This month: Old Vegas

At WGRamirez.com this month, we're ringin' in the New Year, talkin' Old Vegas.

When it comes to Las Vegas, I'm pretty protective over the town I've been in since 1972.

I am an old school guy, who appreciates and respects the path that we laid for what everyone enjoys these days in the Entertainment Capital of the World.

As I do monthly, I have three stories for you - one personal, one feature and something celebrity related to meet the theme of the month.

Mark Rich came to Las Vegas in 1974 and worked at some of the hottest nightspots back in the day. He befriended entertainers, sports personalities, and some notorious characters who made up the underworld of Las Vegas. These days, he's enjoying life as a restaurateur. But there isn't a day that goes by that he recollects with someone what old school Vegas was about. We sat down recently to talk about his time here.

Steven Schirripa might be a well-known actor who has collected hundreds of thousands of fans after bursting on to the scene as Bobby Bacala in The Sopranos, and furthering his career as Anthony Abetemarco on Blue Bloods, but he credits the good ol' days in Las Vegas for his success. Schirripa was instrumental in keeping the Riviera a hot spot for entertainment before he embarked on his acting career. We spent a little more than an hour on a Zoom session recently and talked about many people we both knew back in the day.

Finally, I spoke to a few gentlemen I have a lot of respect for and whom I appreciate for the roles they've played in my life over the years. From Billy Walters, to Don Logan, to John L. Smith, to the dee jay who is credited to introducing hip hop to Las Vegas on a grand scale, Frank Anobile. There will never be an old Las Vegas like we once had. I miss it. And I talk about it often, passionately.

Enjoy this month's edition and have a Blessed day and Happy New Year.

Willie G.