Wednesday is Halloween and that means everyone is dressed up (even pets) for this fun holiday in Las Vegas. Many adults are driving to parties all over the city and kids are trick or treating down the streets and let’s face it – we want everyone to enjoy themselves and be safe.
If you live in Summerlin or anywhere else in the Las Vegas Valley “Treat Street” in Downtown Summerlin is a wonderful and safe alternative for everyone. The festivities start at 5p.m. and go until 7p.m.
The following are some of the features offered at Treat Street. The retailers in Downtown Summerlin will hand out candy to all trick or treaters. There will be a Spooky Block Party from the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. The Clark County Fire Department is offering wickedly fun photos with members of the fire department.
There will be a screening of “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown”. Times: 5:10pm / 5:40pm / 6:10pm / 6:40PM/ 7:10PM. Also the “Howl-O-Ween” dog costume contest benefitting the Animal Foundation.
The Treat Street Halloween at Downtown Summerlin is a free event in a great environment for the young, and the young at heart. Seriously we have had unfortunate car accidents on Halloween – car vs. kid – and this venue can help prevent a horrible accident. So bring the family and enjoy all the activities.
Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you have a need for commercial / industrial / retail space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com
But what is Nevada Day? Many people that have recently moved to the Silver State have no idea what Nevada Day commemorates – so I am here to give you a quick history lesson.
Nevada Day is a state holiday celebrated in Nevada and commemorates the state’s entry into the United States as the thirty-sixth state on October 31, 1864, and also celebrates this state’s frontier legacy. This holiday used to be celebrated on October 31s, the date of the state’s admission into the Union, but it was moved in 2000. Instead, this holiday is now celebrated on the final Friday in October.
The Nevada State Legislature decided that the holiday should always be celebrated on a Friday. And that’s because a 3-day long holiday weekend is more likely to bring tourists into the state and would generate a lot more interest in the holiday. As a result, they voted to change Nevada Day to the final Friday in October.
The following are some fun and interesting facts about our wonderful state. The name of the state of Nevada comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Nevada was one of two states added to the Union as a state during the Civil War (West Virginia was the other).
Other interesting facts are Nevada is the home to over 300 mountain ranges and over 300 natural hot springs. We are also the largest gold-producing state in the United States. From 1951 to 1992, over 900 nuclear tests were conducted at the Nevada Test Site. Las Vegas has more hotel rooms than any other city on Earth and Nevada is the only state in the United States where prostitution is legal.
Nevada Day is a state holiday, which means that some banks, schools and businesses are closed in Nevada on this day. However, some banks do remain open but close their branches early. While parades and other celebrations happen across the state of Nevada, there is a particular concentration of them in Carson City (state capital). There is a huge parade that has been held since the 1930s in Carson City and there are a number of events on this day. Events which include sporting events, concerts, a rock drilling contest and even a contest that judges who has the best beard.
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There is a $20 event donation per entry for your first dog and an additional entry donation of $10 each for second or third dogs – all the proceeds go directly to The Animal Foundation.
Bring the entire family to this adorable event – everyone will fall in love with the cutest dogs in costumes – by the end of the festivities everyone will want an addition to the family. Remember its Halloween so the family can be decked out in costumes as well.
So dress up your fur babies to win in one of the three categories – 1: Best owner/Dog Costume Combination, Funniest Dog Costume and lastly Most Creative Dog Costume. The prizes are valued at $250+ and all is for a great cause.
You and your dogs will have a howling good time – check in begins at 4:30 p.m. and the contest starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Macy’s Promenade. All participants must purchase entry prior to event on October 31. Pre-registration will close at 2pm on October 31st; participants may then, sign up at event. On-Site registration is welcome pending space available. The first 50 participants will receive a tail-wagging goodie bag for donation entry.
The following are the Contest Rules
Entrants will be provided a participant number which must be worn / held and visible at all times
Dog(s) must remain on a leash at all times
Each dog must be accompanied by an adult (16 year or older)
The Judges decisions are final
No motorized vehicles are allowed within the event space
One dog / entry is not eligible for more than one prize or goody bag
Photographers and videographers will be on-site and taking photos / video of all contestants and winners for use on social media and other channels. Winners may be featured in The Animal Foundation and Downtown Summerlin post event coverage online so make sure you and your dog are “photo ready”.
Please email esheldon@animalfoundation.com with any questions pertaining to this event.
