprawling complex of diversity that’s on Sahara Avenue, just west of Maryland Parkway. I personally love commercial center for being exactly what it is. I believe in it, and think of it as an important asset to the whole big picture of Vintage Vegas. I show it as a valuable resource to every home buyer that I work with.

Andrew Kiraly also penned the Commercial Center story that begins on page 26:  “SAVING (the other) CITY CENTER – How do you restore a historic shopping plaza like Commercial Center in hard times? Clean it up – without scrubbing away its soul”

Downtown Las Vegas Restaurants

Brooke Earnest gives us a run down and the low down of great food in Downtown Las Vegas. You’ll find it on page 54: “CHOW DOWN DOWNTOWN: A foodie craw of new hot spots (and old mainstays) reveals downtown never tasted so good.”

The “New Modernism”

In a valley full of cookie cutter stucco and tile roofs – even in the commercial buildings there’s some fabulous architecture that’s happening. From Brett Wesley’s new galley in the arts district, to a home in Summerlin to a motorcycle shop on Boulder Highway, there’s a new breath of fresh air,  with good old Mid Century Modern as it’s inspiration. Desert Companion gives us a glimpse starting on page 33: “WE BUILT THIS CITY – …..here’s a sampling of the hot architecture of the new Vegas cityscape….”

JUST A NOTE: The online version of the magazine opens in a flash player. It will take a few seconds to figure it out, but it’s fast and very readable – especially full screen.

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Gushing Over Downtown Las Vegas

March 9th, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Downtown gets some great PR on Fox 5 news.

Las Vegas Weekly Community Editor Sarah Feldberg has written a local’s primer to hanging out in Downtown Las Vegas. It’s really nice to see someone else all excited and enthused about what to do Downtown. Check out the video for a preview

The print article is in the edition that comes out this Thursday. I’ll add the online link to this post when it’s up, but you’ll want to pick it up and keep it around.

Paymon’s; Downtown Cocktail Room; Beauty Bar; Firefly; Trifecta Gallery; the Arts Factory, and Retro Vegas all get nods in the video. Hopefully Don’t Tell Mama, Griffin, Tinocco’s, and all the terrific free entertainment at Fremont Street Experience (as well as many others) will get their due.

This Thursday, you can check out the print or online version of Las Vegas Weekly.

 

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Short Sales Are About 65% Of The Inventory

March 8th, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Short Sales account for about 65% of the inventory in Las Vegas. Slightly over half of all the business that I do now involves the short sale.

The Short Sale occurs when the house can’t be sold for as much as is owed on it. Generally, the seller comes away with better credit than they would have after a foreclosure. The buyer gets a great deal, but has to wait a long time (sometimes as much as 4 months) until the seller’s bank approves the deal.

If you or someone you know is in trouble with their mortgage already, or is contemplating that they won’t be able to keep up with the payments, they should call me.

I can explain it to them in detail, and often help them to get the house sold. Now with the new program that’s part of the stimulous package, they can even get money from the government as an inducement to Short Sale the house instead of letting it go to foreclosure. The details are explained in the article below.

The article below explains a lot about the new program which will go into effect on April 5.

Call or email me if you’re in trouble with your loan. I can help. 

From The New York Times:

PROGRAM WILL PAY HOMEOWNERS TO SELL AT A LOSS

by David Streitfeld

In an effort to end the foreclosure crisis, the Obama administration has been trying to keep defaulting owners in their homes. Now it will take a new approach: paying some of them to leave.
This latest program, which will allow owners to sell for less than they owe and will give them a little cash to speed them on their way, is one of the administration’s most aggressive attempts to grapple with a problem that has defied solutions.
More than five million households are behind on their mortgages and risk foreclosure. The government’s $75 billion mortgage modification plan has helped only a small slice of them. Consumer advocates, economists and even some banking industry representatives say much more needs to be done.

