Shuttle Buses to NFR and Concert Schedule

LAS VEGAS – November 23, 2010 – The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is asking fans to arrive early to the Thomas & Mack Center. To accommodate rodeo fans, complimentary shuttle buses and live entertainment will be offered prior to and following each rodeo performance.

The Wrangler NFR is scheduled to start on Thursday, Dec. 2 and will culminate on Saturday, Dec. 11.

From Thursday, Dec. 2 through Saturday, Dec. 11, shuttle buses will pick up in front of the NFR Cowboy Christmas Gift Show located at the Las Vegas Convention Center. This “One Way Only” route will serve as the Rodeo Express Shuttle and will run from the Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall directly to the Thomas & Mack Center.

Also beginning on Dec. 2, the NFR Shuttle will begin complimentary routes to and from the NFR official host hotels. The hotels include: Excalibur, Sam’s Town, MGM Grand, Hooters Casino Hotel, Tropicana, The Orleans, Las Vegas Hilton, Circus Circus, Golden Nugget, Monte Carlo, Aria, Palace Station, Treasure Island (TI), The Mirage, Wynn, Stratosphere, Gold Coast, Alexis Park, Hard Rock Casino, South Point, and Silverton Lodge.

Upon arrival, fans will find plenty of entertainment and activities prior to the start of the Wrangler NFR. Fans will have an opportunity to enjoy live entertainment on the Academy of Country Music (ACM) NFR Stage inside the Cox Pavilion. This pre-event hospitality area, aptly named Cowboy Corral, is free and open to all ticket holders and features performances by country music artists. The acts include:

Thursday, Dec. 2 – Eli Young Band
Friday, Dec. 3 – Reckless Kelly
Saturday, Dec. 4 – Bleu Edmondson
Sunday, Dec. 5 – Tuesday, Dec. 8 – Chancey Williams & The Younger Brothers Band
Thursday, Dec. 9 – Jaron &The Long Road to Love
Friday, Dec. 10 – Thompson Square
Saturday, Dec. 11 – Brett Eldredge

Doors to Cowboy Corral open at 5 p.m. for the 6:45 p.m. weekday rodeo performances and 4 p.m. for the 5:45 p.m. weekend performances.

In addition, fans can enjoy the ProRodeo Zone, the exclusive fan interactive area of the Wrangler NFR. Sponsors such as Dodge, AT&T, Justin Sports Medicine, Pat Boone Meats, Priefert and Coors provide interactive activities in tents adjacent to the arena. The NFR Sponsor Hotels will also have interactive tents set up in the NFR Village, on the plaza in front of the arena.

"Fryday" 2010! Turkeys For Charity

Shine On Nevada To Host 2nd Annual Fryday Friday Benefiting The Las Vegas Community

Las Vegas – Shine On Nevada, an organization founded by local businessman Craig Lake, will host its second annual turkey fry for the Las Vegas community on Friday, November 26th. The event, Fryday Friday, will kick off at 1PM in the YMCA parking lot at 4141 Meadows Lane across from the Meadows Mall. This year, Shine On Nevada plans to fry over 40 turkeys in addition to serving traditional Thanksgiving fare. Fryday Friday is open to the public and supporters are encouraged to bring Thanksgiving side dishes or new unwrapped toys, which will be contributed to a local charity as a kickoff for Shine On Nevada’s holiday toy drive.

"Shine On Nevada is excited to host this festive event for the entire Las Vegas Valley. As a lifelong southern Nevadan, it’s my honor to give back to my community and reach out to new friends and families across southern Nevada," said Craig Lake, founder of Shine On Nevada. "We had a great time with this event last year, and we are hoping with Shine On Nevada and some of the other great groups and leaders from the Las Vegas community that this year will be an even greater success. It’s no secret that southern Nevada is hurting due to this down economy, it is my hope that this event will provide a true Thanksgiving atmosphere of friendship, family, and community."

Shine On Nevada is a non-profit organization founded by local businessman Craig Lake, owner of Rise and Shine Lighting. The mission of Shine On Nevada is to work with the youths of Nevada, including those with special needs, to create a sense of community, involvement, and responsibility through leadership, sports, and service. For more information on Shine On Nevada you can visit www.shineonnevada.org or email Craig Lake at craig@shineonnevada.org. If you are interested in volunteering with Shine On Nevada, please contact Heather Lake by e-mail at heather@shineonnevada.org.

Natl. Finals Rodeo With New Phone App.

LAS VEGAS (November 18, 2010) – Las Vegas Events announced today that it has launched the new mobile application for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Rodeo fans will now be able to fully plan for the Wrangler NFR, which runs from Dec. 2 -11 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The NFR Mobile Application is free and available on all platforms, including Blackberry, I-phone and Android devices. Apple users can access at www.NFRapp.com/itunes. For all others, simply go to www.NFRapp.com through your mobile web browser. For additional information on the NFR Mobile Application, please visit www.NFRexperience.com.

