Clark County, city of Las Vegas vie for ‘key’ attention

Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom hit the opening of Emmitt’s Vegas like a running back busting through the line on a first-down carry.

The running back would be Emmitt Smith.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer awaited Segerblom, toting the Key to the Las Vegas Strip, in a hasty ceremony at Smiths’s new restaurant at Fashion Show Mall.

That Smith would receive a Key to the Strip is not surprising. I joke that Segerblom totes a box of keys in his trunk in case the mood strikes to present the award. Thursday was also dubbed Emmitt Smith Day in the county.

But this wasn’t the only key ceremony in VegasVille on Thursday. It was a rare coincidence that Clark County and the City of Las Vegas awarded keys on the same day. At the new Esther’s Kitchen in the Arts District, Mayor Carolyn Goodman presented the James Trees — a Super Bowl champ among Vegas chefs — a Key to the City.

Officials involved in the key presentations over the years only recall the Golden Knights Stanley Cup victory parade as the only other day where multiple keys were presented. The City of Henderson also presented a key that day, so it was … What’s the term? A hat trick.

To remind you, Clark County issues Keys to the Strip because the Strip is in unincorporated Clark County, with Segerblom usually the presenter. Through Mayor Goodman, the city issues the Key to the City within the city limits.

Reflecting on the past, there was a time when both the county and city would come together to present the commemorative keys. This memorable event took place a decade ago, honoring the likes of Britney Spears at Planet Hollywood, the cast of the TV show “Las Vegas” at Bellagio and chef Bobby Flay at Caesars Palace. However, a significant shift occurred when Clark County officials decided to assert their authority, drawing a definitive line in the sand. This marked the Strip as county territory for keys and for every other jurisdictional purpose — a decision that still stands today.

What Works In Vegas

Lon Bronson Band at Myron’s. Dubbed “The Industrial Strength Band,” Bronson regularly sells out the room and did so again Friday. Singer Neil Donell of Chicago was the unannounced but entirely planned guest star. Bronson did not want to promote a band member who also headlines (and just headlined) a Strip theater. Feathers might be ruffled. But no worries. Tickets were gone two weeks before the performance.

Donell explored beyond the Chicago hits with “You Can Leave Your Hat On” by Joe Cocker and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” Bronson is back on May 24, taking April off his monthly schedule. The band celebrates 100 performances at Myron’s (and before that, Cabaret Jazz) in October.

Cool Hang Alert

The Las Vegas Academy jazz band — LVA Jazz for short — continues its run at Vic’s at Symphony Park. Performance times are 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily. There is no cover. This band of LVA students has been performing for over a year. Around here, we call that residency.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.