For the administration, there is also the concern that millions of foreclosures could delay or even reverse the economy’s tentative recovery — the last thing it wants in an election year.
Taking effect on April 5, the program could encourage hundreds of thousands of delinquent borrowers who have not been rescued by the loan modification program to shed their houses through a process known as a short sale, in which property is sold for less than the balance of the mortgage. Lenders will be compelled to accept that arrangement, forgiving the difference between the market price of the property and what they are owed.
“We want to streamline and standardize the short sale process to make it much easier on the borrower and much easier on the lender,” said Seth Wheeler, a Treasury senior adviser.
The problem is highlighted by a routine case in Phoenix. Chris Paul, a real estate agent, has a house he is trying to sell on behalf of its owner, who owes $150,000. Mr. Paul has an offer for $48,000, but the bank holding the mortgage says it wants at least $90,000. The frustrated owner is now contemplating foreclosure.
To bring the various parties to the table — the homeowner, the lender that services the loan, the investor that owns the loan, the bank that owns the second mortgage on the property — the government intends to spread its cash around.
Under the new program, the servicing bank, as with all modifications, will get $1,000. Another $1,000 can go toward a second loan, if there is one. And for the first time the government would give money to the distressed homeowners themselves. They will get $1,500 in “relocation assistance.”

Should the incentives prove successful, the short sales program could have multiple benefits. For the investment pools that own many home loans, there is the prospect of getting more money with a sale than with a foreclosure.
For the borrowers, there is the likelihood of suffering less damage to credit ratings. And as part of the transaction, they will get the lender’s assurance that they will not later be sued for an unpaid mortgage balance.
For communities, the plan will mean fewer empty foreclosed houses waiting to be sold by banks. By some estimates, as many as half of all foreclosed properties are ransacked by either the former owners or vandals, which depresses the value of the property further and pulls down the value of neighboring homes.
If short sales are about to have their moment, it has been a long time coming. At the beginning of the foreclosure crisis, lenders shunned short sales. They were not equipped to deal with the labor-intensive process and were suspicious of it.
The lenders’ thinking, said the economist Thomas Lawler, went like this: “I lend someone $200,000 to buy a house. Then he says, ‘Look, I have someone willing to pay $150,000 for it; otherwise I think I’m going to default.’ Do I really believe the borrower can’t pay it back? And is $150,000 a reasonable offer for the property?”
Short sales are “tailor-made for fraud,” said Mr. Lawler, a former executive at the mortgage finance company Fannie Mae.
MORE FROM NYTIMES.COM

Read the rest of this entry »

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What Were They Thinking?

March 6th, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Thanks to reader and client Suzanne for pointing this out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Untold Stories - The Las Vegas History Series To Discuss Las Vegas High School

March 3rd, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Untold Stories – Las Vegas High School

During the formative years of the city of Las Vegas, there was only one high school, Las Vegas High.  The school was built because of the determination of one woman, Maude Frazier.  Located on 8th Street, many townspeople believed it was too far out of town and was too large.  Maude and history proved them wrong.

It became a beacon of education for school-age kids not only in Las Vegas but all across the valley.  Students were bussed in from Boulder City and other small towns.

The students had their rituals as all high schools do.  The Wildcat Lair was the teen club where dances were held and in the years following World War II, performers from the Strip would stop by and sing a few tunes or tell a few jokes before heading back to the showrooms.

The Rhythmettes were the idea of Evelyn Stuckey.  A precision drill team made up of young girls to help rally school spirit at athletic games, assemblies, Helldorado Parades and more, she made the name Rhythmettes synonymous with excellence.  Under her tutelage, the drill team performed on the Ed Sullivan Show in the early 1960s.

Join us on Thursday, March 4th for “Untold Stories” as we look back at this wonderful, colorful and lively history. 

Our panelists will include a

Rhythmette Cheryl Purdue and other Las Vegas alumni such as John Ullom, Rollie Gibbs, and that delightful couple, Gail and Donna Andress.

Dennis McBride and Paul Carson from the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas have graciously agreed to bring a number of items related to the school as well.

