Morelli House Receives National Recognition

Junior League of Las Vegas headquarters named to National Register of Historic Places.

Junior League of Las Vegas announced recently that its headquarters, the Morelli House, former home of revered Sands Hotel Orchestra Leader Antonio Morelli and his wife Helen, located at 861 East Bridger Avenue, has been recently listed on the prestigious National Register of Historic Places, named by The National Register, the nation's official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. This esteemed honor, conferred by the U.S. Park Service, is part of a national program that supports public and private efforts to identify and protect America’s historic resources.

National designation was granted on two criteria: Antonio Morelli’s contributions to the Las Vegas community and the structure’s mid-century modern architecture. Prior to this national recognition, the Morelli House was listed on the Nevada State Register of Historic Places in 2001 and on the City of Las Vegas Historic Property Register in 2007.

A classic, mid-century modern home, the Morelli house was built in 1959 by Antonio and Helen Morelli at its original location of 52 Country Club Drive within the former Desert Inn Estates. In 2001, after being subject to demolition to make way for Wynn Resorts, the Junior League relocated the architecturally impressive home to its current location in the downtown Las Vegas historic district. Final restoration was completed in 2009.

In addition to its architectural significance, the house represents Antonio Morelli’s years of achievement and importance in Las Vegas entertainment history as the conductor of the Sands Copa Room Orchestra for nearly 20 years. Antonio considered the building of his home to be one of the greatest challenges of his life.

It was a place where legendary gatherings took place, where a variety of local Strip headliners — including members of the famed Rat Pack, professional musicians, and prominent locals — enjoyed the hospitality of the Morelli’s. Antonio is also credited for producing pop concerts and religious pageants for Las Vegas locals where lavish, star-studded performances were provided free to the public.

Read more about the Morelli House in this Nevada Magazine article, which was published n the March/April 2009 issue.

Indigenous Peoples Week Celebrates Indigenous Tourism

By Ron Mader/Planeta.com 

Photo: Charlie Johnston

Planeta.com, Nutti Sámi Siida, Guurrbi Tours, TIME Unlimited, and Nevada Magazine co-host Indigenous Peoples Week, August 6-12, the second annual celebration of social media storytelling about indigenous peoples and tourism around the world.

This online "unconference" is free, and everyone's invited. The objective is two-fold: to raise awareness of indigenous tourism options around the world and improve digital literacy skills among indigenous tourism providers themselves.

Our circle of conversation includes indigenous and non-indigenous peoples around the world. Complete details are available online at Planeta Wiki.

Be Engaged: How to Participate

Learn social media by using it — blogs, Delicious, Facebook, Flickr, Foodspotting, Foursquare, Google+, Linkedin, Pinterest, Slideshare, Twitter, YouTube, and Wikipedia — to learn and share info about indigenous culture.

1. Delicious: Follow the Indigenous Peoples Week Stack, and suggest a link.
2. Facebook: Introduce yourself or ask a question on the event page.
3. Flickr: Create an account, and upload a few photos of your work. There are a
   number of relevant groups. One of our favorites is the World Crafts Group, and another is the World Parks Group.
4. Foodspotting: Please share photos of indigenous foods available for visitors.
5. Slideshare: Favorite the overview presentation, and seek out or create a new presentation about indigenous culture.
6. Twitter: Tweet about indigenous culture, and please tweet about the event. Use the hashtag #ipw2012.
7. YouTube: Videos, please! Record your own video, and introduce yourself and your interest in indigenous tourism. You can also curate a playlist to document indigenous culture and traditional knowledge. Example here.
8. Wikipedia: Read or edit information about indigenous culture.

Nevada Magazine announces 2012 Best of Nevada winners

Nevada Magazine’s July/August 2012 edition, which reveals the winners of the publication’s 15th annual Best of Nevada readers’ survey, is on newsstands now. From Brewery to Wedding Venue, the annual listing includes 18 categories. In most cases, the categories are divided into North, South, and Rural Nevada, giving tourists plenty of statewide vacation ideas.

Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno is a five-category winner, voted Best Casino, Hotel, Nightclub, Spa, and Wedding Venue in Northern Nevada. David Walley’s Resort Hot Springs & Spa won two categories: Best Spa and Wedding Venue in Rural Nevada. The Best of Nevada food-and-drink categories (Brewery, Buffet, and Restaurant) are covered extensively in the magazine’s “Cravings” department, highlighted by Reno’s Cactus Creek Prime Steakhouse, which won Best Restaurant in Northern Nevada for the third year in a row.

Red Rock Casino Resort Spa is the only two-category winner in the Southern Nevada discipline, earning Best Casino and Spa honors. Tropicana Laughlin won Best Restaurant and Wedding Venue in Rural Nevada. The recently opened Mob Museum won Southern Nevada’s Best Museum category in its first year of eligibility, and Tonopah’s Central Nevada Museum won the Rural Museum category for the third consecutive year.

A complete list of winners can be found at nevadamagazine.com. To see past Best of Nevada winners, click here.

July/August 2012 issue

Best of Nevada winners Nevada Northern Railway in Ely (Best Place to Take the Kids; Rural) and Valley of Fire State Park (Best State Park; South) also were honored with the distinction of being named one of the state’s six treasures in a recent Nevada Commission on Tourism campaign called Discover Your Nevada. Like Best of Nevada, the treasures—one from each of the state’s six “territories”—were determined by public vote.

Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park (Minden), Goldwell Open Air Museum (near Rhyolite), Nevada Northern Railway (Ely), Pyramid Lake (Indian Reservation), The Star Bar & Dining Room (Elko), and Valley of Fire State Park are the six treasures and the subjects of the July/August issue’s cover story, which also discusses how Governor Brian Sandoval and Lieutenant Governor Brian K. Krolicki have taken active roles in promoting intrastate travel.

Also in the July/August issue are stories about renovations at Las Vegas’ original resort—Golden Gate Hotel & Casino—sister bed and breakfasts in Alamo, a cozy B&B in Kingston, and a history story about the July 18, 1912 flood that wiped the northwestern Nevada mining town of Mazuma off the map.