Anaheim Ballet continues “Nutcracker” tradition at Riverside
The family tradition of “The Nutcracker Ballet” will be presented by the Anaheim Ballet Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 5-7 in Don’s Celebrity Theatre at the Riverside. Tickets to the 7 p.m. performances and additional 3 p.m. shows Dec. 7-8 are $30 and $12 for children.
Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” is the holiday season story of a young girl’s journey to a magical land on Christmas Eve. The Anaheim Ballet’s full-length Nutcracker production is more than dance. Audiences experience the spectacle of a towering Christmas tree, waltzing flowers, battling toy soldiers and menacing mice. The enduring theme remains unchanged with good overcoming evil. The Anaheim Ballet constantly updates the family classic and is now celebrating its 33rd season of the famous ballet.
Comedians featured Weekly at the Edgewater
“Comedy on the Edge” highlights two different stand-up comedians every Friday-Sunday in the newly renovated Edge Lounge with shows at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 with a $2 discount for U.S. veterans on Sundays. Following performances, there’s dancing with a DJ from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Comedians sharing the stage Dec. 6-8 are Sid Davis and Todd Link and Dec. 13-15 William Clifton and D’Sean Ross.
Sid Davis came to the comedy world later in life. The former airline worker put his dreams of being a comedian on hold to raise a family; however, when he stepped on a stage and heard his first laugh, he never looked back. His humor is fueled with ADD, a wavering ego, and a grade schoolteacher wife who views him as a child left behind. In 2012, Davis was voted “Best in Fest” by audiences at the San Luis Obispo Comedy Festival and repeated the honor the following two years. In 2014, Joan Rivers discovered Davis when she was looking for a new opening act and hired him.
Vogues and Platters bring music to the Riverside
The Vogues will appear at the Riverside in Don’s Celebrity Theatre Wednesday-Sunday, Dec. 18-22 at 7 p.m. followed by The Platters Friday-Monday, Dec. 27-30 at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve. Tickets start at $30 and $38 on Dec. 31.
The Vouges created a sound of blended vocal harmony, which had them throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s appearing on mega-TV shows such as “The Ed Sullivan Show,” “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,” “The Red Skelton Show,” “The Mike Douglas Show,” and numerous appearances on “Dick Clark’s American Bandstand.” Inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001, The Vogues remain one of the top vocal groups on the oldie’s music scene 
today, even though their first hit “You’re the One” was released more than 50 years ago.
The Platters, the most romantic of all the early rock and roll groups, released unforgettable hits such as “Only You,” “The Great Pretender,” “My Prayer,” “Twilight Time,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” and “Harbor Lights. Today the multi-platinum group and Rock and Roll, Vocal Group and Grammy Halls of Fame member continues the rich vocal and historical tradition which is The Platters.
AVI swings into 2020 with Dance Music
New Year’s Eve will be celebrated at the Avi with Jazzin’ Jeanne Brei & The Speakeasy Swingers, a seven-piece swing band, performing two 90-minute Great Gatsby shows at 5 and 9 p.m. with dancing. Brei and the band play the music of the Great American Songbook’s golden eras – Roaring Twenties, Toe-Tapping Thirties, Fabulous Forties, and Rockin’ Fifties. Tickets start at $25 and guests must be 21 years of age.
The band consists of veteran musicians with close to three centuries of experience among them. For example, Charlie Shaffer, who has been playing keyboard for the group since its inception, arrived in Las Vegas in 1958 to play with a rock band at the Hacienda, which is where Mandalay Bay now stands, and has had his hands on the keys ever since.
The group was put together by Brei and Don Hill. Brei used to hang out and sit in for songs occasionally for a few years when The Treniers rocked Las Vegas. When the band disbanded following Claude Trenier’s death in 2003, Hill, who played with The Treniers for 55 years, didn’t want to quit playing his saxophone. The group was formed, and they perform monthly at the Italian American Club in Las Vegas.
— Jackie Brett
More exciting water news for the Colorado and Laughlin!
Laughlin River Tours has been cruising The Celebration for 20+ years up and down the Colorado River allowing visitors to enjoy the scenery, food, companionship and beverages for 90 minutes to 2 hours each trip. The plan is to retire this vessel and upgrade to a more modern vibe.
