Briefs: First Friday and more
First Friday
‘FREE TO BE’ INSPIRES
DOWNTOWN EVENT
It may be the Fifth of July, but freedom’s still ringing at downtown’s monthly First Friday celebration.
Themed “Free to Be,” the Arts District gathering this month encourages patrons to wear garb reflecting what the freedom theme means to them.
In the process, First Friday attendees can check out works by new and established artists, hear more than a dozen live bands, visit the interactive KidZone, explore the GreenZone’s eco-friendly realm and chow down at a variety of food trucks.
First Friday runs from 5 to 11 p.m. The event’s Hub is on Casino Center Boulevard, between Colorado and California streets, with extensions on Third Street and Colorado and the Fremont East district.
For more information, go online to www.firstfridaylasvegas.com.
Variety
SONG AND DANCE UNITE
IN ‘RED, WHITE AND BLUE’
Patriotic melodies from the World War II era and beyond inspire “Salute to the Red, White and Blue,” a nostalgic variety show Sunday afternoon at the Winchester Cultural Center.
Presented by the Performing Arts Society of Nevada, the star-spangled salute features the Dollies, a close-harmony trio re-creating Andrews Sisters hits from “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” to “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen.”
Also on the program: “Jubilee!” tenor James Allen, performing such George M. Cohan favorites as “I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
And Holly Lauren Dayton leads a troupe of Strip dancers stepping out to big-band classics by Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman.
The show begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 McLeod Drive. For tickets ($15 in advance, $18 at the door), call 702-658-6741 or email PASNV@aol.com.
Theater
‘TRUNK SONGS’ PLAYS
ENCORE AT ONYX
They may have been cut from their original shows, but “Trunk Songs” live again this weekend at the Onyx Theatre in an encore presentation of a musical revue that debuted in February.
Presented by ATOM Las Vegas, the show spotlights songs — by Faye Greenberg (whose credits include “High School Musical” and its sequel) and music directors Gerald Sternbach and John Kroner — that were cut from shows en route to Broadway or the cabaret stage.
Jay Joseph directs and Karalyn Clark provides musical direction; they join Lysander Abadia , Dolly Coulter , Benjamin Loewy , Margaret “Gret” Menzies and Kellie Wright in the cast.
Performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Onyx Theatre, 953 E. Sahara Ave. For tickets ($20), call 702-732-7225 or visit www.onyxtheatre.com.
History
‘TIMES OF THE SIGNS’
recalls STARDUST
On Thursday, downtown’s Neon Museum kicks off an ongoing series, “Times of the Signs,” with a program celebrating the 55th birthday of a now-vanished Strip icon, the Stardust.
The monumental marquee of the Stardust — which opened in July 1958 and bit the dust, via implosion, in March 2007 — is one of more than 150 signs preserved at the Neon Museum’s Neon Boneyard.
The program, “Stardust Showgirls,” features panelists Akee Levin , an attorney and former “Enter the Night” performer; Joyce Marshall Moore, an oral historian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Lisa Gioia Acres, historian and author from the College of Southern Nevada. CSN professor Michael Greene serves as moderator.
Thursday’s “Times of the Signs” program will begin at 7 p.m. in the Neon Museum’s Neon Boneyard, 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North. (A meet-and-greet for panelists and museum members will precede the program at 6:15 p.m.)
The program is open to the public, but reservations are required; call 702-387-2820 or email RSVP@neonmuseum.org to request tickets; admission is a suggested $5 donation per person.
For more information, visit www.NeonMuseum.org or call 702-387-6366.
Lecture
‘ROGUE TOWN’ COP
VISITS LIBRARY
The Clark County Library’s Summer Mob Series continues Sunday afternoon with a free presentation by “Rogue Town” author Vito Colucci .
A police officer in corruption-riddled Stamford , Conn., Colucci went undercover to gather evidence against senior officers — including a rackets commander who was being paid $1,800 a week by the Gambino crime family and a detective who was running a drug ring out of police headquarters.
Colucci’s investigations led to resignations, firings, indictments and convictions — and served as a catalyst for the President’s Commission on Organized Crime, established during Ronald Reagan’s presidency.
Colucci will share his experiences, which nearly cost him his life — as recounted in his book — at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road.
For more information, call 702-507-3459 or visit the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District website at www.lvccld.org.
— By CAROL CLING
