Friday, Oct. 21, 2005 | 7:13 a.m.
Anyone who has attempted to perform volunteer work can identify with the Spring Mountains Volunteer Association's Woodsy Owl conundrum.
The association, based at Lee Canyon on Mount Charleston, is in need of a new Woodsy Owl costume. The suit is (ideally) inhabited by a small adult when the group stages public-awareness events.
The old costume could be worn by a small adult (about 5 feet 2 inches tall), and the association ordered a new model from the U.S. Forest Service assuming it, too, would fit a grown-up.
But there was a (pun alert) little problem.
"It was made to fit a small child," Spring Mountains Volunteer Association secretary Bobbye Fitzgibbons said Thursday afternoon. "The new costume size ... nobody could wear it."
Aside from a 7-year-old kid, which is not the person you want ambling around a large crowd in a clunky owl costume.
"I said, 'Wait a minute,' " Fitzgibbons said. "Not too many small children would even want to get inside this thing. It's big -- hard to see out of. It's the same way with Smokey Bear."
More problems arose when the organization attempted to hold its annual Festival in the Pines fundraiser in August. The event was washed out, and the group lost between $800 and $1,000. But with the help of the Mt. Charleston Hotel, which on Sunday allowed many of the Festival vendors to set up in the hotel lobby and brought in the Dummpkopfs to perform, much of that money has been recouped.
The Woodsy attire will cost the group between $1,800 and $2,500, but money isn't the only issue. The Forest Service owns the Woodsy Owl copyright and controls who gets a costume, and when.
"We think we have enough money," Fitzgibbons said. "But working with the U.S. Forest Service, it's like trying to get classified information. I wish they would tell me something, but that's how it is working with the U.S. government."
To reach the group, which according to its membership application focuses its efforts on "enhancing the natural, cultural, historical and recreational resources of Mount Charleston," call 387-0088.
NoteMart
Return of Tommy: Remember several days ago during the dawn of Fabulous Las Vegas, when we reported that Tommy Lee was to celebrate his birthday at Tao at the Venetian? That party never happened, as Lee was in a cranky mood that night following a glitch-marred performance by Motley Crue at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. But Lee returns for a party at Tao (which is phenomenal) Saturday to finally celebrate No. 43 (which was Oct. 3), and we understand there will be cake and punch ...
St. George, Nev.? Nevada Public Radio for the first time has expanded outside the state. On Nov. 1 it launches KSGU 90.3-FM to serve St. George, Utah, and surrounding areas. The new station will reach about 74,000 listeners, including those in Mesquite ...
Vegas on film: Film critic Roger Ebert slipped a couple of Las Vegas references into his movie reviews this week. He criticized "Doom" (one star) for being set on Mars, but not actually giving a detailed depiction of the planet: "Watching 'Doom' is like visiting Vegas and never leaving your hotel room," he says.
And of the classic "Top Hat" (four stars), he writes about Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing on a set designed as a hotel in Venice that "looks every bit as realistic as the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian in Las Vegas." ...
It's all about Mimi: KKLZ 96.7-FM disk jockey Dennis Mitchell and I enjoyed lunch at Mimi's Cafe on Thursday. Problem was, he was at Mimi's on Fort Apache Road and I was at Mimi's in Henderson, on Stephanie Street, which is what happens when a couple of guys in the communications business try to meet for lunch.
archive
