It's not enough for me to simply keep on hoping that we soon become residents of Henderson, or, rather, as quick as possible. I'm not any more connected to Las Vegas or Henderson like I want to be. So I've begun pulling books from my Las Vegas stack, reading Fool Me Once by Rick Lax, which I read in one day yesterday, and starting today on Super Casino: Inside the "New" Las Vegas by Pete Earley, published in 2000. The year never matters to me because I want to study every decade of Las Vegas, including before it was the Las Vegas we know.
That covers Las Vegas, but what about Henderson? I've drooled over our future apartment, fondly remembered buying that toy flour truck at Smith's in Henderson, and marveled at how much there is near the apartment to explore. I need to strengthen that connection I feel with Henderson. Last October, I wrote an entry about what I had learned from the first issue of The Henderson Press, dated September 23, 2010, but hadn't written about any more issues. That changes now, because while I still wait, I want to not only know more about my future hometown, but to feel even more for it, more excitement, more pleasure that will undoubtedly multiply once I'm there. It's not a matter of eight years in the Santa Clarita Valley making me want anywhere but here. I've been to Henderson before and I love what I saw. I know that I could easily be part of it, finally part of a community in many facets.
From the second issue, which spans October 22 to November 11, 2010 (They were not yet a weekly paper), I've learned:
- There was a dance troupe from the Las Vegas Indian Center called the Red Hand Dance Troupe that performed at the dedication ceremony for the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge which is perched over Hoover Dam. An Indian center seems to me to be further proof that Las Vegas is open to anyone, a great change from the shameful racism in the city in the 1950s.
- The article about the ceremony notes that it was private, with only the O'Callaghan and two Tillman family members and those who worked on the bridge attending, and "a public event was held two days later with nearly 20,000 well-wishers attending." That would have made quite an article. Report what happened, get some quotes from Nevada and Arizona residents, and tourists, and get a sense of the atmosphere of that event as well. But with this being the second issue, I suppose space was at a premium.
- There's a Clark County Museum on South Boulder Highway, which is all about the history of Southern Nevada. Googling it to find out more, I saw a listing for the Howard W. Cannon Aviation Museum at McCarran International Airport, at 5757 Wayne Newton Boulevard. History never fades here, it seems, and I'm finding more and more to do in Southern Nevada!
- An arson fire caused $300,000 worth of damage to a two-story, five-bedroom, 3-and-1/2 bath house, and even with how short this story is, it's apparent that the reporters care about the stories they write. There are more details in this one story than most that I find in The Signal, which may not be a fair comparison considering how much more Henderson has than the entire Santa Clarita Valley, but if you like where you live, then you care about what goes on in your city and in writing about it too.
- Skyline Restaurant & Casino on North Boulder Highway, offers, at least at the time of this issue, live entertainment every Tuesday through Sunday evening, with Vic Saladino performing in the evenings, and The Dummkopfs performing Thursday and Sunday afternoons. My friend Google tells me that Vic Saladino is a blues musician and The Dummkopfs are a comedy band. I think I'll check out the entertainment there. I want to see what every casino in Henderson offers.
- In the corrections box on page 3 is this: "The Henderson Press corrects its mistakes. Please bring any errors to the attention of Jeannette Carrillo, editor." "Mistakes," "errors," that's fine, but I hope they don't go full force on a thesaurus like that for any same-meaning words that fall close together.
- Also, this issue is "No. 1, Vol. 2."
- Shell has a lube center and car wash on South Boulder Highway at Palo Verde Dr., south of Smith's. It already feels easy to find decent food in Henderson, and it's nice to know that there are more gas stations there than there are here.
- In its efforts to be environmentally friendly, the City of Henderson, according to reporter Jeremy Twitchell (so far my favorite Henderson Press reporter), "is replacing 28,000 street lights with energy-efficient induction lights that are projected to save more than $15 million in energy and maintenance costs over their life." This is the first time I've ever been interested in street lights beyond artistic effect, but then, anything under Henderson jurisdiction has my interest.
- There's a shop called Henderson Hobbies on Water St. I e-mailed the owner, asking about diecast cars and trucks. Even though I'm not there, I want to map out what's available because I plan to buy less online and more in-store to support my town's economy. (At 11:45 p.m.: The e-mail address bounced, which likely means that Henderson Hobbies went out of business.)
- An 11-year-old named Samanatha Chang came up with the winning name for the 6-foot-tall puppy statue at Heritage Bark Park: Barkules (pronounced like "Hercules"). This paragraph was most impressive to me: "Parks Superintendent Doug Guild presented Chang with a certificate of achievement, as well as a prize package. Prizes were co-sponsored by the Galleria at Sunset, Levi Strauss, Tracey Ford Perry Photography, Madame Tussaud's Las Vegas and Rave Motion Pictures.