If you decide to change the dog you are entering in the costume contest you are welcome to however this change must be made before October 31 at 2 p.m.
Email esheldon@animalfoundation.com with any changes to your registration. All changes must be complete by October 31st at 2pm. Please bring your ticket to the event or have a screenshot of it on your phone. A valid ID will also be requested at event.
There is no refund policy. If you cannot make it your registration money is donated to the animal shelter and it is tax deductible, which is fine, right?
Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you have a need for commercial / industrial / retail space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com
Fall is the best time of year in the Las Vegas Valley – the summer heat is over and there is crispness in the air. Take the family on a day trip to the Valley of Fire. It’s a short 58 mile drive northeast of central Las Vegas.
Valley of Fire is located in the Mojave Desert and is the oldest Nevada State Park dedicated in 1935. Valley of Fire State Park covers an area of approximately 35,000 acres. Valley of Fire was named for the magnificent red sandstone formations that were formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of the dinosaurs more than 150 million years ago (Mesozoic Era). These brilliant sandstone formations can appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun’s rays. Other important rock formations include limestone, shale, and conglomerates.
Valley of Fire is marked as Nevada Historical Marker #150 (Nevada’s First State Park). Valley of Fire Road is the main road through the park. The 10.5 mile road connects the east and west entrances of the park and was designated as a Nevada Scenic Byway in 1995.
Some of the prehistoric people of Valley of Fire included the Anasazi – they were farmers from the nearby fertile Moapa Valley. Their visits to Valley of Fire probably involved hunting, food gathering, and religious ceremonies. There are fine examples of rock art (petroglyphs) at several locations throughout Valley of Fire.
Areas to look for at the Valley of Fire include Arch Rock, formed over many millennia to the natural arch you see today. No climbing is allowed on this rock as it is very fragile. Atlatl Rock named for a device that shoots spears. The ancient Indians used these weapons and they are depicted in the petroglyphs (rock carvings).
The Beehives are sandstone formations that not only demonstrate the unique design that can be created by nature, but is an excellent representation of geologic cross bedding. The Petrified Logs consist of wood that has laid outside long enough to become a fossil. The logs are several colorful tree trunks lying close to the road, safely fenced off for all to enjoy. Balanced Rock is located near the visitor center is another one of the famous Valley of Fire formations.
Mouse’s Tank is a natural balanced-rock basin in the rock where water collects after each rainfall. A half-mile round trip trail leads to Mouse’s Tank from the trailhead parking area. There are excellent examples of prehistoric petroglyphs on the trail. Mouse’s Tank is named for a Southern Paiute Indian renegade (“Little Mouse”) who used Valley of Fire as a hideout in the 1890’s after he was accused of killing two prospectors and other crimes in the area. Rainbow Vista is a viewpoint in Valley of Fire State Park, where the road reaches the top of a low ridge revealing a vast area of multicolored rocks stretching for many miles northwards, rather different than the dark red cliffs found further south.
The White Domes are sandstone formations with brilliant contrasting colors and a one-mile hike. The White Domes Trail is a moderate loop that combines sweeping desert vistas, a slot canyon, colors galore, windows, caves and a historic movie site. Also look at the Seven Sisters is a group of 7 tall, red, eroded boulders surround by the sandy desert. You also must see Elephant Rock is a wonderful example of an arch in the shape of an elephant and its right next to the road.
Other sites to see are the Clark Memorial named for John J. Clark. This is where his body was found on June 30, 1915. You should also try to visit Fire Canyon/Silica Dome.
Don’t miss the Visitor’s Center -Information, books, souvenirs, and exhibits on Valley of Fire and the surrounding area. The exhibits include geology, ecology, prehistory, and history of Valley of Fire. Valley of Fire Visitor Center Hours: 8:30 AM-4:30 PM daily.
Heck, it’s even an amazing place to get married! I have a wedding planner friend who has planned several weddings out there! Go check it out this weekend! Tell them Jeff sent ya! (just kidding – they don’t know me by name… yet)
Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you have a need for commercial / industrial / retail space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com
Home repair, renovation and improvement scams can be costly so beware of con- artists looking to take your money and then disappear. Protect yourself from these unethical people by looking out for common schemes.
Do not trust a person that just arrives at your home and says “Hey I was doing a job in the neighborhood and I have some extra materials left over, so I’ll give you a good deal on a driveway sealing project.” A good and reliable contractor usually knows how much material they need for a certain project and if they have leftover material will not peddle it door to door. If you really think you like the deal, ask for the name and address of the person they just did the job for and ask that neighbor how satisfied they were with the job that was done.
