With stadiums closed to the public, the much-anticipated home games for Las Vegas football isn’t quite what fans had hoped for. The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod has expanded sports viewing to capture the excitement of the games with optimal sports viewing at PT’s Wings & Sports, View Lounge, William Hill Sports Book and REMIX Lounge. The iconic hotel will also offer game-day room packages.
During all Las Vegas football game weekends, The STRAT will offer the “Tailgate & Tower Package.” The football package includes an upgraded Elevate-series room, reserved game-day seating at PT’s Wings & Sports or View Lounge, a $25 food and beverage credit, SkyPod admission for two and a late checkout. To book a room, visit: www.thestrat.com/special-offers.
PT’s Wings & Sports offers prime views from every seat with more than a dozen HDTVs, a massive 8’ x 28’ LED screen wall and 11’ x 25’ LED screen behind the bar. Betting odds are displayed on tickers on every screen, as well as on four digital boards. PT’s signature growlers make it possible to drink drafts at each table, with a wide selection of domestics and crafts to choose from. Popular game day selections include wings and chicken tenders tossed in flavorful, house-made sauces including buffalo hot, Korean BBQ and sweet chile; burgers piled high including the western burger, topped with smoked cheddar cheese, crispy bacon, and chipotle BBQ sauce on a brioche bun; and signature barbecue selections.
View Lounge offers a stylish setting and views of several HDTVs, as well as a prime view overlooking William Hill Sports Book, which showcases games on multiple widescreens, a massive LED wall with nearly 40 feeds, and comfortable seating. REMIX Lounge now has a projection screen on the stage for fans to take in the games while just steps away from the action of the casino.
Social distancing protocols are in place at PT’s Wings & Sports, View Lounge, REMIX Lounge and William Hill Sports Book to provide separation between every party. Reservations for PT’s Wings & Sports may be made by calling 702.380.7777. Free parking and valet are always available at The STRAT Hotel, Casino & SkyPod.
24Meals, the non-profit started by the Fresinski family of Henderson in March to provide chef-prepared meals delivered along with uplifting messages of encouragement, has quickly grown. The organization now serves chef-prepared, home-cooked meals to more than 150 households each week and has delivered more than 6,500 meals to date. Thus far, its efforts have been made possible by donations of food, cash, and volunteers to cook and deliver meals, as well as support from Wilder Gourmet and the Fresinskis’ own financial contributions.
Katinka Fresinski, who owns an event staffing company, and her husband Matt, an executive chef on the Las Vegas Strip, started the organization when the pandemic shut down the hospitality industry. Their first family quarantine project was cleaning out their pantry. They were able to prepare 24 meals to give away, and their 11-year-old son wrote inspirational messages on each individually packaged meal’s to-go lid. That action sparked a movement: the families who received that first batch of meals wanted to help other families and asked to donate to the cause. 24Meals was born.
“It was at this moment we knew we could do so much more to help uplift people in our community,” says Katinka. “That we can all do so much more.”
The family project quickly evolved as the Fresinskis began to receive food donations from all over the valley. They created a “Chef’s Challenge,” whereby chefs are nominated to make 24 meals of their choice utilizing all the ingredients in a “mystery box” provided to them containing donated ingredients. They, too, are encouraged to write inspirational messages on each box and post their final dishes on social media. Each chef is also asked to nominate another chef and gift at least one ingredient for the next chef’s mystery box.
So far, 68 chefs have participated, and more help is needed. The public can support 24Meals by: If you are a local chef and would like to participate please email [email protected]. For Food donations contact Katinka Fresinski to receive a drop-off location or to arrange a pick-up time, for Cash donations: PayPal and Venmo @team24meals using #24Meals in the description.
Delivery drivers: To offer delivery services, email Lisa Delisle: [email protected]. And Food distributors and food brokers interested in getting products in front of chefs while helping a great cause please email: [email protected].
“As time goes on, more and more individuals are being devastated by the impact of the pandemic on our community. Every amount of support helps us serve more of our neighbors by delivering a nutritious, chef-prepared meal along with a some much-needed encouragement,” added Katinka. For more information about 24Meals, please visit 24Meals.org.
