Friday, May 27, 2005 | 8:23 a.m.
Turns out the legendary Sand Dollar blues club was merely down, not out.
When the club's owners padlocked the 3,500-square-foot lounge at Spring Mountain Road and Polaris Avenue in January, fans felt homeless.
One of them was businessman and former attorney Pat McKnight, a Las Vegas native and amateur musician.
"I always came to the Sand Dollar," said McKnight.
Today, McKnight owns it.
He will hold a grand opening at 10 p.m. Saturday, featuring the Moanin' Black Snakes -- one of the club's most popular groups.
"I want people to know we are committed to blues and good talent," McKnight, 41, said. "We're going to bring back the most popular talent that used to perform here, but we're also going to search for talent throughout the country -- we're going to take the Sand Dollar to another level."
That includes adding a second pool table.
McKnight says he was negotiating to buy the nightclub before it closed, but a real-estate developer who bought the 30 acres where the Sand Dollar had been leasing space for more than 20 years decided to tear town the existing structures and build several high-rise buildings.
McKnight thought his deal was dead.
"But then I called the developer to see about buying the place for the license -- I could use it and the name and build a new place somewhere else," he said. "They told me they were changing their mind and they didn't think they would be building on the site for years to come -- and they would love for me to come in and reopen.
"It was meant to be."
McKnight said the club's closure gave him a chance to clean up the place, patch some holes, paint and change the carpet.
"We wanted to change the icky feel that had creeped in over the past two or three years," he said. "The place had become more and more of a biker bar than a blues bar. People felt less and less safe."
Bikers are still welcome, but they won't be the dominant clientele -- it will be a greater cross-section of blues-loving fans.
McKnight has given his club a logo -- "Peace, Love and Blues."
This is McKnight's first venture into the bar business. He says he is actually doing it as a tribute to his father, C.D. "Bama" McKnight, who died last year at age 76.
The elder McKnight once was a drummer -- performing in the French Quarter of New Orleans before moving to Vegas in 1957, where he performed at venues on the Strip. Eventually he became a radiation health physicist.
"When Dad passed away it was a big motivation for me to buy the club," he said. "It fills a void. I used to watch him perform and hang out at places off the strip, drinking beers with his buddies -- this is the kind of place that reminds me a little bit of my father."
Golden hopes
The 19th annual "Ribbon of Life" fundraising production by Golden Rainbow is set for 1 p.m. June 4-5 at the Rio's Penn & Teller Theatre.
For more than 18 years, Golden Rainbow has provided housing and emergency financial assistance for AIDS victims in Southern Nevada.
Money to operate the agency comes from a variety of sources, including grants, donations and several fundraising events throughout the year.
The largest fundraiser is the "Ribbon of Life," a revue staged by more than 250 Las Vegas entertainers.
Veteran Las Vegas entertainers Tony Arias and Lloyd Ziel, who often appear as the comedy team Tony & Lloyd, will host the production, which is being directed by Scott Bernard.
The all-volunteer "Ribbon of Life" cast includes performers from several productions in Las Vegas, including Celine Dion's "A New Day ...," Breck Wall's "Bottoms Up," "Folies Bergere," "Jubilee!" and more.
A segment of this year's production will be dedicated to 18-year Golden Rainbow board member and seven-time show director Jack Townzen, who died last fall.
Tickets range from $25 to $175. For information call 384-2899.
Latin standoff
It was supposed to be one of the grandest extravaganzas ever held in Las Vegas for the Hispanic community and other fans of Latin music -- one that would honor Cinco de Mayo and the Vegas Centennial.
But it turned out to be a flop of enormous proportions.
The "Cinco de Mayo Centennial Celebration" held May 6 at the Thomas & Mack Center was to last six hours, with the first three hours devoted to a concert -- the second three hours would be devoted to "El Luche Libre," a form of entertainment that combines elements of wrestling and martial arts.
Only about 1,000 people attended the concert at the 12,000-seat venue, and many of them asked for their money back.
The show went on, but it turned into a fiasco.
Maurice Rind, head of CME Enterprises and organizer of the concert, says a series of events doomed the ambitious project to failure -- including a last-minute decision by Mexican superstar Juan Gabriel to not attend.
