Playboy Bunnies, brothel plan Nevada Day parade entries

Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2004 | 9:32 a.m.

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- Retired Playboy Bunnies and a brothel parade entry will spice up the Nevada Day celebration in the state's capital this weekend.

Women who worked in the Playboy Clubs at anytime from the 1960s through the 1980s will take part in the festivities, including either walking in the parade or riding on the float that will have big bunny ears and a giant tail.

In keeping with the theme of the parade, Entertainment Nevada Style, the Moonlite Bunnyranch also has an entry. The "ranch" is actually a bordello in Lyon County, just outside the boundaries of Carson City. This marks the first time that a brothel has had an entry in the parade, officials said.

Last year the celebration of the state's birthday honored military veterans. Ron Bowman, president of Nevada Day Inc., said "we wanted to lighten it up this year."

Nevada, he said, offers a wide variety of entertainment ranging from gambling, hunting, fishing, stage shows, skiing, horseback riding, rodeos and hiking. And houses of prostitution are legal in some rural counties.

There has been some grumbling about allowing a bordello entry in the parade, but Bowman said he checked with two ordained ministers who said they had no objection to it.

Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, said he would drive a convertible in the parade with the female employees in the back.

"We're going to keep it low key. We're going to keep it clean. The girls will be dressed properly."

Hof said he wants to be part of the community and if there were any significant objection to the bordello's participation, he would not be part of the parade. He noted that his business is one of his community's biggest fund-raisers for groups such as libraries, firefighters and children's groups.

The parade grand marshals will be Frank Sinatra Jr. and Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt. Bowman said the parade committee hopes to lure more people from Las Vegas for the three-day celebration.

Friday is a holiday and the main celebration is on Saturday. It will include a fun-run, the 200-entry parade, the 30th annual World Champion Single-Jack Hard Rock Drilling Contest, a tribute to Elvis Presley by impersonator Rick Alviti and the Mad Hatter Ball.

Thousands are expected to line the streets for the parade, and there will be a variety of parties later. Gov. Kenny Guinn and Treasurer Brian Krolicki will again sponsor their free chili feed at local casino.

Chere Rae, who worked at the Playboy Club in Hollywood, Calif., said she expects many of the former playboy bunnies to gather for the party. They will be decorating their float Thursday and Friday at the parking lot of a local casino, be in the parade and judge the beard-growing contest.

The Nevada Day celebration kicks off Friday with a golf tournament in the morning. A reception will be held that evening for Sinatra Hunt.

A fly-over by F-18 Hornets from the Naval Air Station in Fallon will signal the start of the parade that moves down Carson City's main street. Other entries in the parade besides the former bunnies and the Bunny Ranch are politicians, bands, beauty queens and various floats.

Guinn will hold an open house at the governor's mansion in the afternoon. There will be a reception for sculptor Benjamin Victor, who is putting the finishing touches on the sculpture of Indian crusader Sarah Winnemucca for the U.S. Capitol's Natural Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.

Other events include an Elvis competition with about 50 people vying for awards and the traditional 1864 Grand Ball to be held in historic Piper's Opera House in Virginia City.

Nevada was admitted to the Union on Oct. 31, 1864. The Nevada Day parade in Carson City dates to 1938.

State Archivist Guy Rocha said there has been a celebration every year except during World War II. Only Nevada, Hawaii and West Virginia have state holidays that include substantial formal celebrations every year, he said.

The 1997 Legislature decided to make the last Friday of the month a holiday with the hope that a three-day celebration would draw more visitors.