Another potential red flag for a home improvement project is the contractor stating, “We won’t need to pull permits.” Of course, not every home improvement job requires a permit, but if you think this one should, contact the city and ask. Improvements that should have had permits, but do not, can cause trouble when you try to sell your home.
Be careful if you are speaking with a contractor that states “I’m going to need you to pay the whole job up front”. A reasonable down payment is part of the process – usually about one third of the price of the job. Never pay for the entire project up front – if you do that person will just take the money and run. Check for regulations that are in place as a guideline to protect you.
Don’t hire a contractor that says “We don’t need to put anything in writing”. You should have a written contract – that protects you and the contractor for very good reasons. Make sure the contract specifies a dated work schedule, payment terms, cost breakdown, as well as proof of licensure, bonding & insurance, and any concessions for work not completed on time. This is the strongest legal protection you can have.
Remember a good contractor will not pressure you to make up your mind on the spot. They know this is a costly investment and you will need time to think it over. You should also think about speaking to more than one contractor before making your decision and checking local jobs they have done similar to yours.
Finally, go the extra mile and contact the Nevada State Contractors Board (http://www.nvcontractorsboard.com) about the license # they provide you (a truly legitimate contractor will have no problem with that.) I had a client a couple of years ago hire a contractor who was using the license number of a company he used to work for. A few extra minutes to verify him would have prevented what ended up costing my client over $70,000…
I have a list of people I refer to my clients for specific jobs and am happy to recommend these contractors to any reader since I know their work and reputation. Feel free to reach out to me any time for recommendations.
Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you have a need for commercial / industrial / retail space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com
Who loves Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons? Everyone! Good news for Las Vegans –“Oh What a Night” will be performed at the Summerlin Library from October 17 to November 10 by Signature Productions.
The show is packed with many of the group’s songs so you will be dancing in your seats and maybe in the aisles. Take the whole family to see this performance – Signature Productions always does a great job with any play they produce and the you would never guess that the actors are all amateurs.
Signature Productions began in 1989 as a nonprofit community theatre company by Dr. Karl M. Larsen a local Optometrist, and attorney Victor J. Austin. Originally, the company moved into a 3500 sq. ft. storefront unit at the corner of Charleston and Decatur where they built a small 200 seat theatre. Currently, they are housed in the Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center, where they rent the space for each production.
The goal of Signature Productions is to provide a venue for young performers, designers and technicians to grow and develop their natural abilities while veteran performers, designers and technicians teach and inspire! The company has 2-3 major productions per year, usually musicals, which require approximately 4 months per production. The auditions have drawn as many as 350 aspiring artists to audition.
The Summerlin Library Theatre has 284 seats and every seat has a great view of the stage. This is a great place to see a show (I have seen at least 3 there). Tickets cost $30, and offers a senior (60 and over) discount as well as student discount of $28 per ticket and children tickets are $20.
Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you have a need for commercial / industrial / retail space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com
This is a question that if you have an answer or comment to I would love to hear from you.
I know it is a different world than when I grew up. I was lucky enough to grow up in a neighborhood were we used to have a block party on my street every so often and probably 17 out of about 25 houses would participate…It was so much fun getting to know the neighbors (not just the kids) on the block and we looked out for each other.
Fast forward to the present day in Las Vegas – I throw our annual BBQ for Ridgebrook, (the neighborhood I live in) which has just over 450 houses, and I know many of the people here – only about 6-8 households are ever represented at the BBQ – so sad since this is a very safe way to meet members of the community. Also add another circle of friends for you and your kids – it is very comforting to have people you know and trust living near you.
I moved to our wonderful city of Las Vegas in 1993 when it was much smaller – even then I noticed some neighbors would not even wave hi when I would drive by. I have a friend that moved here from New York City and told me that she always had interaction with the people that lived in the same coop building and said she would see the same people on the bus she took to work and would chat with these people on the way to work (and they say New Yorkers are not friendly).
When I moved into the neighborhood of Ridgebrook and invited the closest 15 houses over to meet the new neighbors (us) – only 4 households showed up…
My questions are – Was the neighborhood I grew up in odd? Do people just not do that in the rest of the world? Or have times changed that much?
I would love to get your [the reader’s] opinion. Prove me wrong – I’ll bet if you aren’t interested in waving to me on the street, or joining our annual neighborhood BBQ, you probably aren’t interested in telling me why, either, but I’ll ask.
