By John Katsilometes
Judy Del Rossi tried to make some sense of the sad news by reasoning, “They must need dry cleaning in heaven.” It was Monday morning and she was speaking of the death of her uncle, Emilio Germano, who died suddenly of heart attack July 25 at age 74.
Germano was a major figure in the family who own Tiffany Cleaners at the Commercial Center on East Sahara Avenue. Tiffany is a Vegas institution, no question. Emilio’s brother, Ed, opened the business in 1973. Emilio took over in 1977 and until his death owned the property on which the business stands. His niece and Ed’s daughter, Judy, and her ever-congenial husband, Dan, took over management of Tiffany’s a few years ago. But Emilio remained active in the day-to-day operations. In fact, just days before his death, Judy mentioned to me that Emilio was a person I should meet because of his rich history in Vegas. Emilio was a member of the Italian American Club and Augustus Society and was a frequent semester at Italian-American events throughout the city.
“He came in a couple of times a week, at least,” Judy said. “He was in the store about a week before he died. He basically repaired the furs and would consult us on how to handle all the Cirque costumes.”
Tiffany bills itself as the city’s only couture cleaners and helps maintain all the intricately stitched, sequined- and rhinestone-encrusted costumes worn in many of the Strip’s most lavish shows, particularly Cirque du Soleil productions. They also clean the costumes for “Monty Python’s Spamalot” at Wynn Las Vegas and “The Producers” at Paris Las Vegas.
Emilio repaired the many luxurious furs delivered to the business. He was an expert at such work. “Not too many people know how to do what he did,” Judy said. “A lot of those techniques, they don’t teach anymore. It’s a sad time for us at Tiffany.”
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Another booking to note at Naughty Ladies Saloon at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur is the powerhouse Lon Bronson Orchestra. The highly acclaimed Vegas ensemble is featured in a limited engagement dubbed “Revenge of the Horns” from Aug. 10-Aug. 12. Charlie’s is making an admirable effort to be noticed in the locals’ entertainment market; last weekend another longtime Vegas favorite, Loveshack, performed at Naughty Ladies.
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On that note, another sad development from earlier this month was the passing on July 10 of Kevin Lawson, who once played trumpet for Bronson and was featured in such Vegas stage shows as “The Rat Pack is Back” at Greek Isles and Zowie Bowie at Red Rock Resort. Kevin also taught music at Von Tobel Middle School. He was a teddy-bear of a guy whom I got to know pretty well in another world, and his friends are still shaken by the death of a good and gifted guy who left us far too soon. Kevin was 42. His family is asking anyone wishing to honor his memory to donate to the music program or charity of your choice.
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It seems only yesterday that Tangerine opened as the new groundbreaking nightclub at Treasure Island. That was July 4, 2004. But this week Pure Management Group has announced that the club will be closed Sept. 1 for a major renovation project and will reopen on New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, on Aug. 31 Pure opens LAX at the Luxor, with Britney Spears the hired gun scheduled to appear on opening night.
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A new boutique worth checking out, The Dressing Room, has opened at Holsum Lofts. It is a full-service boutique with simple, elegant fashions targeted specifically to brides and bridesmaids. The shop is the realization of a lifelong dream for proprietor Gabrielle Clark.
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Belated 30th birthday to friend and “Waking Up With the Wagners” producer Jason Latham, whose birthday debacle (I mean, celebration) included a roast by his buddies at Liberace’s old restaurant, Tivoli Gardens on East Tropicana Avenue. Flavored vodka, in most cases blueberry Stoli, was the gift of choice for the tall, talented, verbose Latham. While the roast will not threaten any Friars Club production (guys, how many gay jokes can we pull from the Internet?), one presenter who stood out was Dana Wagner. The morning anchor could make a living doing stand-up. He’s not above doing “blue,” that Dana.
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A story in today’s New York Times about security in Las Vegas ran a couple of quotes worth noting. Former Sheriff Bill Young, now the security chief of Stations Casino, told the paper, “We have not had an event here in Las Vegas the equivalent of the events of 9/11 or anything close to that, and that hasn’t been by accident. With all that said, it’s going to be very, very, very difficult to prevent lone criminals who have the intentions of harming themselves and others.” Earlier in the story, a 27-year-old legal secretary from Dallas named Sylvia Cunningham, who was staying at New York-New York a couple of weeks ago when gunfire broke out at the hotel, said of Vegas, “Everybody comes and goes as they please. Who would know if that Elvis impersonator were a suicide bomber?”
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On our menus: Devilish order at any Wendy’s: A Caesars salad and large iced tea costs $6.66.
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PL8 in my head: GTZBETR on a green Toyota 4-Runner.
Fabulous Las Vegas appears at this Web site. John Katsilometes can be reached at 990-7720, 812-9812 or at [email protected]