Columnist: Wild West Tour offers some Nevada history

Tuesday, May 14, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

INTERESTED in the history of Nevada? Carson City will take a century step back in time June 15 with the fourth annual Wild West Tour.

Visitors who participate will hear some of the tales of the Old West, as told by special characters who have "come back to life." Wild West tours start at the Nevada State Museum at 10 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m. They last two hours.

Included is a walk along the Kit Carson Trail through Carson City's downtown and historic areas. The trail takes the group past 60 historic homes, including the Governor's Mansion and the Krebs-Peterson house where John Wayne's last movie, "The Shootist," was filmed.

Along the walk at the Brewery Arts Center there will be refreshments; at trail's end, walkers will find live entertainment. Later that evening, after the tours, a street dance will take place in Carson City's redevelopment district. The historic houses along the walk will "talk" to the visitors.

Anyone planning to be in Carson City this summer will find a full program of additional events. For more information, call the Wild West Tour or Kit Carson Trail, (702) 746-7410, or contact the Carson City Convention & Visitor's Bureau, (702) 687-7410.

Brooke and Andre

Congratulations to Andre Agassi and Brooke Shields, who celebrated their engagement at a party for 75 family members.

The romantic Renaissance-themed Thanksgiving dinner (but with forks) took place in a tent at The Tournament Players Club in Summerlin. It was a recognition of the many blessings in their lives for which the talented duo is thankful.

The menu included turkey; turkey galantine stuffed with apples and cranberries; gingered yams; corn on the cob; garlic mashed potatoes; carrot, butternut squash soup served in the squash shell; and lemon mousse, sweet potato tarts and a four-tiered chocolate engagement cake.

More Agassi

The Andre Agassi Foundation is gearing up for the second annual Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children Gala taking place Sept. 21 at the MGM Grand Garden. This is just one of the many children's charitable events supported by Agassi. Last year's event was a sensational mix of international talent and a live auction without peer. The 1996 Grand Slam for Children will include the same elements. For ticket information, call 227-5700.

Lawry's to open

Come November, the Howard Hughes Center will add another feather to its culinary cap when the noted Beverly Hills, Calif., prime-rib house, Lawry's, opens across from Fog City Diner.

Lawry's is known for its perfectly aged and roasted prime rib, and for the appealing side dishes that are as much a part of the Lawry's experience as the massive "silver" roast-beef cart that comes to the table.

The original Lawry's restaurant in Beverly Hills was co-founded in 1938 by Lawrence L. Frank and Walter Van de Kamp. Frank's dream was to re-create the Sunday meals served in Wisconsin, his boyhood home. It was the memory of the prime rib, the centerpiece of the dinner, that inspired the restaurant. The company is still owned by the Frank and Van de Camp families. Richard Roger Frank became the third generation of his family to serve as the company's president in 1992.

Present at the groundbreaking ceremony last week were Lawry's Restaurants Inc. executives: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard N. Frank; President and Chief Operating Officer Richard R. Frank; Vice President Operations David Stockman; Vice President Finance and Administration Scott Armstrong; and Dick Powell, who will be the general manager of Lawry's The Prime Rib, Las Vegas. Powell has been a Lawry's restaurant manager for more than 20 years. This avid college basketball fan will no doubt become a supporter of UNLV.

Joining Powell in Las Vegas will be longtime Lawry's Beverly Hills Chef Walter Eckstein. Eckstein was busy preparing a taste of Lawry's for media members attending the groundbreaking. Unfortunately, I had to leave before sampling the prime-rib sandwiches, creamed spinach and corn, but I did get to watch the chef work in the makeshift kitchen housed in a truck and to see the gorgeous prime ribs as they went into the cart.

In addition to the original Lawry's The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills, there are Lawry's in Chicago and Dallas. And would you believe Lawry's is planning to open in Asia. The first restaurant will soon be built in Jakarta, Indonesia.

So why a Lawry's The Prime Rib in Las Vegas? A survey done by the company proved that prime rib was the most popular entree in Las Vegas. Add that fact to the many requests from Californians who now make their home here.

Lawry's Las Vegas plans to be open mid-November before Thanksgiving, the only night of the year when turkey is added to the menu.

Saks & NDT

Saks Fifth Avenue will present the 1996 collection of Bill Blass fashions at the Tropicana hotel-casino on May 30. "Ladies Night Out," a benefit for Nevada Dance Theatre, will be hosted by Barbara Gomes. The Blass collection is described by the designer as "clothes for women who claim they can no longer find clothes to wear -- classic clothes for now and evermore."

Tickets, $75, include a champagne reception, the fashion show and dinner. For tickets, call 732-3838.