Mark your calendar! International Academy of Design & Technology presents their annual Halloween Couture Show at Fashion Show Mall October 30, 2010.

The runway show starts at 2pm. Students from IADT’s Fashion Design program will present their expressive and creative Halloween-inspired fashions. Fashions will also be on display in the Great Hall at Fashion Show Mall from October 25 – 28. For more information about the show or IADT’s Fashion Design classes, visit www.iadtvegas.com.

Don’t miss these fantastic designs and your chance to be inspired by Halloween Couture.

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The Fourth of July festivities kick off tomorrow. The night skies will be glowing with fireworks the next few evenings. Be sure to catch a show or two.

• The Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosts the annual Night of Fire on July 1. Racing begins at 4:30 and fireworks are planned for 10:15pm. Adults $15; children $5.
• The Golden Nugget will launch fireworks from its parking garage on July 2 at 10:10pm. Free.
• Las Vegas 51s will have fireworks immediately following games on July 2 and 3. Admission $14.
• Mandalay Bay Beach will host the Mystic Roots concert on July 4, $25. Firework display is scheduled beforehand at 9:00pm.
• Caesars Palace Firework display will take place July 4 at 9:00pm. Free.
• Las Vegas Hilton will launch fireworks July 4 at 9:20pm. Free.
• Station Casinos will light up the sky on July 4 at 9:45pm. Green Valley Ranch, Aliante Station, Red Rock Resort, Fiesta Rancho and Texas Station will participate. Free.
• Downtown Henderson will host live music and family fun on July 4. Fireworks are set for 9:00pm. Free.
• Montelago Village will have fireworks immediately following the Stinson Brothers concert on July 4. Free.
• The 62nd Annual Boulder City Damboree will host fireworks July 4 at 9:00pm. Free.
• Pahrump hosts the Liberty Festival on July 4 with fireworks to follow at 9:15pm. Free.
• Primm Valley Casino Resorts is planning an impressive firework display July 4 at dusk. Free.

Enjoy! Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday!

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The Warehouse Sale is an exclusive sample sale offering the latest trends and favorite brands for men and women. I first shared about this fantastic opportunity in February, see Vegas Values: Deep Discounts on Denim for details. The last sale was such a success it returns this weekend to the Palms Casino Resort. The event will be held in the Palms Ballroom, May 29 and 30 from 2pm – 8pm.

Mark your calendar, call your friends and prepare to shop!

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Ever feel like there’s not a single decent piece of clothing in your closet? Stuck with items that hug all the wrong places or just make you feel frumpy? Don’t fret. I’m right there with you.

There have been a number of times I’ve dreamt about being on TLC’s What Not to Wear. I’d love Clinton Kelly and Stacy London to give me pointers. I want to dress age appropriate and look put together. It’d be wonderful to step out from the comfort of jeans and t-shirts, and actually have a wardrobe consisting of traditional, sassy and stylish pieces. That fit well to boot.

Friends and I often chat about how wonderful it’d be to take out all the guess work and just be told what works for our body type. Wouldn’t it be great to simply love the body we have rather than focusing on its every flaw? Learning how to best dress it would be a great first step.

Well there’s help for me, my friends and all the others that are fashionably challenged out there. Clinton Kelly and Macy’s have joined forces to give 12 lucky women in 8 cities a chance to reinvent themselves with “Macy’s and Clinton Kelly MAKE OVER AMERICA”. It kicks-off season two this spring. It begins, right here, in Las Vegas. Clinton Kelly from TLC’s What Not to Wear will be doing a makeover fashion show at Macy’s in the Fashion Show Mall this Saturday, March 20 at 2:00pm. The contest winners have already been selected, but you can still partake in this event and learn style tips from Clinton Kelly and witness these marvelous makeovers. To RSVP for the Las Vegas event, call 1-877-884-3751.

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An IKEA, but that’s an argument for another day. Instead, today, I’m talking about the need for a place to bring visitors and locals together – a place for people to shop and enjoy fine food. Now, you are likely thinking I’m nuts, this is Las Vegas, we have an abundance of such places on the strip and in our local neighborhoods. However, I’m thinking something different bear with me.

Early morning at the Ferry Building before the crowds
Photo by Kellee Kunovic

Recently, my husband and I visited San Francisco. What a special place! We fell for the food and happily stayed for the sights. We truly enjoyed exploring the city. Other than a steady supply of fresh Dungeness crab there was one other thing I wish I could’ve brought home as a souvenir. Too bad I don’t have luggage large enough to accommodate the Ferry Building. Never mind how I’d bring it back with me; can you imagine the baggage handling fees?

