VegasBeat: Timothy McDarrah: Charity feels right at Holmes

Friday, Nov. 29, 2002 | 4:10 a.m.

Perhaps no one in Las Vegas will be thanked more this holiday season than Clint Holmes.

VegasBeat has never met Mr. Holmes, nor seen his Harrah's show.

But amid the many news releases that cross our desk announcing fund-raisers and charitable events, Holmes' name appears more than any other entertainer in town. His life is the definition of giving something back.

A partial list of Holmes' volunteer activites since we arrived here this summer is staggering in its breadth, depth and scope:

In just the last two months, he has served as honorary chairman for the Nevada Council on Problem Gaming's golf tournament, participated in Opportunity Village's celebrity teddy-bear auction and attended the Nevada Restaurant Association's Scholarship Dinner.

In August, Holmes performed the national anthem at the 46th annual International Association of Fire Fighters convention and he regularly assists in raising funds and materials for the theater and music departments at Las Vegas Academy.

Holmes also donates tickets for his show to Avon Breast Cancer, Down Syndrome Organization of Nevada, Merryhill Schools of Nevada, the Terry Fox Gala, Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas, HELP of Southern Nevada and a variety of other church and youth organizations.

When VegasBeat called Holmes to talk about his charity work, he floored us -- by not wanting to talk about it.

Modesty. Humility. What a concept.

Tony Sacca's 17th annual "Merry Christmas Las Vegas" is being held this afternoon.

It is usually a fun event for locals, presenting a chance to mingle with some of Las Vegas' favorite entertainers, including Charo, singer Marlene Ricci, the cast of "Spirit of the Dance" and ventriloquist Ronn Lucas.

The performances are being taped for broadcast at various times in Las Vegas beginning 2 p.m. Dec. 22 on KTNV Channel 13 (check local listings for subsequent airings). Today's show starts at 2 p.m. at the Stratosphere. Tickets are $35 and benefit the Youth Foundation for the Performing Arts.

The Dolphin Court Spa & Salon has four Las Vegas locations and nearly 40 stylists.

So when producers of the "Billboard Music Awards" -- which is being broadcast live on Fox from MGM Grand Garden Arena on Dec. 9, -- asked the high-end spa to provide hair and makeup support, virtually every Dolphin worker volunteered.

What to do? All the stylists are going to put their names into a hat and owner Alla Wartenberg will pluck seven lucky stylists.

Avril Lavigne, Creed, Nelly, Faith Hill, Justin Timberlake and Puddle of Mud are on tap to perform.

LL Cool J, Keith Urban, Master P, Nick Carter and JC Chasez will make appearances, while Annie Lennox and Cher are scheduled to accept special awards.

This is the fifth year that Las Vegas-area high school students will face off in a fairly nontraditional competition: tree trimming.

On Tuesday from 3 to 7 p.m., students from Bishop Gorman, Bonanza, Green Valley, Coronado, Warren-Walker Upper School, Mountain View Christian, Faith Lutheran, Eldorado, Cimarron-Memorial, Community College High School South, Centennial, Valley High and Advanced Technologies Academy are doing it again.

The students will be at the Valley Auto Mall in Henderson -- which provides each school with $300 to use at Target to buy whatever they want to decorate a tree.

Then it is time for their imaginations to run wild.

On Wednesday celebrity judges (and one noncelebrity judge -- a VegasBeat reporter) -- will rate each tree in several categories, including creativity, school spirit, holiday spirit and creativity.

The winning team earns $3,000 for its school.