It's that time again for local pastry chefs in the Laughlin area to put on their oven mitts and flour-up their pans to see who has the most delectable desserts. The previous two fests had been held at Don Laughlin's Riverside. This year the Flamingo will have the honor of hosting the 3rd Annual Dessert Fest, which generates funds for the Laughlin Little League.

The delicious event takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 6:30 p.m. in Flamingo Ballroom "A" located on the second floor in the Arizona Tower. Tickets are $10, which includes all the dessert you can sample, and can be purchased at the Flamingo Box Office or the Laughlin Chamber of Commerce.

The judges for the competition will be comprised of a panel of non-food and beverage professionals. As in the past two years, there will be seven categories of competition: Best Overall Booth Presentation, Best Cookie Creation, Best Gourmet Dessert, Incredible Cakes, Pie Extravaganza, Cheesecake and Best of Show.

Air Play has opened in the Pavilion Theater at the Ramada Express after a highly successful three-year run at the Las Vegas Tropicana, a sister property. Air Play is an amazing high-flying spectacular full length show entertaining audiences with an artistic combination of acrobatics, power and grace. Performance dates are Feb. 25-March 1, March 5-8, and March 11-15. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7.50 for children (18 and under) and seniors (62 and older), and can be purchased at the Ramada Express Ticket Window.

Air Play producer Franco Deliz showcases the talents of respected Las Vegas specialty acts including high flyers and a surprise interlude of musical entertainment and audience interaction. Deliz draws upon many talented performers, which brings a continual element of change to the show. Air Play is a dynamic display of music, dancing, acrobats and more, a show you will want to see more than once.

The Colorado Belle's Paddlewheel Restaurant is now offering the Giant Ham Steak and Eggs breakfast for $2.49 plus tax. The breakfast, offered 24 hours a day, includes two eggs cooked to order, a very generous slice of ham steak, hash brown potatoes, and your choice of toast.

Harrah's poker room has been expanded to accommodate more players and is now located near the high limit slot area in the main casino. The poker room features six tables, higher limit games, a broad variety of daily and weekly tournaments and promotions, including "23 Jewels on the River." On the last Sunday of each month, the poker room features $100 buy-in plus $10 bounty tournament.

Poker players may sign up for any of these tournaments at the poker room registration desk at least one hour prior to tournament start. Player tracking for Total Reward members continues to be available.

The poker room also features a "Hand-of-the-Day" promotion where players earn $50 in chips when they get the featured hand. This promotion is available daily from the time the poker room opens until it closes.

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Laughlin certainly gets its fair share of big name headliners with a bonus of reasonable ticket prices. Donny Osmond is playing the Flamingo Ballroom on Feb. 16. Tickets are $19.95 and $24.95.

Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two Woman Show will headline at Don's Celebrity Theatre at the Riverside for five nights, Feb. 8-12. Tickets are $34.

The Avi has booked singer Patti Page on Feb. 12 in the River Garden Pavilion. Tickets are $25. The comedy duo Williams & Ree, known as the "Indian and the White Guy," will follow Page on Feb. 18. Tickets are $18.

The Diamonds or Cash Daily Giveaway at the Riverside running through Feb. 28, allows participants to win their choice of a set of his and hers Diamond Rings (retail value $3,000) or $1,500 in cash. The diamonds are on display at The Watch Man, the world's largest watch store. One entry ticket is given for every 100 points earned at a single rate on reel, video poker and keno machines. Tickets may also be earned for table games. Drawings are conducted at 6:30 p.m. (Nevada time) in the South Tower Promotional Area.

On Jan. 19, four deuces beat aces full of deuces in a Texas Hold 'em game in the Colorado Belle's Poker Room, and history was made. The $113,975 poker jackpot was the largest one ever hit in a Laughlin card room. The 79 Hold 'em players in the room celebrated the event because each took home a share of the huge jackpot.

When the jackpot was paid out, Sunny Ball of Bullhead City, Ariz., had $45,594 for the bad beat she sustained when her aces full of deuces hand was beaten by Vincent Boudreau's four deuces. Boudreau, a New Mexico resident, took home $22,797 for his trouble. The remaining 77 players, who were in Hold 'em games at the time the jackpot hit, received $592 each.

The Colorado Belle Poker Room is now on record for the most money paid out in Bad Beat Jackpots in Laughlin, with over half a million dollars paid in one year. The total, $503,368, was paid out in 2005.

Folks can now register for the Laughlin Half Marathon and 5K running event being held at 8 a.m. on March 11 outside the Avi Resort. Entry fees, which increase by $10 on March 1, are currently $30 for the half marathon and $20 for the 5K. For information, call Karen Becker at 702-340-4805.

The Ramada's new Poker Room is located near the Eclipse Bar and Roundhouse Buffet and offers 2 - 6 Texas Hold 'em; 4 - 8 Texas Hold 'em Structured; 1 - 2 No Limit Hold 'em; and 2 - 10 Seven Card Stud. Extra perks are given when you play High Hand Bonus-4 of a Kind pays an extra $50; a Straight Flush has a $75 bonus; and a Royal Flush $200.

The Laughlin TownFest Committee has announced the next Laughlin / Bullhead City three-day gala event will begin on March 9. Events will include Moonlight in Laughlin, a carnival in the Laughlin Town Center Mall, the Jason Endline Memorial Parade down Needles Highway, plus live music including a Jimmy Buffett tribute band and Christine Jolet. There will be a huge tent set up in the shopping center parking lot providing refreshments and music. For information, call 702-298-2222.

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