On this date May 27, 1994 “Boomtown”, now known as the Silverton Las Vegas, opened near I-15 and Blue Diamond Road. Boomtown (Silverton) is a 300-room hotel and casino in near the southern end of the Las Vegas Valley. Located on an 80-acre site, the hotel’s market is California tourists and locals. The 64,701-square-foot casino is set on a rustic lodge and water motif.
On December 2, 1997 it was renamed as the Silverton. In 2004, a $150-million renovation included the opening of a 145,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shop. The property has been renovated in 2004, 2008 (parking Garage) and 2009. TheSilverton is currently owned and operated by Ed Roski.
The Swedish base home furnishing store opened in Las Vegas on May 18, 2016.
The chain first announced plans in 2014 for a location along Durango Drive and Sunset Road just north of the 215 Beltway. Construction followed soon after.
Last month, IKEA began hiring 300 workers to man the business.
The store boast 351,000 square feet of shopping space 2,300 parking spaces, 300 employees and 3620 rooftop solar panels. The store to features three model home interiors, 43 room-settings, a supervised children’s play area and a 450-seat restaurant, which serves IKEA’s popular menu of Swedish meatballs and lingonberries.
The current closest locations to Las Vegas are in Arizona, Utah and Southern California, according to IKEA.
The Las Vegas store is the 42nd IKEA to open in the United States.
On this Date, May 18, 1985 Wet ‘n Wild opened at the North end of the Las Vegas Strip at 2601 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, Nevada. Las Vegas Strip Wet ‘n Wild was a 27-acre water park located on the Las Vegas Strip next to the Sahara Hotel. If featured water rides: Willy Willy, Der Stuka / Bomb Bay / Blue Niagra, Royal Flush, Suntan Lagoon, Lazy River, Dragon’s Den (former Banzai Banzai), Surf Lagoon, Kids Park, Raging Rapids, Plaza Pool (former Bubble Up), Black Hole & Whitewater Slideways and Beach Club.
The park closed in September 2004 to make way for the now defunct and never completed Fontainebleau Resort.
Editor’s Note: From personal history, my roommate was a lead lifeguard from the opening date, problems that occurred included: the Lazy River had too many pumps running causing the river to flow too fast. The water slides had ran too fast, which lead to some patrons flying over the sides and landing on the ground below. additionalprotective sides had to be added to extend the height. The concrete walkways had to be acid washed every night, due the falls on the slick surface. I spent the opening summer there hanging out with lots of staff during and after work.
Wet ‘n Wild Waterpark Las Vegas Strip 1990’s
Wet ‘n Wild Waterpark Las Vegas Strip 1990’s
Wet ‘n Wild Waterpark Las Vegas Strip 1990’s
Wet ‘n Wild Waterpark Las Vegas Strip 1990’s (Der Stuka)
On this date May 14, 2015, B.B. King passed away in Las Vegas. Born, Riley Ben King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), but known by his stage name B.B. King, was an American Hall of Fame blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. also,King had been a long time Las Vegas resident since 1975.
His biggest hit was “The Thrill Is Gone,” which won him the first of 15 Grammy awards. King was also known for performing tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing at more than 200 concerts per year on average into his 70s. His famous guitar was named Lucille which was a Gibson ES-355 “Lucille”. B.B King was 89.
Photo by: Tom Beetz – http://www.flickr.com/photos/9967007@N07/6577873073
On this day May 4, 1988, an explosion at the Pacific Engineering and Production Company of Nevada (PEPCON) perchlorate plant in Henderson, Nevada killed 2 people and injured 372. A large portion of the Las Vegas Valley within a 10 mile radius of the plant was affected, and caused an estimated damage of $100 million to the surrounding area.
A total of seven explosions occurred involving various containers of ammonium perchlorate, with the two largest occurring in the drums, followed by the aluminum containers. These two explosions were measured at 3.0 and 3.5 on the Richter scale by the National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado, some 600 miles away. Over eight million pounds of perchlorate were consumed in the fire and explosions. A crater estimated at 15 feet deep and over 200 feet wide was left in the storage area.
The nearby Kidd & Co. marshmallow plant was nearly destroyed and numerous homes, schools, and businesses suffered varying degrees of damage. Property damage to buildings other than the plant was estimated to be $74 million. Windows shattered as far as the Boulevard Mall and UNLV.
Clark County Fire Department Fire Investigators determined that sparks from a welder’s torch ignited the ammonium perchlorate. Poor housekeeping contributed to the fire and the resulting explosions.
The first explosion was the smallest and provided a warning to company employees to evacuate the complex. Two more detonations obliterated the property, but by then, all but two management members of the company had escaped.
After the explosion, the plant was renamed Western Electrochemical Co. and relocated to southern Utah. It operates now in Iron County, approximately 14 miles northwest of Cedar
City, Utah.
Andre Agassi was born April 29, 1970, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Agassi is an American retired professional tennis player and former World No. 1, who was one of the game’s most dominant players from the early 1990s to the mid-2000s.
In singles tennis, Agassi is an eight-time Grand Slam champion who competed in 15 Grand Slam finals and a 1996 Olympic gold medalist. His four Australian Open titles are an Open Era record (shared with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer). Agassi retired from professional tennis on September 3, 2006, after losing in the third round of the US Open.
Agassi was married to Brooke Shields from 1997 to 1999. He married Steffi Graf on October 22, 2001 and is still married.
He is the founder of the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, which has raised over $60 million for at-risk children in Southern Nevada.In 2001, the Foundation opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas, a K-12 public charter school for at-risk children.
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