Sensi Magazine - Las Vegas (December 2019)

I L A S V EG A S D EC 2019

RAISING THE ROOF

Your guide to throwing the perfect elevated event ›››

HIGH CLASS

Luxury markets embrace cannabis

SOBER CURIOUS

Why next-gen parties are alcohol-free

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LAS VEGAS SENSI MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2019

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

26

F E AT U R E S

14

Elevated Events

How to properly throw a cannabis-infused gathering

20 Woke, Not Wasted

What is the sober-curious movement, and can sobriety really be fluid?

26

SPECIAL REPORT

Haute Highs

Luxury has gone to pot.

D E PA R T M E N T S

9 EDITOR’S NOTE 10 THE BUZZ News, tips, and tidbits

to keep you in the loop HAPPY PLACE pops up for a limited time.

FIND YOUR PURPOSE with One Intuitive Catalyst.

SENSIBILITIES Our editor-in-chief’s hottest hits of the month

32 THE LIFE Contributing to your

health and happiness OUT OF THE BOX This art can’t be confined to a canvas.

A BIGGER TABLE Jeremy Martin welcomes all faiths to the conversation.

HOROSCOPE What the stars hold for the end of 2019

38 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip

hangouts around town TACO THE TOWN Santos Guisados challenges Mexican menu norms.

HIGH SOCIETY Tim Burton at the Neon Museum’s Lost Vegas exhibit CALENDAR Close out the year with culture.

50 THE END

ON THE COVER With a little planning and a lot of care, throw a party that keeps your guests on cloud nine.

Cirque du Soleil invites you to hike up your wedding dress and R.U.N.

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Magazine published monthly

by Sensi Media Group LLC. Š 2019 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.

EXECUTIVE Ron Kolb CEO ron@sensimag.com Tae Darnell President tae@sensimag.com

T

Alex Martinez Co-Chief Operations Officer alex@sensimag.com

Mike Mansbridge Co-Chief Operations Officer mike@sensimag.com EDITORIAL Stephanie Wilson Editor in Chief stephanie@sensimag.com Doug Schnitzspahn Executive Editor doug.schnitzspahn@sensimag.com Debbie Hall Managing Editor debbie.hall@sensimag.com Leland Rucker Senior Editor leland.rucker@sensimag.com

Robyn Griggs Lawrence Editor at Large robyn.lawrence@sensimag.com Helen Olsson Copy Chief Mona Van Joseph, Lori Tobias Contributing Writers DESIGN Jamie Ezra Mark Creative Director jamie@emagency.com Rheya Tanner Art Director Wendy Mak Designer Kiara Lopez Designer Josh Clark Designer Jason Jones Designer em@sensimag.com PUBLISHING Abi Wright Publisher abi.wright@sensimag.com B U S I N E S S /A D M I N Kristan Toth Head of People kristan.toth@sensimag.com Amber Orvik Director of Administration amber.orvik@sensimag.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

The depth and scope of the cultural

landscape, creativity, and community in Las Vegas continue to amaze me. Talent permeates the terrain, and not just mainstream or on the Strip but locally, with upcoming artists in all genres. Throughout Southern Nevada, there is something for everyone every night of the week. Communication, entertainment, and connection are prevalent, even without the holiday angle.

Speaking of holidays, Las Vegas does take this time of the month very seriously in celebrations. It began with Halloween, continued through November, and now explodes this month. Inventive, original, and imaginative describe the decorations, parties, gifts, themes, and dinners. Generosity is abundant in giving, volunteering, and sharing with others.

Interfaith groups host a multicultural event on December 23, inviting all, including earth-based religions, atheists, and all others, to celebrate diversity.

Conventions add to the excitement with MJBizCon coming to Vegas in December. The parties, awards, networking, and camaraderie bring the city to a new high. Our western roots come to life with the National Finals Rodeo and Cowboy Christmas heightening our country flavor.

While there is no snow in the valley, drive north for about 45 minutes and play in the winter wonderland of Mount Charleston and Lee Canyon. If ice is your thing, you can find skating rinks all over the city. Of course, you can also cheer on the Vegas Golden Knights.

Thank you for sharing the happiness that is a part of Sensi magazine. Happy holidays to those who celebrate. I wish all the best life has to offer to everyone now and in the coming year.

Speaking of holidays, Las Vegas does take this time of year very seriously in celebrations.

It began with Halloween, continued through November, and now explodes this month.

Andre Velez Marketing Director andre.velez@sensimag.com Neil Willis Production Manager neil.willis@sensimag.com Hector Irizarry Distribution distribution@sensimag.com M E D I A PA R T N E R S Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

Debbie Hall debbie.hall@sensimag.com DECEM BER 2019

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CONTRIBUTOR

Debbie Hall

THE

Strip headliner Matt Goss flips upside down in happiness.

Larger Than Life A smile can impact a mood, and an interactive, immersive pop-up experience can create joy and Instagrammable moments. Happy Place is now open at The Shoppes at Mandalay Bay in Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, offering cheerful moments 10 L AS V EGAS

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in multi-sensory themed own backyard “Welcome rooms. to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign.