In all seriousness Las Vegas needs a marketplace like the Ferry Building, and not just for my own personal desires. Although, I would love the access to cheeses, meats, oils, and other specialties all under one roof. You see, Chelsea Market in New York and the Ferry Building in San Francisco has had great success. Both have brought growth and money when times were stagnant, plus it’s practical for locals and an attraction for those visiting. Las Vegas has cultural diversity much like these two cities. I have no doubt a marketplace would flourish here, as well.

We might not have empty factories, bakeries or docks to welcome boats that need repurposing, but we do have a number of old buildings sitting empty downtown. Or how great would it be to reignite ties with the Union Pacific Railroad depot. There must be someway to include it into the plan for the 61-acres slated for development.

At the Ferry Building, I adored dashing between Acme Bread, Cowgirl Creamery, and Boccalone collecting the makings for the perfect sandwich. It would be a delight to do that here at home.

Variety of peppers for sale at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market
Photo by Kellee Kunovic

What would be even better is if we could expand upon the Fremont East Farmer’s Market to become something grander like those held a few times a week at the Ferry Building. I realize we don’t have the same accessibility to local produce like San Francisco. Perhaps, we could develop some sort of co-op with California farmers? In any case, there must be something more that could be done.

I want us to have it all. Of course, then I may never leave Las Vegas. Although, I could be okay with that.

Someone get on that, would you? While at it, let’s build that IKEA, too.

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Funny Cars warming up

This weekend the Las Vegas Motor Speedway hosted the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals. The 2009 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series consists of twenty four races which began in February and will wrap up in November. Events are held twice a year in Las Vegas, in spring and fall. The NHRA Las Vegas Nationals take place late October or early November, this year the races fell over Halloween weekend. Plenty was at stake since this was the next to the last event before the champions of this season are decided.

There are four main classes in the series: Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle, Funny Car and Top Fuel Dragster. The latter two have all the action. They reach speeds in excess of 300mph, they’ll finish the quarter-mile in less than five seconds – many less than four. Pro Stock is still fun to see, they often clock in less than nine seconds and reach speeds around 200 mph.

I don’t follow the series throughout the year, but when we had the opportunity to go to the Nationals this year we purchased tickets for the qualifying rounds on Saturday, October 31, 2009. We might not follow NHRA, but my husband and I love fast cars. We knew it would be a fun-filled day.

Top Fuel Dragster

And it was. We arrived around ten o’clock we walked around the grounds to see teams prepping their dragsters, and then we made our way to the general admission grand stands to take in some racing. Pro-stock got the day underway, those races ended with speeds above 200mph and times in the six second range. They seemed quick at the time and then the Funny Cars rolled out. They reached speeds near 250mph and clocked in less than six seconds in the quarter-mile. Those stats were impressive until we witnessed the force of the Top Fuel Dragsters.

Top Fuel quarter-mile stats

Those puppies are fast. It takes longer to countdown to the start of the race, that it does for them to finish it. It is remarkable to see the dragsters finish under four seconds and reach speeds between 315mph-325mph. Watching on TV, viewing photos or video do not do it justice. It is simply something that must be experienced in person. You need to hear those engines roar, you need to feel the heat, force, and vibration as they whizz by. You will literally feel the ground shake beneath you. It is an amazing display of man and machine.

These folks forgot their ear plugs

Races go quick with little downtime. There’s plenty to keep your attention all day. We were entertained until the sun went down. It’s great fun for all ages. Bring earplugs and sunblock, and then be prepared to have a highly enjoyable day at the races. Mark your calendars NHRA will return next spring, April 16-18, and again in fall, October 28-31.

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This weekend my husband and I attended the annual Super Run Car Show. The event was held in downtown Henderson’s Water Street District. They claim to put on the largest car show in Southern Nevada. I wouldn’t doubt that’s true. It was the largest we’ve seen, greater than shows in Laughlin and Las Vegas.

Show & Shine

Admission was free to Super Run 2009. The event was held over three days: Friday and Saturday offered Roaring Engine, Slow Drags and Burn Out competitions, a classic car cruise and free concerts featuring The Jan & Dean Show and Aaron Tippin.  All three days, including Sunday, beautiful fierce show cars lined the streets. While food and beverage vendors served up tasty eats and refreshing drinks, and merchandise vendors sold all kinds of good buys.