THIS AND THAT QUICKLY:
The following is an Open letter written by two young men who were raised to respect the deserts of Nevada, and whose father was (not only my opinion but his trophies prove it) one of the most respected off-road motorcycle racers world-wide, a beloved father and husband, and he was my friend! He owned and operated Best in the Desert, which was, and is, the best promoter of off-road racing anywhere. Casey Folks died in 2017 and those two boys he raised, Daryl and Bryan, were left to keep the races he loved racing. Thus far they have done a great job. This is their letter to the Off-Road Fraternity:
A little over three and a half years ago, we lost our father, Casey Folks, to a sudden and unexpected illness. And though his passing was a shock to the entire off-road racing community, we can assure you that no one grieves his loss more than the two of us. We loved our father deeply. He was a rock, a legend, an irresistible force of nature, but first and foremost, he was our dad. We are his true legacy and he lives on through us and through his organization.
We learned long ago that we shared our father with off-road racing; with the racers, support crews, sponsors, fans, and his beloved Best In The Desert network. And even though everyone misses him, we, his family, live with the constant reminder that we can no longer experience his physical presence, hear his voice, feel his touch, and laugh together.
We share these thoughts in response to comments and rumors we’ve recently read in the press and on social media questioning our father’s legacy and the future of Best In The Desert. This letter is meant to clarify a few things and to set the record straight. Before our father passed, he made it very clear through his Trust and private conversations that he wanted us, his sons, to continue to operate Best In The Desert and lead the organization forward. He imparted his philosophy on life, business, and racing and taught us the importance of treating others with dignity and respect. And while we freely admit we may not live up to his extremely high standards all the time, we have made every effort to do our best to measure up to those ideals.
Over the years, many parties approached us about purchasing Best In The Desert, including some of our internal staff. From the start, we made our position on this matter very clear. We remain committed to our father’s legacy to keep Best In the Desert in the Folks family name. Has it been a bed of roses? Has it been easy? We can assure you it has not. Off-road racing is a very challenging, 24/7 business. The sport has never faced more challenges or as much adversity as it has this past year dealing with COVID-19. Despite the challenges, however, Best In The Desert has never been bigger, better, or stronger than it is right now.
The past year has seen many changes, but we continue to strive for a safe, comfortable, and autonomous workplace. Our brand-new office, work environment, additional resources, marketing efforts, and so much more are considered long-term investments to lead Best In The Desert into a new era with a wider audience.
This year also saw the introduction of the Maxxis Triple Crown, our biggest payback for racers in Best In The Desert history. 2020 has been anything but easy, but we know how important it is to take care of our own. We are proud of our new website, our social media efforts, and a new television package, all meant to better promote our racers, sponsors, and, in turn, our racing series.
We want to assure every one of the following:
- We remain committed to this sport and our father’s business.
- We are more motivated than ever to continue to grow Best In The Desert.
- We will continue to fulfill our father’s mission to organize the best off-road desert races in the world.
- Our new, highly-experienced, and passionate off-road Race Operations Mgr., Jeff Phillips, along with powersports industry legend and AMA Hall of Famer Scot Harden leading business development and sponsor relations, are ready to take Best In The Desert to the next level.
- Our partners at Motorsports Safety Solutions and the rest of our hard-working staff remain loyal.
- We are an organization of highly accomplished racers including multi-time Baja 1000 overall winners, Vegas to Reno winners, Best In The Desert Champions, and Dakar veterans in both cars and motorcycles.
- Like our father, we will continue to manage Best In The Desert from a racer’s point of view.
- We will continue to treat everyone equally and fairly and keep an open-door policy for feedback and advice.
- We will continue to put on fun, safe, and well-organized off-road events focusing on camaraderie and a sense of adventure.
We invite everyone who loves the open, dusty horizon, rumbling engines, and high octane to continue on this journey with Best In The Desert. Our organization was established to be a shining example of the sport’s pinnacle, and we plan to keep it that way. We need to come together to make sure that desert off-road racing at its highest form is reaching the large mainstream audiences that sponsors, racers, and the media have come to expect.
If your goal is to race against the best, to test yourself across a wide variety of off-road racing conditions, to do so in front of the largest audience in the sport, as our father often said, “Come Live Your Adventure with Best In The Desert.”
We are our father’s legacy and we are Best In The Desert. Thank you for your time and see you at the races!
>Sincerely,
Daryl Folks and Bryan Folks
Best In The Desert
That’s it for this week.