OUT AND ABOUT: Stepping into spring

View File PhotoA sign is seen along a hiking trail at the Springs Preserve, 3333 S. Valley View Blvd. Jacob Kepler/ViewXyxyxxyxyx Aaron Arrington, owner of the Hat Box, 1830 N. Martin Luther King Blvd., works on a colorful design for a springtime hat. View File Photo Advertisement

By ERICA VITAL

VIEW STAFF WRITER

Meet the first blossoms of spring with a burst of color and collaborate with a designer for a hat to sport for Mother's Day, said local designer Aaron Arrington. A native of downtown, Arrington said he took his love of color, texture and fashion and opened the Hat Box at 1830 N. Martin Luther King Blvd.

Having designed for women who lunch, he said, as well as those who want to launch into spring with a new look, Arrington pointed out combinations of black and white. Swatches of yellow also are the right way to greet the season, he said.

"A rich plum," said the milliner, who has been commissioned to design and coordinate the upcoming Kentucky Derby Luncheon at the Four Seasons, "is the new black. Mix plum with lime green. Wear a gray sun hat with a sundress and over-accessorize with big bauble necklaces and a high-heeled sandal and you will be the talk of the season."

Arrington designs out of his shop by appointment. For more information, call 647-1357.

TAKE IN NATURAL HISTORY

Since spring is a time of blossoming, there is no better place for re-awakening a child's senses to the world than the marine life and dinosaur galleries at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, according to Marilyn Gillespie, executive director of the downtown facility.

"We're also opening a CSI: Insect Crime Scene exhibit this spring, in May, that will teach kids about the role insects play in forensics," Gillespie said. "It's very interactive."

Ongoing museum activities that children love, said Gillespie, include an exhibit of live sharks, stingrays and eels in a 3,000-gallon tank. The sharks are fed in the marine gallery at 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Also on Saturdays, the museum hosts Critter Connections, with an up-close and personal look at live, exotic or desert animals.

Entering its 18th year this July, the museum is filled with exhibits that encourage participation and will celebrate Earth Day on April 26 with special activities, including a scavenger hunt, a recycle relay and an appearance by herpetologist and exotic pet store owner Ken Foose.

Gillespie said that grant funding has resulted in exhibits being revamped and re-invigorated.

"All kids know that an allosaurus rears up on its hind legs. For years, our allosaurus seemed to be dragging his tail along the ground. Well, he's just had a tail lift. We've received a grant that has allowed us to do a lot of enhancement. We keep maturing."

This spring finds a new shade canopy over the adjacent Heritage Park for lunchtime play and new interactive video monitors in the dinosaur gallery. The fall will bring an unexpected surprise.

"In six months," said Gillespie, "we'll be enclosing our patio area for an Egyptian exhibit. The Luxor is changing its motif and has made the magnanimous gesture of donating their Tut gallery to the museum. It's a multi-million dollar exhibit and we are so profoundly grateful to the MGM/Mirage. They did it totally for the kids of this community."

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and is located at 900 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for senior citizens, military personnel and students and free for children ages 2 and under, as well as for members. For more information about the museum, call 384-3466.

CATCH A CONCERT

Entering its 20th year as a downtown event, the Clark County Jazz in the Park Concert series has become one of downtown's first signs of spring, said event co-founder Dorothy Wright.

"And my heart is still in it," Wright said. "This has always been a great opportunity to bring internationally recognized artists to the community, and it's great to have them perform in our amphitheater. It was meant to be a gathering place."

Wright helped organize the concert in its first incarnation as a neighborhood event at Paradise Park on 4775 McLeod Drive. It brought out a modest crowd. Since the event has taken place in the Clark County Amphitheater at 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, from 1,000 to 3,000 people have been known to attend.

The venue features lawn seating around a central stage. Picnic blankets and low-back chairs are welcome. Food and beverages are available for purchase on site. All concerts start at 8 p.m. No pets are allowed.

Spyro Gryo kicks off the series on April 26 with a combination of Latin, jazz and R&B. On May 10, Marvin Gaye-inspired The Dirty Dozen Brass Band comes to the amphitheater from New Orleans. The Las Vegas Jazz Society presents a mix of contemporary music with blues and R&B and roots-influenced jazz on May 31. In addition, jazz vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater performs her latest project Red Earth: A Malian Journey on June 7. The performance will mix Malian voices and music with American jazz music and lyrics. Ending the series on June 21, Nick Colionne will perform.

For more information on the series, call 455-8200 or visit www.accessclarkcounty.com/parks.

JOURNEY INTO YESTERYEAR

The city of Las Vegas has produced several brochures to help residents navigate their way through downtown history, beginning with a self-guided walking tour of the John S. Park Historic District.

The tour recommends visitors start out north along South 9th Street, where there are a series of homes that were built during the 1940s and '50s.

The walk is a journey back featuring old architectural styles, including ranch and minimal tradition styles rising out of earlier Spanish and prairie architecture. The tour ends at 6th Street and 5th Place.

The Pioneer Trail is a tour that takes visitors to the origins of Las Vegas, from the prehistoric artesian wells of the Springs Preserve to the Moulin Rouge and the McWilliams' Townsite to the Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort Visitor Center.

The tour maps and accompanying brochures were a collaborative effort on the part of the city of Las Vegas and Clark County, as well as the Comprehensive Planning Division Historic Preservation Commission. Download tour maps and brochures from www.lasvegasnevada.gov/hpc.

Lynn Zook, director of Friends of Classic Las Vegas, recommends taking along a few things when embarking on the tours that the organization conducts down Fremont Street, starting off at Union Plaza.

"Bring a bottle of water, comfortable shoes and a yearning to learn about the real Las Vegas," she said.

Guided tours with the organization can be booked via e-mail at Lynn@classiclasvegas.com

UNLV's Architecture Studies Library also offers a self-guided driving tour map of downtown that begins with the Fremont Street Experience and ends at the Westside School at 330 W. Washington Ave. To download the UNLV driving tour maps, visit www.library.unlv.edu/arch/lasvegas/downtown.

SPRING INTO ECO-ACTION

Eight thousand years in the making, the Springs Preserve is the site of artesian wells that supplied the valley's original inhabitants with water to irrigate crops and sustain their presence in the desert. The June 2007 opening of the preserve, which includes a museum, a visitor center, a theater and other elements, offers an opportunity for area children to appreciate the history and beauty of the valley.

"Spring is a magical time to visit our gardens," said Marcel Parent, education and volunteer programs manager. "What a joy to come across a cactus flowering, delicate desert plants starting to bloom, or the first sign of fruits from our orchard. April and May in particular are months of surprise and change at the Springs Preserve's gardens."

Parent said activities such as the Big Springs Theater, the Flash Flood Exhibit and the Live Mojave Desert Animal Collection are among the reasons for youngsters and their families to visit the preserve., located at 333 S. Valley View Blvd. and open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily. Trails close at dusk.

General admission tickets and annual passes can be purchased for entrance to the Springs Preserve gardens, trails, ORIGEN Experience and Desert Living Center. Admission is free for children under 5; $6.95 for children ages 5 to 17; $13.45 for senior citizens ages 65 and over, as well as students ages 18 and over; and $14.95 for adults. Annual passes are $75 per family, or $40 for individuals. Tickets are available online, as well as at the preserve. For more information, call 822-7700 or visit www.springspreserve.org.