The week of Reagan came to a partial close Friday with succinct and dignified local memorials for the 40th president of the United States. It began at 9:30 on the steps of City Hall. James Lubach, the chaplain of Las Vegas Fire and Rescue, spoke to a crowd of more than 150, some dressed in military uniforms, others in red white and blue. Lubach's words were familiar to anyone who'd even partially tuned into the week's Reagan deluge, describing the man as an "undying optimist" with faith in both God and humanity; a likable man. Mayor Oscar Goodman then went through Reagan's relationship with Las Vegas. How he performed here briefly, and his penchant for fishing and boating in Lake Mead, and how he visited 10 times as president to support Nellis. The mayor recounted his nine favorite words that Reagan used: "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help," bringing a chuckle from the crowd. Then people bowed their heads for a moment of silence, and the news cameras panned the scene. There was no mention of jelly beans. No uttering of "the Gipper."
Friday night, casino lights dimmed. Down on the Fremont Street Experience, the canopy darkened, as did the lights up and down the street. Fitzgerald's. Four Queens. Fremont. But not everyone honored the moment of silence that was to accompany the dimming. The caricature artist kept working, bantering with the couple he was distorting. Across from him, the glossy artist who paints dolphins in front of swirling moons kept painting, and the spellbound crowd, so engaged by the final product, forgot the moment of silence, the week of Reagan, and began clapping. Aside from those exceptions, heads were bowed as the respectful crowd stood still, taking a moment from their partying, a break from their football beers, a respite from posing with the albino boa constrictor.
After the moment of silence the canopy lit up with a picture of Reagan, smiling by an American flag. Taps played, and the crowd responded with claps and whistles. Then, as the lights came on again, Ray Charles' "America the Beautiful" filled the street. An appropriate tribute to another who'd recently passed.