May proves to be big month for Centennial

Monday, May 2, 2005 | 8:42 a.m.

For more information on the centennial celebration, go on line at www.lasvegas2005.org or call the centennial office at (702) 229-2005.

Las Vegans, ranging from old-timers to newborns, will be honored this month as part of the Las Vegas Centennial Celebration that culminates with the Founders Day party on May 15.

"The centennial is all about paying tribute to our history and remembering our past," Las Vegas Centennial Director Stacy Allsbrook said referring to the May 10 Founders Luncheon at Lawrys The Prime Rib.

Descendents of pioneer families from 1930 and earlier, including the oldest family members who have recollections of that era, have been invited to the noon reunion to share stories and honor their families' contributions to the early days of Las Vegas, she said.

"This is our way of saying thank you to these pioneer families who were so integral in planting those roots and making our city what it is today," Allsbrook said.

On the other end of the age spectrum, the Las Vegas Centennial Committee is awarding babies born in the Las Vegas Valley during May with centennial gifts.

Local retailers are providing gift packages that include a centennial teddy bear and baby products. The gift packages will be distributed by the hospitals where the babies are born, city officials said.

The centennial babies and their parents also will be invited to participate in a group photo in September for the centennial time capsule.

The centennial celebration, commemorating the May 15, 1905, railroad auction that created the blueprint for what is now downtown Las Vegas, will continue throughout the year.