There is controversy over whether Gabriel was going to be among the performers.
His agent, Jorge Pinos of Los Angeles, says his client was not supposed to perform.
"He did not have a performance contract," Pinos said during a telephone interview. "He was invited there to accept an award for his 34 years in entertainment."
Rind claims that is false.
"His agent signed a contract," Rind said. "Gabriel was supposed to perform for 35 minutes. I have documents that show he was going to perform. He said his fans would not be satisfied with just 35 minutes and so he wanted to expand his part in the program.
"He asked for us to bring in his mariachi people to perform with him."
Pinos says those claims are false.
"This person, Maurice, was misusing and misrepresenting the fact that Juan was going to be present and what it was for," Pinos said.
The show's featured performers were going to be superstars Luillo Rivera and Marivel Guardia, Pinos said.
"Maurice didn't pay the artists, and therefore they didn't perform," Pinos said.
Rind also says that allegation is false.
"We paid them half of their fee before the concert and would have paid them the other half after they performed," Rind said.
He said the issue was not the salary but the fact that the Nevada State Athletic Commission, on the day of the concert, forced organizers to rearrange the schedule -- which in turn forced Rind to move some of the performers to the end of "El Luche Libre."
"The commission said it was the law that the 'El Luche Libre' could not start after 9 p.m.," Rind said. "Even though it was not really an athletic event, but theater, the commission still had authority."
But Pinos says as far as Gabriel was concerned, the show that he was going to attend had been canceled and therefore he left.
"He was there simply to receive an award," Pinos said. "I am sorry that it happened, but Maurice completely misrepresented him. He went out of his way to print fliers completely misleading the fans, and I'm upset about it.
"If the gentleman continues making noise and statements, at some point we may take legal action."
Rind said he expected up until the time the concert began that Gabriel would show up.
"All of the musicians were ready to go onstage, but he never showed," Rind said. "Everyone was caught by surprise. We paid for some people he asked to bring in -- it was just outrageously weird."
There was entertainment, but none of the superstars performed. Rind said he paid Gabriel $29,000 for airfare and $21,000 for 12 musicians.
"All together, we're probably out $500,000," Rind said.
There were other problems.
"We were like a stepchild of the Centennial commission," he said. "They didn't even put us on their Web site until the last minute."
And he said some ticket sales personnel at the Thomas & Mack were telling fans the concert was sold out when they called to buy tickets.
"It was a combination of things, one thing after another," Rind said.
Rind was critical of the Thomas & Mack for giving refunds to fans who sat through three hours of the performance before asking for their money back.
"They should only have returned half of the money," he said.
Edmundo Escobedo, publisher of El Mundo newspaper in Las Vegas, says he may have lost more money on the soured deal than anyone -- and he wasn't even an active participant.
He says he has a promoter's license, which was required to put on the concert. Rind doesn't have a license.
"I used to be a promoter but I quit the business 25 years ago to start the newspaper," Escobedo said.
But he held onto the license, from time to time allowing others to use it, for a fee.
He is a friend of one of those involved in the event, internationally acclaimed Mexican violinist Olga Breeskin (a Vegas resident), and so he didn't charge for the use of the license -- but he only agreed to the arrangement if he was not liable for the entertainment.
And now, he says, he has lost close to $40,000 out of his own pocket.
"I thought Maurice knew what he was doing," Escobedo said. "But I should have known better when he combined a wrestling match with Juan Gabriel, who could have sold out the place by himself.
"I was taken by the good faith."
Escobedo said at the last minute, he was asked to pay $13,000 for rooms for performers. He used his credit card for the payment.
"Maurice said he didn't have the money," Escobedo said.
Then he said the Thomas & Mack Center hit him with a $25,000 rental fee.
Escobedo, who says he was in the promoting business for a long time and even booked Gabriel on occasion, figured with Gabriel on the program the concert would be sold out.
"But two weeks before it was to take place, there was no publicity," Escobedo said.
But he says he wasn't worried at the time because he didn't have any investment in the project.
"I figured I'm safe," he said.
Saxe keeps busy
David Saxe is one of the busiest producers in Las Vegas -- and outside of it.
This month he opened four new shows around the country (these in addition to his "Showgirls of Magic" at the San Remo, "V, the Ultimate Variety Show" at the Aladdin and "Xtreme Magic with Dirk Arthur" at the Tropicana).