Thursday, March 4th

Untold Stories

Las Vegas Springs Preserve

Desert Learning Center

6:30 pm

$10

We hope to see you there

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Plan 7 - The Bill Krisel Designs Of Paradise Palms In Las Vegas

March 3rd, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

 Plan 7 is on of my favorites.

Plan 7B is so easily recognizable. There’s only 4 of them that were built. All are south of Desert Inn. The Caddy Shack is the most easy to spot with it’s lime green and white color scheme. It’s the home of Mary-Margaret and Cary Stratton, and was on our Paradise Palms Homes Tour in October 2008. It was also featured in the documentary film that was premiered last week at the Palm Springs Modern Weekend. There’s some interior photos in that link. If you haven’t seen driven by it, you haven’t really driven around in Paradise Palms. It’s on Seneca Drive, just south of Desert Inn. You can’t miss it.

Zane and Jenny are the proud new owners of one of them. I helped them snag it away from the bank this last fall. They’re busy working away on the inside, but at least the weeds are gone now from when they bought it. Their’s is in a similar location on Pawnee, just south of Desert Inn.

There’s also on on Pawnee Circle, next to Clay’s new house, which is one of the plan 5 tri-levels. The Fourth one is on Ottawa Drive, just east of Spencer.

All four of the 7B’s were built in a mirror image of the drawing.

Plan 7A and Plan 7C are turned 90 degrees so that the front door faces the street instead of the side of the house as it does on the 7B.

 

 

This is the “Caddy Shack” at night. It’s just as eye-popping during the day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They started to get a little pricey as we moved into the bigger of the model.

Lot A = $28,400

Lot B = $29,500

Lot C = $31,600

Still I have no clue as to what was the difference between a the 3 lot choices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Topping Out Ceremony For Smith Center For The Perfoming Arts

February 23rd, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

WHAT:           The Smith Center for the Performing Arts gets one step closer to opening its doors as it celebrates the “topping out” of Reynolds Hall, reaching its highest point of 170 feet. The ceremony will begin with a live performance down City Parkway by Clark High School Marching Band and will culminate with the raising of the final steel beam, topping out construction for this monumental project. 

 

Guests in attendance will have the opportunity to sign the final steel beam before it is put in place, becoming a part of The Smith Center’s history. Immediately following the ceremony, tours of The Smith Center will be available. 

 

WHO:             Myron G. Martin, President & CEO

Donald D. Snyder, Chairman of the Board

Oscar B. Goodman, Mayor of Las Vegas

Mr. Fred W. Smith, Chairman of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation

Clark High School Marching Band

 

WHEN:           Thursday, February 25, 2010

                         2:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

                        Media check-in is at 2:30 pm

                                                       

WHERE:        The Smith Center for the Performing Arts Construction Site

Entrance to the construction site is available from Clark Avenue, located on Grand Central Parkway, just north of Bonneville Avenue.

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The Palmer and Krisel Homes of Paradise Palms - Plan 6

February 22nd, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

All of the Plan 6’s in Paradise Palms are south of Desert Inn. There’s a few west of Spencer, but primarily, they were on the golf course.

Probably the most easily recognizable of the Palmer and Krisel plan 6’s, and the most popular is 6A with its butterfly roof and and shaddow block. I think it was also the most difficult to modify, so they tend to still be intact.

The “Revision House” that we showcased last month was a plan 6C.

I need to do an actual survey but I’m guessing that about 200 of the homes in Paradise Palms total were the Palmer and Krisel designs. I verified with Bill Krisel in an email exchange last year that many of the other floor plans and elevations in Paradise Palms are not his.

The Krisels have an intrinsic value, now that his name is well known to those who are in the know among the Mid Century Modern preservation movement. Unfortunately, one of the outcomes of the current market conditions is that NOTHING except for how many square feet a home has is being given any value by the appraisers. This will change over time as the market comes back.