Enter rooms like Super The selfie-friendly pop-up Bloom, Upside Down, also features a Lemonade World’s Largest Indoor Stand, where net proceeds Confetti Dome, Giant benefit a different local Rainbow, Rubber Ducky nonprofit each month.

Bathtub of Fun, and Cookie. The Shoppes at Mandalay Bay / 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S. / happyplace.me Sin City is now Grin City, complete with Happy Place’s

PHOTO CREDIT: LEXI COLVIN

Find your bliss at the Happy Place.

BY THE NUMBERS

60K

POUNDS OF SHRIMP

Season of Miracles

SCOTCH PHOTO BY ADAM JAIME

Head to The Sand Dollar Lounge this holiday season and order a winter warmer at the iconic bar’s beach-themed pop-up, Miracle on Spring Mountain.

A testament to miracles, The Sand Dollar Lounge is a local Vegas landmark that originally opened as a blues bar in 1976. Over the years, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Mick Jagger would perform late into the night, but The Sand Dollar was forced to close in 2007. Within two years, it was purchased and reignited, now offering music of all genres and craft cocktails.

The live music venue beckons all to enjoy this exclusive Las Vegas holiday cocktail popup bar, serving libations in a festive setting.

The Hanukkah- and Christmas-themed hot spot is resplendent in all the trimmings, including candy canes, stockings, fruitcake, and mistletoe with themed nights and concerts. The extensive Miracle menu is served in unique mugs and glassware, available for purchase.

Be sure to sample the Koala-La La La, La La La La, made with gin, pine tea cordial, grapefruit oleo, and eucalyptus bitters. Or snuggle up with a Snowball Old-Fashioned combined with caramelized pecan bourbon, spiced molasses syrup, and wormwood bitters.

Miracle on Spring Mountain, now through Dec. 31 / The Sand Dollar Lounge / 3355 Spring Mountain Rd. / thesanddollarlv.com

are consumed daily by people in Las Vegas, more than the total consumption for the rest of the US.

3,825 HOURS

ON (OR OFF) THE ROCKS Pour in the Alley

will teach you to drink scotch.

Pour in the Alley, Fergusonsʼ monthly educational event, will feature the Scotch Tasting Experience, presented by experts who will discuss flavor profiles. Guests will taste scotch in a Fergusons-branded tasting cup—neat, over ice, or in a cocktail. There will also be food, music, dancing, and an ugly sweater competition with giveaways.

Pour in the Alley / December 14 / 1031 Fremont St. / fergusonsdowntown.com

OF SUNSHINE

a year in Las Vegas ranks the city third in the nation with 85 percent sunshine behind Phoenix, Arizona, and Redding, California.

100 TONS OF ICE

shipped from Canada and Minnesota to Las Vegas will construct Icebar, the worldʼs largest permanent frozen bar.

Raise Your Jar Drink down some history with The Mob Museum Moonshine.

“SUCCESS ISN’T ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY YOU MAKE; IT’S ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES.” —Michelle Obama, former First Lady

The days of alcohol prohibition gave rise to a home-distilled corn-mash known as moonshine. You can now imbibe The Mob Museum Moonshine, made with 100 percent yellow corn and distilled in-house in small artisan batches, with impunity. No additional sugar is used in creating this high-quality, smooth spirit bottled at 50 percent ABV. This moonshine can be purchased at The Underground speakeasy bar at The Mob Museum or at Lee’s Discount Liquor in 750-mL and 50-mL quantities. Some of the 750mL jars will come with a $5 voucher good toward admission to the museum.

The Mob Museum Moonshine / 750-mL, $25 / 50-mL, $5 / themobmuseum.org.

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THE BUZZ

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

AEmbrace DEEPyour BREATH inner zen with The

SENSIBILITIES WHAT MATTERS THIS MONTH BY STEPHANIE WILSON

Rooted Co.

This time of year can be stressful, whether youʼre planning for the holidays or getting ready to embrace the upcoming New Year. The Rooted Co. offers a calming lavender essential oil with CBD that you can rub topically on the skin. The company also has a water-soluble CBD tincture thatʼs taken internally. Add it to a morning drink―juice, coffee, tea, or water— and you will feel the effects within an hour, lasting throughout the day. Take another dose before bed for a good nightʼs rest.

The Rooted Co. / CBD Oil, $30 / CBD Tincture, $65 / therooted.co

Walk Easy

Convert casual to business to dressy with Pashion Footwear.

Flats or heels? Now you can wear both.

Haley Pavone is the 23-year-old creator of Pashion Footwear, the worldʼs first fully convertible shoe. It transforms from chic heel to fashionable flat in seconds. The company offers three styles and four colors in a convertible tech package, equipped with removable arch supports, removable heels, rubber heel caps to protect the shoes when worn as flats, and a small velvet bag to store parts. Heels can be ordered in four- and three-inch heights and the shoes are available in sizes 6 to 11.

