Sunday, Oct. 22, 2006 | 8:05 a.m.
John Lennon once said, "Happiness is a warm gun." He was being facetious. But the 200 or so firearm enthusiasts - including several of Nevada's most prominent elected officials - seemed to hold that sentiment as gospel.
On Saturday morning way out on North Decatur Boulevard (drive north until Decatur ends, then drive another mile and there it is), the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Clark County Shooting Park was held. Most in attendance were members of gun clubs or recreational shooters of all ilk (and both genders). The first phase of the $61 million, 225-acre project is expected to open in January 2008. Upon completion, the project promises to be one of the country's finest world-class shooting and gun education facilities and will also be the site of national shooting events. As County Commissioner Tom Collins, whose district includes the acreage that will be used for the park, said, "Anything that is legal to shoot, you can shoot here."
The star of the show was Sen. Harry Reid, who with fellow Sen. John Ensign and Reps. Jim Gibbons and Shelley Berkley, sponsored the Clark County Public Shooting Range Conveyance Act, which led to the transfer of the land to the county from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in November 2002. (Berkley and Tessa Hafen, Reid's former press secretary who is running against Rep. Jon Porter, were also present at Saturday's event.) As Reid spoke from the podium he clutched a 70-year-old .22-caliber rifle, his first gun, and told a story of shooting his first rabbit (which he merely wounded, but tracked and killed in an undisclosed manner), and how his mother cooked the animal for dinner.
Reid also brought the second firearm he owned, a shotgun he has kept since age 12. Reid used that gun that to fire at the first clay pigeon launched at Clark County Shooting Park.
He blew it to bits. Afterward, Reid's son, County Commissioner Rory Reid, laughed and said, "Lucky shot."
NoteMart
More quick shots from the range: Distinguishing herself from the jeans-clad Sen. Reid, who wore a giant customized belt buckle adorned with the initials "HR," Berkley showed up in a green-and-pink floral print dress, green sneakers, pink socks, oversized shades and a blazing pink jacket. Somehow, in this attire, she fired twice and hit her mark with her second shot ... Also on hand was former Las Vegas mayor and current Arizona Charlie's West Vice President/General Manager Ron Lurie, who is a member of the park's advisory committee. Lurie said there would be a return of the Palace Grand Theatre at AC's. The ballroom that hosted such diverse acts as the Lovin' Spoonful, Bobby "Blue" Bland and a young Toby Keith was converted into the casino's bingo hall in 2000. But Lurie plans on returning the space to a multiuse entertainment facility within two years ...
On Wednesday I had lunch at a favorite restaurant, Bertolini's on West Sahara Avenue. It's a good thing - Bertolini's at the Forum Shops at Caesars closed in mid-September for renovations; it is expected be reopen by late December with a new menu and a design (including a mezzanine level that will overlook the Fountain of the Gods) headed by the Rockwell Group, which has also designed Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill at Caesars, Emeril's Fish House at the MGM Grand, and the interiors of the "Phantom: Las Vegas Spectacular" and Gordie Brown theaters at the Venetian ...
That massive two-topped white tent you've likely spotted in the Rio parking lot this weekend is the home of "Cavalia," which runs opens Nov. 16. "Cavalia" is a study in equine choreography, similar to (but not the same production as) "Cheval Theatre," which most recently visited Vegas in 2002. The "Cavalia" tent was finished Friday morning ...
They speak of ghosts (Liberace's, specifically) inhabiting Carluccio's Tivoli Gardens, which sits across the parking lot from the Liberace Museum. On Saturday the museum welcomed a phantom - Brent Barrett, from "Phantom: Las Vegas Spectacular," who was there, unmasked, nosing around ...
A colleague reports the vanity plate (from California) GRNCRDS on a gray suburban. Green cards? Grown Cards? Your call.
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