Wrangler NFR fans, whether in Las Vegas for the rodeo or simply following the action from home, will be able to download the application for free. The NFR Mobile Application will feature maps, a comprehensive schedule of events for the rodeo and after-dark activities, photo galleries, live statistics and scores and additional content that will connect fans directly to the cowboys.

“This is the next evolution in the marketing of the world’s richest and most prestigious rodeo,” said LVE President Pat Christenson. “For the two weeks surrounding the Wrangler NFR, there are so many ways that fans can engage in the action, including the live stats during each rodeo performance. We invite NFR fans to download this free application and follow the NFR experience in their own way.”

During the 10 days of competition, the Wrangler NFR will again transform the look and feel of the “Entertainment Capital of the World.” Each year, rodeo fans decked out in jeans, boots and hats fill hotels, casinos, restaurants, shopping malls and showrooms. Hotel marquees will be splashed with the names of the brightest stars in country and western music. In addition, the traditional Cowboy Christmas Gift Show held during the rodeo at the Las Vegas Convention Center is expected to attract tens of thousands of people in its own right.

In 2009, the event had a total event attendance of 172,361 over the 10 days of competition, resulting in a non-gaming economic impact of $51.6 million. For more information about the Wrangler NFR, go to www.NFRexperience.com or www.prorodeo.com.

CasaBlanca Golf Club in Mesquite

by Ron Futrell

The greens, the greens, it’s gotta be the greens.

A great way to judge a golf course is by its greens. Do they hold? Are they true? The CasaBlanca Golf Course in Mesquite Nevada gets top marks on both counts.

Certainly, the course is much more than great greens but it is a beautiful thing when you find the only bent-grass greens in Mesquite and find them so well maintained.

The fairways are nice and wide, but you will pay a price if you miss-hit a drive and end up out of bounds. They slope in, so if you do hit a little left or right, you will be happy when you see where your ball ends up.

The CasaBlanca is lined with native Nevada sagebrush, trees and marsh reeds that are unforgiving. But, the growth also provides a great barrier for the winds that sometimes come up. It’s a wonderful trade off. Besides, if you hit the ball that far OB, you are not expecting good things to happen.

At the 7th hole this course makes a dramatic, challenging and enjoyable change. There is water on the right, lots of it. It’s unique for courses in southern Nevada to have this much water, but as long as you keep it straight, you will have no problem, but you will enjoy the “feel” that the water gives to this brilliant course.

The long par 3, 8th hole is testy if you go over the water, but there is plenty of safety if you choose to bail out and go to the left. It’s holes like this one that makes it challenging for the low handicap golfers and fun for the weekend hackers.

The water on the right continues through the 11th hole, which is my favorite on the course. A par 5 that plays a little over 500 yards. Sand traps protect the green which makes for a tough decision with your second shot. Low handicappers will give it a shot and guys like me will play it safe, hope to get “on in three” and stick the shot tight to the pin.

At the 12th hole the fairway goes down into a marsh-like area that brings even more personality to this diverse course.

Top to bottom, you will enjoy the experience. The views of the vistas are spectacular in the surrounding mountain ranges. I played this course on its opening day and over the years it has matured marvelously.

Enjoy your round and keep your ball-mark fixer close at hand, you’ll need it.

Wounded Soldiers Being Honored At The Venetian

In honor of Veterans Day, the Sands Foundation will host Tribute to the Troops at the Venetian Nov. 11-14, 2010. You’re invited to attend the welcome ceremony to honor and pay tribute to these wounded warriors at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS); the welcome ceremony at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino; the Ride 2 Recovery bike ride; and the preshow reception for Blue Man Group’s charitable performance benefiting ThanksUSA. This is the fifth time that Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson and the Sands Foundation have hosted wounded warriors at The Venetian to say thank you and to honor their service and sacrifice.

Upon arriving in Las Vegas, the troops will receive a red carpet welcome at The Venetian featuring singing gondoliers and cheering team members. After the “Walk of Gratitude,” they will attend a welcome ceremony with a special performance by “America’s Tenor,” Steve Amerson. Throughout the week, the wounded warriors and their spouses will be treated to performances by Clint Black, Blue Man Group, Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band, and Terry Fator.

The chair of ThanksUSA, Bob Okun, will be on the flight to Las Vegas and at the Blue Man Group performance; he will be available for interviews at these events and during his stay in Las Vegas to tell the ThanksUSA story.


Who: Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson and the Sands Foundation with partners Blue Man Group, American Airlines, ThanksUSA, USO, and Ride 2 Recovery.

Interview opportunities include:

Andy Abboud – Vice President of Government Relations & Community Development, Las Vegas Sands Corp.
Jim Palmersheim – Veterans Initiatives, American Airlines
Bob Okun – Chair of ThanksUSA
John Wordin – Ride 2 Recovery


When and where: The Venetian Ceremony:
Thursday, Nov. 11, 2010
4:00 p.m. PST
Red Carpet welcome and special performance with Nellis Troops and Honor Guard
The Venetian Hotel Resort Casino
3355 Las Vegas Blvd South
Las Vegas, NV 89109