Ayala, a magician, debuted in Tokyo; "Day Tripper" (a Beatles tribute show) and "Cinema Live" (a show recreating memorable movie moments) opened in Valley Forge, Pa., and magician Curtis Adams premiered in Atlantic City.
Angela Sampras produces "X ... An Erotic Adventure" at Saxe's V Theatre at the Aladdin. The two producers are working together to create another "X" show in Atlantic City.
And rapper/actor P. Diddy may be entering into a business venture with Saxe at the V Theatre.
"He wants a nightclub in Vegas," Saxe said. "I would like to do a co-venture with him -- in addition to the shows we have at the theatre, we could turn the space into Diddy's nightclub."
Meanwhile, Saxe will have to find a new home for his topless "Showgirls of Magic" production at the San Remo.
Hooters bought the San Remo and is not remodeling the venue.
If he can't find another location Saxe may have to bring the female magicians to his Aladdin location, but that would mean the girls would have to cover up.
His theater isn't zoned for topless, an issue that "X" has had to deal with.
Sapphire benefit
Almost $1,900 was raised during a charity event held Tuesday night at Sapphire, the gigantic topless nightclub on Industrial Road.
A percentage of the money from the sale of six sculptures, plus a commissioned work of art, will go to Shade Tree, a shelter for homeless women and children.
The works of art were made from casts of several Sapphire dancers. The artist is Carl Young.
Entertainer Tony Sacca hosted the event.
Rossi turns 73
Entertainer Steve Rossi celebrated his 73rd birthday Wednesday at Manetti's, the Plaza restaurant owned by actor Larry Manetti (also a Plaza executive).
Among guests who dropped by to help Rossi celebrate were impersonator Gordie Brown, who performs at the Golden Nugget, and magician Lance Burton, who is with the Monte Carlo.
Before he became an impressionist, Brown was a political cartoonist in Ottawa, Canada. He presented Rossi with a cartoon of the singer/comedian and his former partner, comedian Marty Allen.
Manetti, best known for his co-starring role with Tom Selleck in "Magnum P.I.," also attended the affair.
First anniversary
Bob Maxwell celebrated the first anniversary of his magazine Diabetic Life of Las Vegas and his Diabetic Life Foundation with a banquet at Steven David's on Saturday.
The entertainment included the legendary Mary Kaye, who was backed by the duo The Cunninghams and Joel Dane.
"I started the magazine because of my life with diabetics," Maxwell, a former police officer in Michigan, said. "My daughter, who is 21, was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 10."
Maxwell's father has diabetes and his mother died from complications associated with diabetes when she was visiting Las Vegas in 2003.
"And I was recently diagnosed with diabetes," he said.
Maxwell says the magazine is a tribute to his mother.
"It's a one-source magazine so we can have a tool to work with," he said. "All of the articles are written by local doctors, health professionals and diabetics."
Kaye, a diabetic, is on the foundation's board.
"We're trying to pull together as many resources as we can," Maxwell said.
The nonprofit foundation is working on several projects, including trying to raise $375,000 to buy a 40-foot recreational vehicle to be used as a mobile outreach unit.
"It will be staffed by medical professionals and it will go to different locations to perform free diabetic screening," Maxwell said.
The foundation also provides backpacks, containing educational material and meters for blood tests, for children and adults diagnosed with diabetes.
A major fundraising event is being organized for two days in July, a "Rock Against Diabetes" concert.
Vegas views
The Cannery and KOOL 93.1 FM host a Summer of Fun Festival from noon until 10 p.m. Saturday.
Entertainment will include Ron Dante and Andy Kim of the Archies, the Turtles, the Vogues, and Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods.
The Vegas band Doo-Wopp- .com kicks off the entertainment at noon.
"Spotlight," the variety show at Bourbon Street, will celebrate its first anniversary with a special performance Saturday.
The cast includes vocalist Michael Cagle, break dancing performance artists Just Us (Lamont Wallace and James Bynum) and the magic, juggling and comedy of Will Roya (also the show's producer).
"Ba Da Bing," the dinner theater musical at the Stardust, ended its run at the Stardust last week and is looking for another venue.
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