VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Fitzgeralds contacts next of ‘kin

Friday, March 12, 2004 | 3:11 a.m.

VegasBeat appears Sunday through Friday in the Las Vegas Sun. Timothy McDarrah can be reached at tim@lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-4096.

WEEKEND EDITION

March 13 - 14, 2004

Like the Land of Oz from the L. Frank Baum books and, of course, the legendary movie starring Judy Garland, Las Vegas is in many ways a place of make believe.

So it's appropriate that the two locales are merging for the next few days as three surviving munchkins from the 1939 film classic are in town to make some special appearances.

Jerry Maren, the Lollipop Guild representative who presented Garland's Dorothy with the lollipop when she landed in Munchkinland; Karl Slover, the sleepy-head boy in the nest of Munchkin eggs; and Mickey Carroll, who played the violin and led the parade down the yellow brick road, will be part of the St. Patrick's Day celebration at Fitzgeralds.

The munchkins will make individual appearances and sign autographs today through next Sunday at the downtown hotel and casino.

On Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day, the hotel will feature green beer, corned beef meal specials and a variety of other appropriate promotions.

Former UNLV receiver and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer Keenan McCardell was the target of passes of a different kind at Caramel (Bellagio) on Thursday night. But the happily married (with three daughters) football star left solo, spies tell us.

The Board of Regents votes this week on honoring Siegfried & Roy with a 2004 Distinguished Nevadan Award.

Assuming they make the cut, the duo will be presented with certificates at commencement ceremonies at a yet-to-be-determined academic institution in the spring.

Also being considered for regents honors: land developer Tim Hafen; Michael Kimmaird, the former principal of Advanced Technologies Academy; Realtor and former regent Madison Graves; former UNLV hoops coach Jerry Tarkanian; and Mandalay Resort Group President Glenn Schaeffer.

MTV host Brian MacFayden was singing karaoke at OPM (Forum Shops at Caesars) Thursday evening. He was in town to see pal Jeff Beacher's "Comedy Madhouse" show at the Hard Rock Hotel on Saturday night.

On Saturday at The Rio, actor and Las Vegas resident David L. Lander -- best known as Squiggy from "Laverne & Shirley" -- will speak about his experience living with multiple sclerosis.

He has also written a new book chronicling his situation, "Fall Down Laughing: How Squiggy Caught Multiple Sclerosis and Didn't Tell Nobody."

He hid his condition for 15 years after his 1984 diagnosis.

Noted ax man Rickey Medlocke of Lynyrd Skynyrd ("Freebird") plays The Lounge (Palms) at 8 p.m. Monday. He is on the same bill as Great White.

About time. A nod to downtown's marvelous past opened its doors last week -- the Lost Vegas Gambling Museum & Store opened on Fremont Street.

Filled with unique historic exhibits, organizers call it a "trip down memory lane for those who lived it, and a fun history lesson for those who wished they did."

The gift shop features all kinds of vintage casino ashtrays, swizzle sticks, matchbooks, gambling chips and other memorable trinkets.

Flamingo headliner George Wallace, Frankie Scinta, Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce President Kara Kelley, food writer Jack Bulavsky, KTNV Channel 13 morning news anchor Ron Futrell and KXPT 97.1-FM (The Point) DJ Steph McKenzie were among the crowd that showed up at the Thursday opening of the new Hofbrauhaus beer hall across from the Hard Rock Hotel on Paradise Road.

On Friday we came out rooting for "American Idol" contestant Jon Peter Lewis -- mainly because he was the very last person voted into the finals, and he sang songs by present and past Vegas headliners Elton John and Elvis Presley.

That afternoon, Bally's/Paris Las Vegas oddsmaker Johnny Avello e-mailed VegasBeat his odds on the Fox network talent competition.

Our boy was not the favorite. Neither was he the absolute longest shot, but at 25-to-1, he wasn't far off.

Only Leah LaBelle (30-to-1) and Matthew Rogers (50-to-1) were placed at longer odds.

Avello, the professional handicapper, likes Fantasia Barrino (the 4-to-1 favorite) and LaToya London (5-to-1).