Weekly newsletter issued by the Las Vegas Rotary Club

A view of the Dunes Hotel tower under construction. The famous sultan statue is visible in the foreground. The marquee is visible in the background advertising "Now in the Persian Room Vive Les Girls French Stage Spectacular 8:30 pm, 11:30 pm, 1:15 am" and "Persian Room All new direct from Paris Vive Les Girls! Produced by Danny Costello Star of the Ed Sullivan Show". The Dunes, which was themed after the Arabian Nights stories, opened on May 23, 1955 with 200 hotel rooms, located in several two-story buildings. From the time of its opening, the Dunes was known for the 35 foot tall fiberglass sultan statue that stood above its main entrance. In 1961, a 24-story, 250-room hotel tower, known as Diamond of the Dunes, was added to the northern part of the property, bringing the total number of rooms to 450. At the top of the tower was the Top O' the Strip restaurant and lounge. The tower was the tallest building in the state at the time. In 1979, the South Tower was added, expanding the hotel to 1300 rooms. A second casino in a separate, round building on the site opened in 1983 under the name Oasis Casino at The Dunes. In 1985, the sultan statue was moved to the golf course during renovations, and later caught fire, reportedly due to an electrical short. On November 17, 1992, the Dunes was sold to Wynn's company, Mirage Resorts, Inc., for $75 million. On January 26, 1993, the Dunes closed its doors for good. Steve Wynn bought the Dunes and started the redevelopment trend with the demolition of the 32-year-old North Tower. On October 27, 1993, the Dunes was demolished in a grand ceremony that involved major fireworks displays and the use of several "cannon blasts" from the English ship 'HMS Britannia' of Treasure Island Hotel and Casino. The 15-year-old South Tower was demolished 9 months later in July 1994, with no fanfare and minimal media attention. The Bellagio now stands in its place. The property is located at 3600 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109.

Part of an interview with D. D. Cotton by Claytee White on February 14, 1997. Cotton discusses challenges faced by women dealers and her work as a dancer and dealer in a number of casinos.

The Atomic Liquors bar sits at 927 Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Sheet.
Site address: 927 Fremont St
Sign owner: 100 10th Street LLC
Sign details: Property sold by Lance Johns to 100 10th Street LLC in 2014 for $3,480,000. Recent addition to property in 2017 (927 Fremont Street).
Sign condition: 3 - Decent: neon in great condition, paint chipping off and some bulbs not repaired
Sign form: Directional Monument sign, back to back "Double sided"
Sign-specific description: Uses directional tool of an arrow, has chasing animation in the arrow with incandescent bulbs. It has blade like additions to it for the word "Liquor" and "Cocktails", each word on its own blade which are parallel to the ground, they are painted red. The word "Atomic" sits on the top in a comic style "blast" shaped bubble painted yellow. "Packaged liquors" and "Cold beer" painted on the base structure of the sign. Bulbs glow yellow, "Liquor" glows blue, "Cocktails" glows red, "Atomic" is not lit.
Sign - type of display: Neon and incandescent
Sign - media: Steel
Sign animation: Chaser effect with bulbs
Sign environment: Property surrounded by other bars/clubs and motels.
Sign - date of installation: c. 1952
Sign - artistic significance: 1950s atomic testing theme - popular due to test sight 65 miles north of city
Survey - research locations: Bar website, www.roadarch.com, owner
Surveyor: Danny Jacobs
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-12
Sign keywords: Neon; Incandescent; Steel; Chasing; Directional; Monument sign; Back to back; Fascia; Floating Mount Letters