Magical Forest Shines Bright in Opportunity Village

 

 

Photos by Nikki Artale

Get in the holiday spirit by visiting the Magical Forest in Opportunity Village and bring out the inner child in you as you walk through the park surrounded by millions of lights. It is an enchanted wonderland that is not only magical for children, but for adults as well.

 

 

There are a lot of animal characters walking around and taking pictures with many of the children. The displays are awesome and beautiful, especially the ginger bread houses, the castle, the polar bears, Santa’s reindeers, the decorated trees and hundreds of displays. It is a magical experience walking through the twinkling lights and hearing the Christmas music playing.

 

 

The express passenger train ride is popular for both the children and adults and the train goes through the entire park surrounded by the twinkling lights. There is also the Carousel, Avalanche Slide, and Mini Golf, Photos with Santa and Hot Chocolate and fennel cakes.

 

One display I loved was from the movie “The Christmas Story” with Ralphie (you’re going to shoot your eye out) that is shown for 24 hours every Christmas day. I have watched that movie faithfully for many, many years and I love it.

All the proceeds go to Opportunity Village, a non-profit agency that serves the people with intellectual disabilities by providing them with training and employment that improves the quality of their lives. The Magical Forest opens for the season November 21, 2014-January 4, 2015 Sunday-Thursday 5:30-9:00 pm Friday –Saturday 5:30-10:00 pm. and is located at Opportunity Village 6300 W. Oakey Blvd, Las Vegas NV.  It is the highlight of the holiday season and I enjoyed it with my family. www.opportunityvillage.org  

 

 

 

 

Terry Fator’s Country Themed Christmas with His Amazing Cast

Terry Fator  Taylor Makakoa

Photos by Nikki Artale

A Country Christmas featured country themed performances by Terry Fator and all his lovable characters. The media was once again invited on December 1, 2014 at The Mirage in Las Vegas to see Terry Fator, as he entertained everyone with his celebrity impressions. www.terryfator.com  

 

 

The show started with Terry singing many favorite Christmas songs before he welcomed his amazing cast on stage. As the doorbell rang he brought in his lovable characters. Some of the classic carols included O Holy Night and Winter Wonderland and the duet with Bing Crosby, I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas, was special. The likeness of the puppet and the music was reminiscent of Bing.

 

Terry is brilliant bringing his puppets alive and has mastered their voices perfectly. We loved seeing Winston, the Impersonating Turtle, Maynard, Berry Fabulous, Garth Brooks and Walter T. Airdale. Terry’s wife, Taylor Makakoa adds beauty and class to the show as she assists by taking the characters off stage when they are done.  

 

 

 

The interaction with Elvis was funny and every show needs an Elvis.

 

 

I love when audience members are brought up on stage and become part of the show. A nice agreeable man said yes when called upon to come on stage and he did a duet with Terry Fator, as Dolly Parton, and it was funny and enjoyable. http://youtu.be/D2wXkaNjQ5M

I am a loyal fan of the show America’s Got Talent and I was excited when Terry Fator won Season two. He was unique and talented and won the hearts of America and then won the hearts of Las Vegas when he got a multi-million dollar deal with The Mirage in Las Vegas. He has thrilled audiences at The Mirage since 2009 and there will be many more years to come. Terry deserves all the fortune and fame he has and it took over 25 years of performing in venues across the states to perfect his talent, so when he appeared and won on AGT show it truly was deserving. He has the heart of gold and is so wonderful with his fans and shows his love for them. I am always happy to see someone who has struggled and worked hard for so many years to finally find fame and happiness. Terry is one of our favorite entertainers.

 

Tickets can be purchased at the box office or by phone 702-792-7777 or 800-963-9634

Terry Fator             Nikki Artale

 

Fabulous Eating at Crazy Pita, 5 Brothers Burgers, Yumz Gourmet Frozen Yogurt and Dunkin Donuts.

The Toy Box Grand opening at Downtown Summerlin.

 

Crazy Pita Rotisserie & Grill has opened its third location in Downtown Summerlin, featuring their delicious Mediterranean cuisine.  The media was invited to attend on Nov. 16, 2014 to taste all the mouthwatering delicious food, especially the Kefta Pita which is marinated seasoned ground beef. www.crazypita.com

 

We were greeted by Chief Pita/Owner Executive Mehdi Zarhloul who has two other locations in Southern Nevada, The District at Green Valley Ranch and Town Square.  The signature dishes include Shrimp, salmon, falafel, steak, lamb along with the hummus and pita.

Mehdi Zarhloul

 

 

Crazy Pita is located at 10975 Sage Park Drive #100, Las Vegas NV. www.crazypita.com 702 750-2118

5 Brothers Burgers and Fries is located at 01965 Lavender Hills Drive in the new Downtown Summerlin Mall and they are the first franchise to offer milkshakes with their juicy burgers and the fresh cut fries. Only fresh, never frozen ground beef is served with the many possibilities of toppings on their hamburgers, cheeseburgers, bacon burgers and hot dogs. I love the boxes of peanuts that are offered free to all the customers.www.fiveguys.com

 

 

 

Brad Carlson and his brother own 10 store franchises, eight in the valley, one in Reno and 1 in Carson City. 5 Brothers Burgers and Fries was voted Best Burger by the WA magazine readers and named the number one burger restaurant in America by Playboy Magazine.

