Moulin Rouge plans weekly yard sales

Friday, March 22, 2002 | 10:09 a.m.

Over the years when major hotels had excess furniture or unused rolls of carpet to give away, many turned to the Moulin Rouge, which would accept the fixtures whether they could be used or not.

There hasn't been much use for the stuff at the city's first interracial hotel and casino, which volunteers for years have been trying to return to its glory days of the 1950s. So what could not be used for restoration has been stored.

Now with a nonprofit foundation in the process of buying the property, all of that material will be sold to raise money for restoration in a charity yard sale scheduled to run every weekend starting Saturday.

"You will be able to buy chairs for as low as $5 and $10 and carpet for an entire house for about $150," said Katherine Duncan, founder of the museum that is planned for the site and executive assistant of the Moulin Rouge Museum and Cultural Center Inc., a nonprofit foundation headed by Steve Rybar.

Duncan also is an executive assistant to the current owner of the property, Bart Maybie, who is giving Rybar, his longtime friend, first crack at buying the historic building.

In late February Duncan, Rybar and Maybie received from the Nevada Cultural Affairs Commission $100,000 toward the nonprofit foundation's purchase of the property. The foundation is expected to operate a black cultural center and lease the casino to a gaming company.

The foundation has a year to raise $500,000 more toward the down payment or risk losing the $100,000 state grant. The purchase price is $7 million.

Duncan is under no illusion that a weekly yard sale alone will raise the money needed to secure the grant for the land at 900 W. Bonanza Road.

"We expect to raise about $4,000 a month from the yard sale, but we have other things planned," Duncan said. "We have a huge wall that will feature a pioneer mural with donors' names inscribed. We hope to raise $200,000 from that.

"Plus there is corporate support, foundation support and grants. We believe we will be able to raise the $600,000 down payment by February."

The Moulin Rouge is exempt from a city ordinance that allows no more than three yard sales a year at a particular site because it is a nonprofit group and has a city business license for the yard sale.

To meet the competition from more established weekend yard sales, flea markets and swap meets around the city, foundation members have arranged for several musical groups to hold jam sessions at the yard sale starting April 6.

Among the performers who have confirmed they will appear throughout the month are the legendary Platters and Drifters and other acts including Phil Dirt and the Dozers, Forward Motion, Next Movement, the Hack Daniels Band, Lawrence T and Bobby Jones, Duncan said.

Other items that will be available at the yard sale include paintings, dressers, headboards and various types of tables and chairs, Duncan said.