And so it must be the urbane things, like operas and the ballet, and the meaty things which feed the intellect, like political rallies and book readings, that we lack.
Which is by and large the reason behind the Las Vegas World Affairs Council, a group of about 155 members seeking higher culture, led by Ben Duchek, which puts on 80 to 90 programs a year that feature relevant international figures, such as world leaders and acclaimed artists, in refined settings. Just like on March 7, when the LVWAC hosted a luncheon and book signing by Terry McAuliffe, who became Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign manger in the same last week of January that his book of political memoirs debuted, in the ritzy and incorruptible setting of the Four Seasons hotel. It, in truth, was a first-class event.
But hardly anyone showed up. Duchek says his greatest challenge so far has been to build a market in town for these types of events—or, in his terms, "to associate value with what we do." Tickets to the events usually cost $40 to $50. And turnouts have been small.
Perhaps because those people who decry the lack of culture in Las Vegas are also the last to get the ball rolling.