Free concert: Aaron Tippin

Saturday night, we saw the tail end of the Open Headers car cruise, then we walked up and down Water Street admiring the gorgeous classics – Firebird, Camaro, Chevelle, Mustang – all the greatest muscle cars were on display. We raced from car to car like kids running through the aisles of a toy store. It was great fun. We stopped by the stage to listen to Aaron Tippin perform. There was a large crowd enjoying the show. We sampled a few eats and simply enjoyed the lovely evening. At the end of the night we stopped by the voting tent to cast our votes for our favorite ride. Our pick was a striking rebuilt 1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS 396.

Camaro SS 396

This year was the first we heard of the Super Run Car Show, we’ve surely been missing out. We had a great time; we’re already looking forward to next year’s show.

Be sure to flag next September on your calendars, Super Run 2010 is an event you won’t want to miss.

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Mount Charleston, the highest mountain of the Spring Mountains, is located within the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area which is part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Most would never guess a National Forest, let alone one of the largest in the United States outside of Alaska, is in Las Vegas’ backyard. But, it’s true.

View from Trail Canyon

A quick 35-mile drive northwest of Las Vegas will reveal this oasis surrounded by desert. Mount Charleston is home to the oldest single living organism – bristle cone pines, wildlife such as deer, bighorn sheep, elk and wild horses; plus 40 miles of hiking trails, picnic areas, and camp sites. There is also a hotel, lodge and a ski resort.

Year round fun can be had at Mount Charleston. Summer is my favorite time to visit. I love to escape the dry scorching heat for cooler temps and crisp fresh air up on the mountain. It’s a refuge when the mercury rises above 110 degrees in the valley. This summer we’ve had a couple unique adventures with family and friends.

In July, we took my sister and nephew on a few off-road trails; we turned off near a wash and had a picnic with nothing more than nature in sight. Afterwards, we returned to civilization by touring the residential area filled with log cabin homes while we made our way to the Trail Canyon trailhead.  The trail is shaded, however, it is strenuous; the two mile hike will have you climb 1,500 feet. We made it about halfway before turning back; my nephew is just two we didn’t want to overdo it. We enjoyed our shortened hike; we saw beautiful scenery, unique flowers, ancient trees, butterflies and other insects. Next, we stopped at the Desert Overlook Trail.

Desert Overlook view

It’s the easiest of them all, it’s paved and fully accessible. At 8,200 ft the overlook provides spectacular views of the desert and mountains to the north and east, the Nevada Test Site and Nellis Air Force Base can also be seen. People used to gather there to view atomic bomb blasts at the Test Site. Now, if you’re lucky, you can witness the US Air Force practice maneuvers on the Nellis Bombing Range. This day was as calm as could be. It was a great spot to have a last look around before we headed back home.

Over Labor Day weekend, we returned to Mount Charleston for our next adventure. We joined LVCFO, a group of F-body (the platform used for the Chevrolet Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird) enthusiasts for an annual cruise. This year, members from AZFBA, an Arizona group, were invited along for the ride. There was a parade of twenty vehicles that motored up the mountain. It was a smooth ride, our Firebird hugged every curve as we climbed elevation. We enjoyed the warm sun on our skin, the crisp air in our hair, all the while appreciating the beauty that surrounded us.

A beautiful sight

Near the ski resort, we stopped and lined up all the vehicles for an impressive display. Many hikers and day trippers stopped to gawk. It was a gorgeous afternoon, after the meet, we stayed for a picnic and took in more of the stunning forest views before returning back to the hustle and bustle of the city.

Need an excuse to seek your own adventure? Take in the dramatic change of scenery with an overnight getaway. The Resort on Mount Charleston has been frequently offering a midweek special stay Sunday-Thursday for $19.99/night. Call (888) 559-1888 for reservations or further details. The special is expected to run through November.

Additionally, the weather is turning cooler, the next month or so will provide optimal temperatures for hiking around Mount Charleston. There are dozens of trails at varying degrees of difficulty stop by the Spring Mountains NRA Visitor Center on highway 157  for a full listing.

Soon enough, snow will begin to fall. Mount Charleston sees an annual snowfall of 120 inches. November will bring prime conditions for a joyous snow day with the family – build a snowman, sled or have a snowball fight. Additionally, during winter months Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort is open daily 9am-4pm.

There is an adventure to be had for every season on Mount Charleston, choose your own and enjoy.

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