 

 

 

 

The plan 6’s have the cantilevered concrete hearth and the polygon popout over the fireplace, which was a truly distinctive feature of this floorplan. In the amenities list, the fireplace is called a “wood burning fireplace with projected hood”.

Prices from the builder?

Lot A – $27,450

Lot B – $28,550

Lot C – $31,150

I’m assuming the C lots were on the golf course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a the general look of the fireplace in the plan 6, from the revision house.

The floating, cantilevered hearth was  originally plain cement. Here it’s been covered in slate.

 

 

 

 

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LEGISLATIVE SPECIAL SESSION AND CUTS TO THE NEVADA ARTS COUNCIL

February 22nd, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Here’s a special request from Brian Paco Alvarez. He blogs daily at EnculturateLasVegas about the Arts and Culture in Las Vegas. EnculturateLasVegas should be one of your daily reads.

 

 

 

LEGISLATIVE SPECIAL SESSION AND CUTS TO THE NEVADA ARTS COUNCIL

 

The Special Session of the Legislature begins on Tuesday, February 23, 2010 at 9 a.m. Charged to mitigate the budget crisis, our legislators are looking at all options. Extremely vulnerable, once again, is state funding to the Nevada Arts Council (NAC) - public funding that supports the work of artists, arts organizations and educators across the state.

 

The actual agenda of the special session and time for public testimony are still unknown, additional information may be available later on Monday, February 22, 2010. A number of individuals from Reno will represent Nevada’s arts industry at the Special Session.

 

You are encouraged to attend the Special Session in Carson City, whether you speak or not. Just as important is your E-mail to your Senator or Assemblyman or Assemblywoman that clearly and concisely expresses your sentiments about the value of public funding for the arts.

 

Background/Position Summary

• The NAC sustained a 43% reduction in state funding last session. The agency, as most others in state government, will take an additional 10% cut as outlined in the Governor’s Budget plan.

 

• A number of legislators understand that further cuts to, or elimination of, the NAC will not solve the budget crisis. Instead it will destroy the work of thousands since the agency’s inception in 1967, and it will deny Nevada its opportunity to use creativity as a road to recovery. Deeper cuts would jeopardize hundreds of thousands of federal dollars that NAC puts to work to support affordable and accessible programs to the public on a daily basis.

 

• We trust that, after this total 53% cut to one of the smallest of state agencies, the work of the staff and its statewide constituents may proceed and assist the state with creative solutions to current and future challenges.

 

Intent

All legislators understand those facts, and that:

 

• The arts and arts education are not non-essential services, but fundamental to our lives, our children and our communities.
• Nevada’s arts industry is – at this moment — providing solutions to our shared economic crisis and its ripple effect on our communities and education system.

 

E-mail Tips

To email - use a powerful statement in your subject line, i.e. (a) The arts are essential to my community; (b) Arts Council funding to {my organization} has an economic ripple effect; (c) [my organization} uses NAC funding to employ staff and/or artists; (d) NAC supports art education for at-risk youth; (e) NAC support has helped build our organization into a sustainable business, etc. Briefly state the value of NAC funding, how you leverage those funds, economic/educational benefits, etc.

 

Talking Points That Focus on The Arts As Providing Solutions Now

• The arts industry is comprised of large and small businesses and entrepreneurs—the very same business sector that our government says is critical to Nevada’s recovery.
• The arts drive economies and attract 21st-century businesses to our state.
• The arts attract quality tourists who stay longer and spend more money.
• The arts are one of the most efficient and effective reasons for Nevada’s middle class to remain in this state, maintaining homes, paying taxes, supporting businesses and contributing to a positive ripple effect that sustains our state’s economy.
• The Nevada Arts Council and grantee constituents now provide primary, frontline education programs for our youth in school and, perhaps more importantly, after school. The arts provide that critical link between creative thinking and science, history and other core subjects.
• The Nevada Arts Council accomplishes all this and more on a sliver of the state budget–three cents for every one hundred dollars. This is a remarkable return on investment.

