Columnist Ruthe Deskin: Oldtimers Dinner is a social must

Ruthe Deskin

Thursday, Sept. 16, 1999 | 10:12 a.m.

Ruthe Deskin is assistant to the publisher. Her column appears Thursdays. Reach her at deskin@vegas.com.

About four years ago several elderly gentlemen -- I could say old codgers but that wouldn't be politically correct -- met for their weekly lunch at a local deli to swap news and reminisce.

Suddenly one of them had a brilliant idea. "Why don't we have a big get-together of people who have lived in Las Vegas for many years?" The idea took off like wildfire and soon the first annual Oldtimers Dinner became a reality.

Lou and Davey Pearl, Abe Fox, Ken Johann, Paul Endy, Jack Kogan and Ron Lurie, as I recall, called a meeting at Arizona Charlie's with Lurie as the host. So they wouldn't be accused of excluding the ladies, they invited Thalia Dondero, Claudine Williams and me to the first planning session.

The dinner was an outstanding success -- beyond all expectations -- with only one drawback: There wasn't enough room to accommodate all those who wished to come. The evening was the rave event of the year and soon several Strip hotels began to show an interest in hosting the affair, with Jim Seagrave and the Stardust offering the best deal.

The first Stardust dinner hosted about 700 people. The next time a thousand eager participants showed up for the festivities and it became apparent that the Oldtimer's Dinner was a must on the social calendar of those who have lived in Las Vegas for 30 years or more.

This year the planning is being done without Paul Endy and Jack Kogan, both of whom we lost this past year. But, as they say, the show must go on and arrangements for the fourth annual reception and dinner are well under way. Lou Pearl is ecstatic about the entertainment, which will feature outstanding performers from the early days on the Strip and downtown.

Because advance sales are going rapidly, I would advise early reservations. Tickets are $35 per person, which includes dinner and two complimentary drinks, dancing and a great show.

The date: Oct. 3; the time: 6 p.m. for socializing, cocktails and dancing; 7 p.m. for dinner, and entertainment to start at 8 p.m.; the place: the Stardust hotel ballroom on the second floor. For reservations, call Ken Johann at Johann Realty, 382-6336. And a warning: These tickets go very fast, so I wouldn't wait too long. It's a night guaranteed to bring great joy to all attendees.

The doorbell rang. I opened the door and there stood Bonnie Gragson, true first lady of Las Vegas. She had a gift for me, a book entitled "Nevada Trivia" by Kenneth and E. Lyn Bouton. What a fun book. It contains trivia questions and answers about every facet of Nevada. The book would make a marvelous gift for anyone interested in our history, culture, people, geography and entertainment. In other words, everything you ever wanted to know about our state, all right at your fingertips.

It's a case of readers helping readers. Irene Huff wanted someone to tell her the name of an ice cream parlor she and her family frequented in the 1930s. Thanks to Carolyn Trelease, we have the answer. The ice cream parlor was near 5th and Fremont, a few doors down from the Town Barbeque, next to the Richfield station. It was called Lee's Ice Cream Parlor.

Sign outside a church: "Come in and get your faith lifted."