Galleria at Sunset is the main mall in Henderson, so there was likely a gift certificate for the mall. Levi Strauss, probably jeans were involved. Tracey Ford Perry Photography is billed as "Fine Art Portraits," so undoubtedly a free session. I highly respect how Madame Tussaud's reaches back to Henderson, never forgetting about those who live in the area. And Rave Motion Pictures is a theater chain that has one location in Las Vegas, the Town Square 18 on Las Vegas Boulevard South. Free tickets, I'm sure.
- Downtown Sewing Machine Co., offering sewing machine sales and repairs, at 155 Water Street, Suite 130. You'd never hear about sewing machines here. To me, that's a further sign that Henderson is filled with regular people, with little shallowness. I hope so anyway.
- At Prestige Assisted Living, Henderson City Councilwoman Gerri Schroeder presented a certificate of Congressional Recognition to Sophie Maselko Sojka, who turned 100. In the Santa Clarita Valley, age is to be feared. In Henderson, it's a natural part of life.
- I spotted another ad for Coo Coo's Cafe - "Home of the Funky Monkey Frappe." Instead of waiting until I'm there to find out what's in it, I found the website and the menu. It's a "blended mocha frappe with a whole banana added." I'd try it, but I'd first dive for the "3 Cheese Omelet Quesadilla," which is made with two jumbo eggs, swiss, cheddar and provolone cheeses, and served with salsa, sour cream, and a fruit cup. Sure, it's not enough that our new apartment complex will make me feel like I'm truly home, but this place just has to serve a quesadilla that I'm now craving. I love having such issues.
- The electricity bill at the Lexus of Las Vegas dealership on West Sahara Avenue is $30,000 a month. I always wonder about those bills for casinos.
- Another full-page ad for Johnny Mac's Restaurant & Bar, in business for 28 years, which boasts "the best wings and pizza in town." Meridith's set on trying the wings. I think we all are, since we'll be trying everything in the years to come.
- There's a Hawaiian food truck called Island Breeze. They do events, and they also park outside Island Sushi and Grill on South Eastern Avenue, which supports the business. I'll be there and I'll try Hawaiian tacos.
- There's an Outdoor Picture Show at The Green in The District at Green Valley Ranch (long names, but worth it), which offers free popcorn and Monsters, Inc. on October 29, and Alice in Wonderland on October 30 (It doesn't say which version). It's still going on, and this most recent October they had The Incredibles, Ghostbusters II, and Casper, among other movies. I want to go to at least once next year.
- I know this is a Henderson newspaper, so this is to be expected, but it's nice to see a quarter-page ad from Henderson Libraries with the heading "Your All-Access Pass," touting the library card. There's six locations, including a cubbyhole at the Galleria at Sunset mall, which I will happily hang out at whenever we're there, though not as much as I did at the Valencia library because this is my home mall, so I'll always walk around, enjoying all of it.
- There's two full pages of coupons. Downtown Sewing Machine Co. offers a $10 gift certificate, Skyline Casino is pushing an $8.95 all-you-can-eat large fried shrimp special, the late Henderson Hobbies is giving 10% off all model rockets, and Johnny Mac's has one for $10 for a large one-topping pizza.
- Thinking about needing a car when I get to Henderson, I looked at the nearly full-page car listings and no one at that time is selling a Toyota Corolla. I want one because it's the most comfortable car I've ever been in. The prices on these listings also severely cooled my book-buying habit. I'll have libraries again in Las Vegas and Henderson anyway, but I've got to cut it if I happen to find a reliable-enough vehicle for $4,000-$6,000. Stop laughing. I'm still naive, but I'm learning.
- It's fun looking at the real estate ads because I don't have to think about any of these. We've got that apartment in Henderson, and don't have to worry about any of the costs that would be incurred with these houses. I will pay my share of the rent there, of course, and I'm thinking that when I do move out, I'll seek an apartment, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was in the same complex, considering that they've got a basketball court and a gym there and the grounds seem very well-maintained from what Mom and Dad have told Meridith and I.
End of the second issue, and that felt really good. I've Tivo'd The Good Wife over the final three weeks before holiday reruns, but haven't watched them yet because my research and my books always get in the way, save for Jeopardy!, The Big Bang Theory and returning interests in The Simpsons and Family Guy, which is when they step aside. They'll also step aside for this, reading all these back issues of The Henderson Press. This I can keep up on much more easily than The Good Wife.
