John Katsilometes hangs out at a new Salvation Army playground with star driver Tony Stewart

Friday, March 10, 2006 | 7:21 a.m.

In September 1996, a few months after moving to Las Vegas, I had lunch at Texas Station's Yellow Rose Cafe with Indy Racing League driver Tony Stewart. I was interviewing him for a story about the first race to be held at the then-new Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

He had a pasta dish with side salad, if memory serves ...

Anyway, a few days later, during the race, Stewart slammed into Turn 2 while traveling at what seemed like 600 mph and his car simply disintegrated. The track was strewn with loose parts - wheel bearings, fiberglass wings, shock absorbers, the works. "It was like a garage sale, yep," Stewart recalled Thursday in a far different setting - the Salvation Army on Palomino Lane. "That was the most violent wreck I've ever had."

Stewart suffered a broken collarbone, pelvis, vertebra and left hip in the accident, one of several on that windy afternoon.

A long-since-mended Stewart was on hand Thursday with volunteers from Home Depot, the Joe Gibbs Racing Team and the nonprofit organization Kaboom, which creates playgrounds in a hurry. The process is similar to "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," except the Kaboom crews start from scratch.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m. and finishing about six hours later, a sea of volunteers donning Home Depot orange T-shirts constructed a fully operational playground on the Salvation Army complex.

"This type of thing is the most gratifying part of being a celebrity," said Stewart, who is one of the favorites in Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at the speedway. "You can give a lot back to a community."

That's a concept with which Stewart is familiar, as he's done his part in local casinos to keep Nevada green. "I'm going to be picking up aluminum cans on the side of the road to fill up my pockets again," he said, seeming to joke.

NoteMart

Tata remembered: Friends of the late Michael Tata have announced a golf tournament in his honor to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Michael Tata Memorial Golf Tournament is scheduled for May 6 at Tuscany Golf Club. Individual entry fees are $250 and the deadline for registration is April 1. For information, call Matt Muldoon at 255-1697 or go to www.michaeltata.com.

At the time of his death at age 33, Tata was a fast-rising executive at Green Valley Ranch Station Casino. He was a central figure in the reality show "American Casino," which during the 2004 season chronicled his sudden death; weeks later it was ruled Tata died of an accidental overdose of a powerful painkiller and alcohol ...

MatsuriMania: "Hearts will pound - as will hands, feet and entire bodies." That's the claim from the producers of "Matsuri," which premieres tonight at the Riviera. The show has prompted ample curiosity locally; the VIP list for opening night was originally about 200, and as of Thursday afternoon it had grown to 450 and is easily a sellout ...

This couple is hot! Hot, we tell you!: Spotted in full date mode Sunday at the Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt/Dennis Bono nuptials at the Las Vegas Hilton's Tuscany Sky Villa were Monte Carlo magician Lance Burton and Gabriella Versace, who fronts "Erocktica" at the Rio. Theirs would be one of the more stage-ready pairings in town. So would Hunt and Bono, come to think of it ...

What about Bob? Tickets are now on sale for Bob Dole's "Leadership and Values in the 21st Century" lecture, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on April 17 at Artemus Ham Hall. Call 895-2787 for tickets, which are limited to two per person and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

The appearance is part of UNLV's Barrick Lecture Series ...

Room for improv-ment: On March 23 ace improvisational comics Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood will perform their favorite form of interactive comedy at the Scintas Showroom. A long-running engagement starring these two would be a good idea, and maybe I just thought of that ...

Hogs & Heifers goes live: Beginning March 26 and running the fourth Sunday of each month through October, Hogs & Heifers Saloon is holding "Blues, Brews and Barbeques" from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The first band to perform will be local favorite Scott Rhiner & Moanin' Black Snakes ...

Fine-feathered friend: A cabbie buddy called with this plate sighting: BRDBRN. Bird brain, I guess. And no, I have no idea why you'd want that plate on your car.