 

Arts4Nevada.org

Visit Arts4Nevada.org Nevada’s online advocacy center and statewide calendar for additional background, talking points and copies of effective speeches and letters presented by your colleagues at recent Town Hall Meetings.

 

Don’t forget the Thank You

Thanking our elected officials for the work they do is a hallmark of the arts industry. Please continue doing so, by acknowledging our legislators for their many long days and sincere efforts to help Nevada find solutions to the financial crisis we all face.

 

And thank you for all your efforts to insure affordable, accessible arts and arts education programs for Nevadans across the state. Your action has and WILL continue to make a difference.

 

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Fremont Street Experience Hosts The Annual Fat Tuesday Bar Crawl - Downtown Las Vegas

February 16th, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

 

NO CHARGE FOR THE CRAWL, FREE ENTERTAINMENT, GREAT DRINK AND FOOD SPECIALS!
Check in between 5 and 10 pm, then crawl at your own pace!
FREE Mardi Gras Beads for first 1000 people!

 

 

 

 

Free Entertainment
* David “Mojo” Poe - 5-11pm - 3rd Street Stage
David “MoJo” Poe started his entertainment career as a child prodigy clarinetist. He will be performing Cajun and Zydeco music on Fremont Street with Swing Era great Benny Goodman.
* Carl Ferris - 7-11pm - Casino Center West
Carl Ferris’ improvisational saxophonist delights crowds nightly on Fremont Street Experience. 
* Man on the Street - 7-11pm - 4th Street Area
Rouge Canopy Technician K-ARL steals access to the canopy interviewing visitors and displaying them on Viva Vision.
* Pete Contino Band - 8-11pm - 1st Street Stage
The Pete Contino Band entertains using a unique mixture of musical instruments described as “acoustic zydeco/blues.”
* Bob Sachs Dixieland Trio - 8-11pm - Main Street Area
Bob Sachs, Tom McDermott and Steve Johnson revive the New Orleans born Dixieland music. 

 
Food and Drink specials

 
Click Here to RSVP
Or
Text FREMONT to 99158* to RSVP for the event
* Message & Data charges may apply. Text STOP to End. Text HELP for Help.
 
Check in located at 425 Fremont Street, Suite 160, 89101, next to Walgreens. Check in and hand stamp required to receive special offers. 
 
Must be 21 to participate.  Restrictions apply.  Management reserves all rights.

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently 1 Comment »

The “Family Jewels” A Romantic Vintage Clothing And Accessory Sale To Benefit The Erotic Heritage Museum

February 7th, 2010 Categories: Las Vegas Real Estate News

Want to top off you Valentines Day’s outfit with a dash of Vintage?

Our friend LaBooshnik is holding a one day event with some of the proceeds benefiting the Erotic Heritage Museum.

Fifi is responsible for finding me almost all of my Vintage sport coats and ties. She has a permanent rack at Retro Vegas as well, but this is a ONE DAY EVENT that you won’t want to miss if you’re building a Vintage wardrobe.

It’s a sale of Vintage Costume Jewelry, Men’s and Women’s Cocktail Attire, Exquisite Smoking Jackets, See-through Vintage Aprons, Robes, Lingerie and Gloves from the 30’s to the 60’s.

 

Saturday February 13, 2010 from NOON to 8PM at the

Erotic Heritage Museum

3275 Industrial Road,

An editorial note and recommendation: We at VeryVintageVegas support museums of all types, and lately we have become friends with Dr. Laura Henkel, the curator of the Erotic Heritage Museum. Don’t just blow it off out of hand. It’s one of the best curated Museums in Las Vegas, though I’ve been told that some people ares squeamish about such things. There’s an excellent article about the Museum in The LA TIMES from last August, and a great website as well, if you think you have to “think about” whether you might be offended or not.

 I encourage you to spend an hour or eight exploring the museum as well as picking out some fabulous items for your Vintage wardrobe.

Posted by Jack LeVine | Currently No Comments »

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