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February 12, 2012

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ANSWERS CLARK COUNTY:

Stripper-mobile yearning for LV return after road trip

Sunday, April 25, 2010 | 2 a.m.

Stripper-Mobile

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Stripper-Mobile in Limbo

Stripper-Mobile in Limbo

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The stripper-mobile is off the streets for now, and the Clark County Commission has proposed to amend a law that would keep it off the streets for good. In this video, see footage of the truck in its prime and hear Deja Vu Showgirls marketing director Larry Beard defend his innovative advertising technique. Another business may have it driving down the street again within two weeks.

A Las Vegas invention that combined two of its higher-profile industries — mobile advertising and stripping — might be coming back to town.

You don’t mean ...?

Yes I do, the now-famous stripper-mobile. It could be back here as early as Friday, after plying its wares — dancers from strip clubs who strut and swing from a stripper pole secured to the back of the truck — in St. Louis, Baltimore and parts of Florida.

To whom or what does Las Vegas owe the return of the stripper-mobile?

Larry Beard, the truck’s creator, is bringing it back to Las Vegas for the April 30 nighttime Pride Parade, a downtown Las Vegas event that is part of the city’s annual gay pride celebration.

Wasn’t he basically banned from driving that truck in Las Vegas?

Not exactly.

The truck hit the Strip in November with dancers from the Déjà Vu and Little Darlings clubs. For those who missed it the first time around, the truck is outfitted with a lighted Plexiglas box in which women in bikinis dance and attempt to lure gawkers back to the clubs where they work.

County commissioners were shocked, shocked to find strippers in trucks, especially after getting complaints that little Johnny or Jill might be exposed to the jiggle-joint dancers.

Déjà Vu management put on the brakes — quickly, some think — because it was waiting on approval of a liquor license by the Clark County Commission.

Since the stripper-mobile left town, has it continued to attract attention?

The stripper-mobile went to New Orleans for the National Football Conference championship game; then to Miami for the Super Bowl.

It spent weeks in the Tampa Bay area, where police shut it down for lack of a valid title and registration.

When that was fixed, it moved to St. Louis.

Wherever it goes, it uses dancers from clubs operated by Déjà Vu.

On Friday, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay addressed the stripper-mobile on his blog, mentioning a mother who said she and her 6-year-old saw the vehicle as they left Busch Stadium. Slay said the vehicle was legal, but, “Please restrict your runs until after dark — and please give Busch Stadium a pass during ‘Kids Weekend.’ ”

Beard is hoping he can bring the truck back to Las Vegas in time for the 8 p.m. Pride Parade.

“I’d like to run it up and down the road a couple times,” Beard said, chuckling. “If I get half a chance, you know, I will.”

•••

Remember the hand-wringing over two closed-circuit television trucks that the county Water Reclamation District wanted to buy for $650,000 in November? Whatever happened to that?

In November, Commissioner Steve Sisolak questioned not only that the trucks would be purchased outside Nevada, but also the price tag.

He had a “Perry Mason” moment, pulling out documents showing a bid for the two trucks came in late. Because of increased competition for county work in a bad economy, officials are more careful about bidding rules.

Water Reclamation backed off, but it came up again during the commission meeting last week.

Was it questioned again?

No. Much was done since that November meeting, including an audit of the bid process that found the previous bid was done correctly. At the same time, however, the audit recommended rebidding the purchase of the trucks.

Sisolak said after the meeting that he received more information about the trucks, the insides of which he described as akin to “mission control.” The trucks haul around high-tech cameras on wheels that are plopped into sewer lines to mark sewer laterals. After getting more information, he said he didn’t have any problem with the purchase. To that end, commissioners voted 7-0.

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