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The Sahara opened in 1952 with a Moroccan theme.

Monday, March 14, 2011 | noon

The owner of the Sahara hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip on March 11 announced plans to close the property on May 16. The 59-year-old casino at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip has a warm spot in the hearts of many Sun readers, and we asked them to share their stories with us. Some of their memories are below, edited for spelling and clarity.

If you have stories you would like to share, you can do so by following this link.

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I've lived here for over 40 years. I remember when I was a child here, my parents going to the Sahara Hotel lounge all the time, they said it was their second living room. They saw Frank Sinatra there along with Don Rickles.

-- Al Barbagallo

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One late afternoon in the 60s, upon walking into the elevator, standing there was Jack Benny. Those were the days.

-- Dennis Rosen

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I remember my dad taking me to the front parking lot of the Sahara, just South of the main porte cochere, back in I believe 1956, to see Elvis Presley's "1956 Solid Gold Cadillac," as he was playing at the Sahara at the time. My dad worked at the Sahara in the casino and after work one night, he and his peers watched the El Rancho Vegas burn down, from the front perking lot of the Sahara. My dad also dealt craps to the various "Rat Pack" members while "Ocean's 11" was filming at the Sahara, and later at the Sands.

I also watched some of the filming of the "Ocean's 11" movie at the north entrance to the Sahara casino. Can you believe that from the northwest corner of L.V.B.S. and Sahara Avenue to the northeast corner of Sahara Avenue and Paradise Road, running down Paradise Road along the property line, was a parking lot?

In the early 70s, I worked for a vendor and worked on a sound system in the Casbar Lounge and worked from about 9 p.m. to the wee small hours of the morning. After work we would go to breakfast in the coffee shop and it's funny how you remember things, but I LOVED their Spanish omelets.

Believe it or not, I believe I'm accurate in stating that the Sahara had the FIRST high-rise hotel tower on the Las Vegas Strip. The tower is no longer there, but it was about 10 stories high and became the second high-rise hotel in town, along with the Fremont Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

At one time in its life, the Sahara was THE place to go for conventions, concerts, MDA Telthon, etc. as there wasn't a room that size in town, other than the Las Vegas Convention Center.

I'm sorry to see the Sahara go, as it has been a key part of our city's history. If Hank Greenspun were still alive, he would be raising hell over its closure. Let's hope someone picks it up in a sale and keeps it alive, with a major remodel.

Thanks for the opportunity to remember "the good ole days."

-- Randy Clark

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1964 AND 1965 Louis Prima, Gia Maione Prima, Sam Buttera. Absolutely the best lounge act EVER...EVER.

-- Bill Pope

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The Sahara was the first hotel I ever stayed at in Las Vegas and it wound up being the place I always made a point of spending time at during my subsequent twenty or so annual Vegas vacations. I felt like I was going back in time to a special place. I just wish I would be able to head back to the Sahara before the closing.

-- Ray Johnson, New Brunswick, New Jersey

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I moved to Las Vegas in 1978 with my husband and 4 children ranging in age from 10 to 18. One of the first places we went was the Sahara so we could eat at the buffet. It was fantastic and the first buffet we had ever eaten at. We didn't have a lot of extra money and the food was great and it filled up my three sons for not much money. We went back often. They had a lounge show my husband and I could go to and buy a drink and see some wonderful musicians. I have not been back since seeing the rat pack a number of years ago. I will definitely miss the Sahara Hotel and its friendly staff.

-- Marilyn Morin

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My father, Tony, was the general manager of the Sahara during the Del Webb years, from around 1976 to 1984. I was far to young to appreciate it then, but our family had a great time dining and hanging out at the Sahara. We would eat "comped" at The House of Lords (and everywhere else for that matter), and we had a special booth with a phone so my dad could stay in communication with the pit bosses and the "eye in the sky." When my uncle visited from England, he couldn't believe how great Don the Beachcomber was with their giant and unique Pacific Island cocktails.

High rollers would shower our family with gifts, especially folks from Hawaii. I remember seeing boxes of chocolate covered macadamia nuts stacked in our living room. We even had old blackjack and craps tables in our garage that all the neighborhood kids would play on.

My dad would park his white Cadillac right off The Strip under the marquee, which often had names like Redd Foxx and Don Rickles on it. We would walk into the main entrance, and every valet and bellman knew my name! Every once in a while, I'll meet someone who worked at the Sahara with my father; the story is always the same: "Your father gave me a job when no one else would!"

I would have never believed the place would ever go dark, even today. Las Vegas was a different world back then, and I miss it.

-- Ashton Packe

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After a divorce in 1972, I auditioned for the Skin Show at the Sahara (previously being a June Taylor Dancer). Alas, 32 was too old to keep up with the rest of the line. So, I became a pit clerk instead. It was there that I met the most wonderful man (pit boss) who was later to become my husband. I met Bob Miller in 1972, my hire date at the Hotel Sahara, before women were allowed to deal cards. I spent more than half my life with Bob. We finally married in 2000. He passed in 2008. He spent most of his life as a Sahara Pit Boss. He loved his job, and I loved him. Thank you, Sahara Hotel, for giving us both a fantastic life.

-- DJ Barrett

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNH0fYD_2gZqKUcNNL47WvR_XLZ5rQ&url=http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/mar/14/sahara-memories/

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