Columnist Joe Delaney: Family values plentiful all along the Strip

Joe Delaney

Thursday, Aug. 10, 2000 | 8:57 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears on Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at 259-4066 or joe@lasvegassun.com.

With less than a month to go until Labor Day and with school starting the week or so before, there are still a number of family groups in town ... Not everyone can afford the top ticket shows like "O," "Mystere," "EFX," Siegfried & Roy and Danny Gans ... Here are some suggestions for family groups in town with limited budgets:

If you call in advance for times, the family can see the Sea Battle of the frigates (Treasure Island); the Mirage volcano eruption; and the Dancing Waters in the lake at Bellagio plus the Eiffel Tower, just across the Strip at Paris Las Vegas, and not have to set foot in a hotel.

Make a full day of it and see the White Tiger Habitat at the Mirage; it's free, plus Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden where a $10 ticket includes the Dolphin Habitat as well ... There is also a free tram ride between the Mirage and Treasure Island.

More choices

For $36.95 plus tax, per person, the family can enjoy a fun, hands-on, medieval-type dinner and see the "Tournament of Kings" show at the Excalibur ... The Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay have a tram service operating between the three hotels ... The Excalibur also has the Fantasy Faire for children and the Luxor has King Tut's Tomb & Museum.

There are a number of moderately priced afternoon shows for mom, dad, and children 18 and over, at Harrah's, the Lady Luck and the Stratosphere plus "Bottoms Up," adult fare, at the Flamingo Las Vegas, starting Monday for $12.95 plus tax or price of a drink with a ticket.

Circus Circus has the Adventure Dome; the LV Hilton a $19.95 Star Trek Experience; and the MGM Grand the Grand Adventures Theme Park ... There also are some family savings tickets at Wet N Wild ... We hope this helps make your trip more pleasant and less expensive.

Star-policy rundown

It's George Carlin (Bally's); Chuck Berry & Little Richard (Caesars Palace); k.d. lang, Friday only (Hard Rock); Clint Holmes (Harrah's); Bill Acosta (Luxor); Bill Cosby (Mandalay Bay); Tom Jones, plus Rita Rudner, plus Tommy Tune starring in "EFX" (MGM Grand); Siegfried & Roy, plus Danny Gans (Mirage); Lance Burton (Monte Carlo); Melissa Manchester (Orleans); and David Cassidy-Sheena Easton (Rio).

There's more: Sally Struthers and Rachel Ricca in "Always ... Patsy Cline" (Silverton); Wayne Newton, plus Bob Anderson (Stardust); and Melinda, First Lady of Magic, plus Andre-Phillipe Gagnon (Venetian).

Paris Las Vegas' Grand Ballroom is the site of an ersatz heavyweight championship fight Saturday when Evander Holyfield takes on John Ruiz for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) belt, stripped from Lennox Lewis, to try and set up a possible third match between Holyfield and Lewis.

Upcoming seasons

UNLV's Performing Arts Center has lined up another choice list of attractions for the 2000-2001 season with seven dates for the Charles Vanda Master Series, three in the World Stage Series and eight for the "Best of New York Stage," opening with Marvin Hamlisch on Sept. 13, followed by the Mingus Big Band, Oct. 7 and Gregory Hines, Nov. 18 and five more concerts, closing with Rosemary Clooney and Co. on May 6.

The Nevada Ballet Theatre has its season opener on Oct. 12; "The Nutcracker," Dec. 15-26; "Giselle," Feb. 15-18 in the Judy Bayley Theatre; and a gala season finale, April 6-7 in Artemus Ham Hall.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic also has a strong season, under the direction of Harold Leighton Weller, consisting of "Five Fabulous Saturdays," starting Sept. 23 and featuring guitarist Angel Romero and concluding, May 5 with an All-Beethoven finale ... Order those season tickets early.

New this weekend

The Liberace Museum will host its first traveling exhibition, "Red, Hot & Blue, A Salute To American Musicals," Saturday-Sept. 10, in the new Temporary Exhibit Gallery, adjacent to the Museum Store in the Liberace Plaza ... Admission is free; however tax-deductible donations to the non-profit Liberace Foundation Scholarship Fund would be greatly appreciated.

You can still contribute a tax-deductible amount to the Sun Summer Camp Fund; please ... See you Friday.