They have just announced that they have a new tour boat being built which will accommodate 150 passengers with a climate controlled, fully enclosed dining cabin, top and bottom deck seating and a retractable top deck roof. The vessel will have 2 bathrooms, 2 full-service bars and a larger galley for the chefs to prepare their outstanding dinners. The boat will take 12-15 months to build, so, should be ready in 2021 for your floating enjoyment.
I don’t know about you, but, I can’t wait for this vessel to be put into service. I’ll be calling it the Stealth Cruiser.
There is more information available on the Laughlin River Tour cruises in my article from July, 2019. If you haven’t gone on one of their cruises you should try it at least once before the new boat is in service. This way you can compare, for yourself, if it was worth the change of vessels and the anticipation of the launch.
I know there are a lot of marathoners and runners out there or those that just like to watch the races. If you fall into either of these categories the upcoming 5th Annual Run Laughlin is having their half marathon, 5K and 12K on Saturday, December 7th.
As with all marathons across the world spectators should not expect to follow runners in their vehicles because the roads will be closed for the racers. With that being said, make sure you are comfortable parking your car in an area to see the race since you will not be able to move it during the race!
The half marathon begins at 7 a.m. at the Laughlin Jr/Sr High School on Cougar Drive and ends just past the In N Out Burger on Casino Drive. This is a 13.1 mile race which has a maximum time limit of 4 hours to complete the course. Registration for this race is $100. You will be traversing Needles Highway, Davis Dam Road and going across Davis Dam to the Arizona side for a brief time. There is the requisite number of water stations along the way almost every 2 miles.
What a glorious way to see the beauty of Laughlin, Lake Mohave, the Colorado River, Davis Dam and the Heritage Greenway Park and Trails area! If you can slip your phone into a pocket you might get some fantastic shots of the scenery and the other runners and spectators.
The after-race post party includes a free beer at the beer garden if you are over 21. You can also purchase more beer by buying tickets. If you find the beer is too much after the race there will be other beverages and food to indulge your cravings. Entertainment will be provided by a live band and DJ.
The 5K race starts at 8 a.m. and begins and ends on Casino Drive just south of In N Out Burger. The route takes you across the Heritage Parkway Pedestrian Bridge going towards the dam, but, doesn’t quite make it there before you have to turn back. You must be at the starting line by 7:40 a.m. Registration is $40 for this race.
The 12K race has the same start and finish point on Casino Drive and begins at 7:50 a.m.; however, this time you will be going over the dam into Arizona and back. You must be at the starting line by 7:40 a.m. Registration is $60 for this race.
Check out their website for answers to any of your questions. The pickup time for all racing packets is the day before, Friday, December 6th in the Tropicana Hotel across from the Casino Floor between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. They will not charge for this time period and will not charge those that pick up their 5K and 12K packets the day of the race. They will charge $40 for the half marathon for pickup on the day of the race.
For a different type of race McKenzie’s Rage At The River is December 13th (Friday) through the 15th (Sunday). The Southern Nevada Off Road Enthusiasts (SNORE) are a group of desert racers, families and enthusiasts who have been bringing fun and notoriety to off-road adventures since 1969. This is their 50 year anniversary! At least 400 people will be hitting town for this event which takes place at the Laughlin Events Park. The Events Park is located west of Casino Drive at Bruce Woodbury Drive and Thomas Edison Way.
This is not a fly by night get together with a group of friends to play in the dirt. This is a serious get together of professional drivers willing to spend $30 for the 1-year membership, $50 for the race deposit, $80 for a transponder which keeps track of the scoring and timing and between $500 and $800 to sign up to be in a Class for the race!
They have medical and safety precautions set in place by wearing fire suits, neck and head restraints and the medical team on hand at the events.
Be prepared to get up extra early to witness the seven racing heats each day with an awards ceremony taking place Sunday night.
Notes: The Riverside has installed new seating in their Celebrity Theater. Reviews are mixed on it being better or worse than before since you have to stand to allow others to pass by to their seats which conflicts with watching the shows. Time will tell on this one.
— Pauline Cimoch
