Pete Barbutti (also spelled Barbuti) was born in 1934 in Scranton. Pennsylvania. As a

child he was expected to learn an musical instrument. Pete's musical talents were honed

on the accordion and later the piano and trumpet. He had a gift for music and for comedy.

This combination would lead to a career in both and a list of professional and personal

friends that spanned an era from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Pete and his wife Mary Ann moved to Las Vegas in 1960. They raised their children here

Freddie Sarno was born to parents Jay Sarno and Joyce Sarno Keys. He had three siblings named Jay Sarno Jr, September Sarno, and Heidi Strauss Sarno.

“Jay Sarno,” January 2, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Sarno.

Cindy Funkhouser was born July 29, 1958 and grew up in Iowa and Nebraska. Funkhouser moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1982. When not working as a cocktail waitress at the Four Queens Hotel and Casino—where she was employed for 14 years—she pursued her interest in vintage items as a part-time business. She opened an antique store business, Funk House, in 2001. She is one of the forces behind the development of First Friday and Downtown’s arts movement that is deeply rooted in the John S. Park Neighborhood’s sense of community.

Dr. Bradley Rothermel was born in Monroe Center, Illinois into a family of educators. He attended Northern Illinois University in De Kalb for his bachelor’s degree and the University of Illinois for his Master’s and PhD. Rothermel’s work history includes coaching in the Chicago Cubs organization and at Kansas State and West Virginia University as athletic director and business manager, before arriving at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 1981.