Hail Caesars!: Strip resort celebrates 50 years with fireworks, skydiving stunt
In 1966, Caesars Palace was known as the Strip’s most elaborate resort.
Just a year later, on Dec. 31, 1967, the hotel would come to be known as a site for daredevil action, as Evel Knievel hopped on his famous red, white and blue motorcycle and tried to jump the hotel-casino’s towering row of fountains.
Evel Knievel failed to clear the famous fountains, but his son Robbie had a bit more success. On April 14, 1989, in front of a national TV audience and 50,000 cheering fans, Robbie Knievel, successfully landed the jump — making him the first to clear the hotel’s famous fountains.
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Caesars Palace re-created some of its daredevil action Sunday with a night jump by the Red Bull Air Force skydiving team in front of the hotel-casino.
“It’s going to be a really exciting and meaningful commemoration,” promised Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace.
The daring stunt took place during the resort’s Independence Day Weekend Block Party, and was followed by a 13-minute fireworks extravaganza above the hotel’s newly reimagined Julius Tower.
Besides the night jump and fireworks display, the evening included live entertainment by “American Idol” Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks, cast members from Absinthe, and the UNLV “Star of Nevada” Marching Band.
Karina Rojas, 40, of Boise, Idaho, said the celebration was “amazing.” Rojas said she is recovering from a surgery and shouldn’t have made the trip, but wanted to see how Las Vegas celebrates Independence Day.
“I couldn’t miss this,” she said.
David Ziser, 67, of Cincinnati, expressed similar sentiments.
“Man, I loved it,” he said. “It was just fabulous.”
Ziser said he has been in Las Vegas many times and had stayed at Caesars Palace before. But this was his first time visiting the city for the Fourth of July holiday.
“Everybody is proud of what they do here,” he said. “I think the employees believe that it’s a great place.”
Robbie Knievel also was on hand and recalled his triumphant night at Caesars Palace.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it. I hesitated and hesitated, and I finally went on the fifth run,” Robbie Knievel said Sunday night. “And I barely made it. My rear wheel hit the safety deck, my front wheel hit the ramp. I jumped 30 feet further than my dad did. I jumped a lot further and I’ve been jumping further ever since.”
Although his doctors advise against it, the 54-year-old Knievel is planning more jumps, including one across the Snake River Canyon.
“I plan to keep the Knievel name the most famous on two wheels,” he said before the massive crowd gathered in front of the fountains.
Caesars Palace has long carried a glamorous reputation for entertainment, boxing and gambling, and has become an iconic worldwide brand over the past five decades. Selesner, the property’s longest-running president, said he and his team are looking forward to the next 50 years.
“I think the world is changing,” Selesner said. “The people who are coming to Las Vegas now to be entertained, they’re seeking hospitality. They’re seeking nightlife, restaurants and ever more impressive entertainment shows. And we intend Caesars Palace to be a leader in providing new attractions to the people who come to Las Vegas.”
Selesner said Caesars founder Jay Sarno’s original vision — to ensure everyone who stays at the resort thinks of himself as Caesar, which is why Caesars Palace lacks an apostrophe — has contributed to its success.
Over the years, many famous entertainers have graced Caesars Palace’s stages, including Rat Pack members Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., Elton John, Cher, Celine Dion and Rod Stewart.
It is the hotel-casino that helped turn Las Vegas into the Boxing Capital of the World, hosting blockbuster bouts such as “The Bite Fight” in 1997 in which heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson chomped off a chunk of Evander Holyfield’s left ear, and the 1985 fight between Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns.
It also has provided the backdrop to blockbuster movies such as “The Hangover, ” and “Rain Man.”
Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.