Dance keeps the cowboy theme alive

Low Down - Hoe Down ball set for Nov. 15

On the heels of the Professional Bull Riders competition and before the National Finals Rodeo comes to town, one group is keeping the cowboy theme alive. It is the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Inc.

On Nov. 15, it will hold its Low Down - Hoe Down Holiday Ball at Texas Station, set to begin at 6:30 p.m. The fund-raiser, which includes a gourmet western dinner and the suggestion to wear western duds. Attendees pay $100 each for a seat, the money going to build a multi-million dollar regional performing and visual arts center.

"We do not intend to go to the taxpayers to raise money for this," said Donald Kemp, president. "We plan to raise it all ourselves."

He estimated the entire project would cost $140 million.

At the event, Sheriff Jerry Keller and his wife, Charlotte, will serve as honorary chairman and chairwoman. And U.S. Senator John Ensign and his wife, Darlene, are scheduled honorees.

The Riders of the Purple Sage will be on hand to provide music. Country dancing lessons will be conducted by Mariah and her Hoe Down Line Dancers. The CowParade Las Vegas will be there as well with miniature pins available for purchase -- rumor has it the favorite is the Las Vegas showgirl theme.

Besides the fee to attend, the event will raise money via two auctions. One silent auction will be presided over by wild west roper Mark Allen.

The Holiday Ball is the latest event to raise money for the proposed performing arts center. So far the coffers have about $500,000 in them, Kemp said. About $70 million will be needed for phase one.

The board of directors has partnered with the city and the city council to build the center. They have identified a piece of land, approximately 30 acres, near where the Beltway meets Summerlin Parkway. Nothing is signed yet, but by January, the land is expected to be secured.

"Las Vegas has over 90 percent of its residents from someplace else," said Gary Carlson, architect who has been working on the project for the past 10 years. "A lot of people expect to see the same (set up) here as what they're used to. But we don't do things like other cities. Our performing arts center will be far away from downtown."

Carlson noted that the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra, Nevada Ballet and Nevada Opera will all benefit from the facilities.

As plans stand now, the complex will be built in three stages. The first to go up will be a multi-purpose hall with the capacity to accommodate 800 people. Later buildings will have an 2,000-plus seat lyric/multi-purpose theater and a 600-plus seat recital and drama intimate theatre. There will also be dual outdoor amphitheaters, one with at least 5,000 seats.

The star of the complex will be a 2,800-plus seat state-of-the-art concert hall. Kemp spoke of watching Artemus Ham Hall at the university campus being built. That facility went from being used by the community 90 percent of the time, he said, to being used only 15 percent of the time by the community.

"Now there are not enough open dates to do a full symphony season," he said, adding that cities one quarter the size of Las Vegas have performing arts centers.

Many businesses have helped the project, including Encore Productions, Paul Steelman Ltd., Trader Joe's, Nevada Power, Raley's and G. C. Wallace. The latter donated engineering expertise estimated at $100,000.

Anyone interested in tickets for the Nov. 15 event can call 457-7919.


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