Comment below please:
Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you have a need for commercial / industrial / retail space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com
As we are all aware Las Vegas and Clark County has seen a growth in population and the housing market in the last few years. With growth comes change – and we will see changes in laws regarding short term rentals.
Make sure to check the HOA rules on rentals to start before you do anything. Almost all HOAs have a minimum of 30 day leases required and some are as much as a year.
To bring those who do not know the current rules here are what is currently on the books:
1) City of Henderson – minimum 30 day lease
2) Unincorporated Clark County – Minimum 30 day lease
3) City of North Las Vegas – no rules at this time
4) City of Las Vegas – You must apply for, and get approved, for a special use permit – only 167 approved to date – approval process includes inspections by the city, the neighbors giving their approval, the HOA approving, getting city and state licenses, paying hotel room tax, etc.
As a recent article in the RJ stated – there are approximately 3,000 illegal short term rentals in the city of Las Vegas and another 4,000 in the county. Last year, in the entire valley, there were over 500,000 booked nights in the short term rentals. In 2012 it was less than 20,000. That is quite a difference!
If you don’t think the hotels have taken notice of this jump in short term rentals you may be enjoying the recent marijuana law changes too much.
Last week, Lois Tarkanian, proposed a revision to the law eliminating short term rentals in the City of Las Vegas. There are a number of reasons for this:
First and foremost– a short term rental is a commercial enterprise (like a liquor store or an auto repair shop) and people don’t want those in residential areas.
Second – the number of complaints the police, and government officials, have received have skyrocketed. Complaints such as loud parties at all hours of the night, cars parking and blocking neighbors driveways, trash and damage to neighboring homes, fighting, belligerent people, the list goes on and on.
Third- many lawsuits by other commercial businesses (like liquor stores or auto repairs shops) have been denied because they wanted to open in a residential neighborhood.
Fourth- lawsuits by owners who have been denied permits to have a short term rental stating that the process is unfair.
Fifth – lawsuits by people living in the city and county against the city and county for not enforcing the laws that are on the books.
There is a lot of support in the council for this change, and you can bet there is a lot of money pouring in from the hotels to encourage passage of this law. It was not in the article but the county code enforcer said that the city is not processing any more applications until this is resolved. He also said that the city, county and Henderson are “aggressively” going after people who are illegally doing short term rentals sending out up to 500 cease and desist orders per week. People, who are trying to hide their addresses from the ads and think they won’t get caught, are getting caught by code enforces posing as potential tenants. With a $1000 a day fine, this is turning into a big money maker for the various cities and counties. I guess someone has to foot the bill for all the Tylenol (from the headaches…)
I did a short 4 minute video on this subject in February 2018 – click on this link to view (https://youtu.be/gk5FszAemUs)
As I learn more I will pass it along!
Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you have a need for commercial / industrial / retail space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com
In my opinion the TV show American Ninja Warrior is the most inspiring reality show and it has changed the way many people look at exercise.
Of course, most of us are not at the level of the athletes we see run the course – however I know many people that have gotten up from their couches and started some sort of exercise because of it. It could be walking, swimming, class exercises, private instruction or even building parts of a ninja course in your garage or backyard. There are some gyms that have built these types of obstacles just for the purpose of “ninja” exercise.
My son is one of those people that wants to compete on American Ninja Warrior and can’t wait until he is old enough. He trains on “ninja” obstacles and I must say I am very proud of his goal (and maybe a little jealous as well).
The one thing to remember is – you shouldn’t go from the couch to the course. First you should train to get into better physical shape before attempting any ninja-like exercises. He works out at a gym named Camp Rhino that has a very comprehensive program for adult ninja training (and Saturday classes for kids too). You might want to try this type of gym before you build an obstacle course in your backyard or garage.
Climbing is a big part of ninja training so you just might want to build a rock wall with a variety of holds screwed in. You can also have a slack line for balance and other obstacles to train on – getting your upper body strong is essential for doing a ninja course. (Don’t forget to get adequate pads underneath you as well).
There are a few competitors my age, it’s true, but I’m not likely to pursue it, however in my dreams, I crush the course and hit the buzzer too.
Are you ready to buy or sell a home? Do you have a need for commercial / industrial / retail space? We can help you with that… just call us at 702 SELL NOW or click on this link to my website http://www.702SellNow.com