 

Yumz Gourmet Frozen Yogurt is a unique recipe that tastes like ice cream with no sugar added and is fat free with 85 to 100 calories per serving. It is packed with live and active culture probiotics in the 55 flavors.

 

 

Matt Thelander, co-founder of Yumz Gourmet Frozen Yogurt is proud to give his customers healthy options with the Greek frozen yogurt that feature benefits of seven percent protein in each serving.

The store is located at 6135 S. Fort Apache Rd Suite 400, Las Vegas, NV. Store hours are from 11:00am to 10:00pm Sunday-Thursday, 11:00am-11:00pm Fridays and Saturdays. www.yumzfrozenyogurt.com 702 201-1155

Dunkin Donuts is Everyone’s Favorite Donut and a reminder of my east coast roots in New Jersey when I frequented the Dunkin Donuts on a regular basis to buy dozen of my favorite donuts. You can imagine what a thrill it was for me when Dunkin Donuts finally came to Las Vegas and for seven years running it has earned the number one ranking for customer loyalty. www.dunkindonuts.com

 

Kerri Escabar, manager of Dunkin Donuts was on hand recently when the actors from Fright Dome at Circus, Circus visited the store on at 3481 S. Durango, Las Vegas NV to serve the public guests. Jason Egan is the creator of the Fright Dome, one of the top haunted attractions that features haunted houses, scare zones and real life ghoulish professional actors.

 

 

 

 

Stop by and taste the new “Cronut” and the new apple and pumpkin pies for the holidays.

 

The Toy Box Opened in Downtown Summerlin with a special media event to introduce the owners to America. It is their first venture here and they are loving it and are excited in the opening of their first store The Toy Box.

 

There are many collectables and wonderful toys and gifts for children of all ages. It was a joy to see all the children going up and down the aisle picking out the toys that they wanted. They also enjoyed the face paintings they received.

 

Angela          Balloons with a Twist

 

It was a pleasure to see Kevin Burke “Caveman” at the media event and also Scott Commings, who won Hell’s Kitchen, Season 12, with his children Gavin and Gweneth. Scott won a one year contract at the Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV.

Kevin Burke

 

Stop in and say hello to Justin at The Toy Box, 1980 Festival Plaza Drive, Las Vegas, NV.

Glittering Lights at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Photos by Nikki Artale

It is that time of year when the magic of Christmas comes to life at the annual holiday drive through at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is a magical ride along the 2.5 mile racetrack with millions of twinkling LED lights. One display is of Peace, Hope, Grace, Joy and Love and it lightens our hearts and minds to this joyous time.

It is also a special time when the talented stars and entertainers come to turn on the lights that will glow brightly until January 5, 2015.  Human Nature performed and the crowd loved them. The four white Aussies singing Motown are Toby Allen, Phil Burton and brothers Andrew & Michael Tierney.

 

A lot of other entertainers attended and enjoyed the festivities. Kevin Burke is back and starring in “Defending the Caveman” at Harrah’s Hotel. We love Kevin Burke in his one man show of the Caveman and a must see show.

It was wonderful to see Sean E Cooper and the girls of the Fantasy Show. It is a great show and we love the comedy and the fantastic talent of Sean E Cooper. Another must see show at the Luxor Hotel.

Adding glamor to the festivities was Clair Sinclair, the Pin up Girl at the Stratosphere Hotel. 

Glittering lights is open Sunday to Thursday at 5:30pm-9:00pm, Friday & Saturday 5:30pm to 10:00pm

Hi Rise Condo at Turnberry Towers

 

Photos by Nikki Artale

Have you always wanted to live in a Hi-Rise condo with views of the Las Vegas Strip and the mountains? Now is your opportunity to be a resident of Turnberry Towers West and enjoy the fabulous views.

 

 

Sit on your balcony on the 19^th floor for an early breakfast or an evening coffee and marvel at the beautiful lights of the city or enjoy an evening swim in the pool.

Enjoy the outdoors with two tennis courts and a BBQ area to entertain your guests in a private resort like atmosphere without the crowds.

 

 

This one bedroom, 1.5 bath condo is cozy and comfortable, with a custom kitchen with built in appliances. There are tile floors throughout the unit. All this for $1500.00 a month.

Turnberry Towers is a guard gated community and there is valet parking available to you and your guests. Each unit is assigned a private parking spot in a detached garage and individual storage space.

Call me for a private showing.  Realty One Group, Nikki Artale 702 279-7001

The Vatican Museums 3D Comes to the Silver Screen

 

For the first time The Vatican Museums 3D, the world’s largest work of art will be shown on the big screen in select cinemas nationwide for one night only. On Wednesday, December 10, 2014, at 7:00pm, the 3D spectacular will be shown in Las Vegas at The Orleans, Village Square, Santa Fe Station, Century 16 South Point and Sam’s Town.

The film is a journey through the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museum with a behind the-scenes look at the world’s greatest art collection in history that has been built up for over six centuries. It is an opportunity to get up close and personal in viewing these masterpieces.

Fathom Events presents this to the big screen showing the works of Giotti, Van Gogh, Dali, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Sistine Chapel. http://www.fathomevents.com  

Marco Pianigiani, Director takes the audience on a spectacular journey in the making of this masterpiece. It is the first time that cameras have been allowed inside the Museum to capture the beauty and spectacular masterpiece of art. Outstanding is the statue of the demi-god Hercules and other classic statues