Strip will dim for World AIDS Day vigil

Bob Shemeligian

Tuesday, Nov. 26, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

The marquees of more than 30 Las Vegas hotels will be dimmed from 7:45 to 8 p.m. Sunday to commemorate the ninth annual observance of World AIDS Day.

The dimming of the lights will be the culmination of the planned Nevada AIDS Vigil, to be conduced Thursday through Sunday to coincide with World AIDS Day.

As the lights are dimmed, hundreds of local residents are expected to form a living ribbon on the walkways at Tropicana Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard to dramatize the need for continued AIDS care in Southern Nevada.

The theme of World AIDS Day this year is "One World -- One Hope"

"Our hope is to be unified in our care for people with AIDS and to be unified in our research into treatments and our search for a cure for this deadly disease, said Sarah Serna, chaplain for Lighthouse AIDS Ministry, organizer of the Nevada AIDS Vigil.

Rick Reich, AIDS Services Coordinator for the Clark County Health District, warns local residents that just because they might not see as many news reports on the AIDS epidemic as in years past, it doesn't mean that the disease has been mostly eradicated.

"The AIDS cases have plateaued at a level which should still be of great concern to the public," Reich said. "We see about 300 new cases each year (in Clark County) which is about the same as one a day. It's still out there."

In retrospect, Reich noted, in 1985, when AIDS was often the subject of news stories, there were 12 cases in Clark County.

"The AIDS epidemic is definitely ongoing," said Jeff Smith, executive director of Aid for AIDS of Nevada.

"We're in an environment of mixed emotion," Smith said. "We have this wonderful outlook on the future, but we're still seeing an incredibly high incidence rate of new HIV infections and the wrong impression many of us get is that AIDS is a curable disease. It is not. All the new medications offer hope, but AIDS is still a deadly disease."

The Nevada AIDS Vigil begins Thursday and continues until Sunday, World AIDS Day.

At 11 a.m. Thursday, various ministers and lay persons will begin reading the names of many Americans who have died of AIDS and will read prayers for the victims at the Interfaith Student Center at UNLV, 4765 Brussels Ave.

The vigil will continue until 11 a.m. Sunday, and all are welcome 24 hours each day.

A service will be conducted at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Christ Church, 200 S. Maryland Parkway.

During the service, music and prayers will be offered in memory of those who have died and to commemorate panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

Susan Anton and Michelle Johnson will headline a "Voices of Hope Concert" at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Grand Theatre at the MGM Grand. Tickets are $20 and $30.

For information on World AIDS Day or tickets to the "Voices of Hope Concert," call 732-8579. For information on the service, call Kay Velardo at 369-8700 or 732-8579.