Pashion Footwear / starting at $145 / pashionfootwear.com

1 GOT ANY VACATION DAYS LEFT IN 2019? Use them! Last year, 55 percent of American workers did not use all their vacation days, leaving a record 768 million days on the table. That’s about $65.5 billion worth of forfeited benefits.

Don’t be a sad statistic. ______ 2 NEW RULE: Catching up on your emails during the holiday break is

forbidden. Emails breed emails, so every reply or forward you click sends that task to someone else who is either a) trying to enjoy their holiday break, or b) trying to clean out their inbox as well. No more. If it’s in your inbox on December 22, it stays there until January 2. Deal? Deal.

______ 3 I REPEAT: No tossing your forgotten/low priority to-dos on other people’s

plates when they are on vacay.

______ 4 IF YOU’RE RESOLVING TO CLEAN UP ANY BAD HABITS IN 2020,

go all in on them in December. Really indulge your vices: have that second drink, dab, dance, swim in the chaos, make bad decisions. You’ll not only get it out of your system, you’ll be so over it come January 1.

______ 5 IF YOUR VICE IS CONSIDERING THE BOUNDARIES OF YOUR MEANS IMAGINARY (thanks Oscar Wilde), disregard the above advice. You

can lose the holiday weight if you stop overeating, but credit card debt doesn’t work like that. It grows, no matter how much you believe Santa will take care of it.

______ 6 SMILE. The magazine you’re holding right now was made with a whole lot

of enthusiasm by some talented magazine junkies who have been working on the details of this redesign for the last year. This debut is like our Oscars, and we hope you like it. I love it.

Happiness is the new rich. Kindness is the new cool. Heal th is the new weal th.

Inner peace is the new success."

—Prince Ea, poet

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THE BUZZ

VOX POPULI

Question: What band, singer, or musician would you like to see perform in Vegas?

GREG BYRD

IVY ADAMS

STEVE FRANKLIN

POLY SCHMITT

RUSSELL NEIDHARDT

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

Jeweler, Las Vegas

Jeff Beck, Robin Trower, Ritchie Blackmore, Al Di Meola, Yngwie Malmsteen. The last three I have never seen and would like to see them in my hometown.

Licensed Massage Therapist, Las Vegas

Depeche Mode, The Cure, Tears for Fears, Duran Duran, and Soft Cell. Clearly, I’m stuck in the ’80s.

Downtown Las Vegas Real Estate Specialist, Las Vegas

Laurie Anderson, iconic avant-garde musician.

Philip Glass, groundbreaking minimalist. Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, and Michael Kiwanuka have never appeared live in Las Vegas.

Real Estate agent, Las Vegas

Gustavo Dudamel is magnificent, and I don’t think he’s ever conducted a concerto in Las Vegas.

Professional Phish Fan, Las Vegas

Not that they need my help, but as long as Phish keeps coming back, I’m happy.

LOCAL COMPANY

Delve Deeper

One Intuitive Catalyst guides you on the right path.

One Intuitive Catalyst integrates professional development with spiritual empowerment coaching, honoring all religions and beliefs. Have you asked yourself, “What is your life purpose, and does that align with what you want to do professionally?”

Annie Emprima-Martin, owner of One Intuitive Catalyst, helps others step into their personal power with intuitive business consulting and coaching. She meets people at their comfort level, whether it’s putting one foot in the water or diving in the deep end of the ocean.

Her spiritual journey began during her deployment to the Middle East in 2016.

It was a very challenging deployment and emotionally tolling on Emprima-Martin.

“Everything exploded spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I soon discovered I had a unique gift to help others,” Emprima-Martin explains. “When I returned, I wanted to create a safe place for others to feel honored and validated for their business dream, personal journey, or spiritual calling without judgment.”

One Intuitive Catalyst is more than accountability; it’s delving into understanding if you are aligned on the right path for this moment and then going beyond.

One Intuitive Catalyst / @one.intuitive.catalyst

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How to properly throw a cannabis-infused gathering TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

E L D E E VAT V E ENTS

A HOSTING HANDBOOK FOR

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’ve thrown some damn good parties since I started cooking with cannabis in 2009.

I’d even say some were epic.

There’s nothing like reaching the crescendo of a meal orchestrated to open people’s minds and senses and connect them with their dinner partners, the food’s tastes and aromas, and the finer notes of everything. Everyone blossoms, blissed and blessed.

This is no small thing to pull off, and of course I’ve had disasters—thankfully none too epic and way less frequent now than when I first started. In the beginning, serving cannabis to guests was cripplingly intimidating.

For me, hosting a cannabis dinner is a lot like teaching a yoga class. As the leader, I’m responsible for every person’s well-being and experience, from understanding their physical limitations and apprehensions to curating a playlist that keeps them motivated, relaxed, and flowing. They should leave happier than they came.

That level of culpability makes

Chris Sayegh, the Herbal Chef behind those half-G-a-head banquets, considers himself a shaman. He conducts every dinner, explaining to the journeyers how the night will go and how they can expect to feel.

His servers act as guides, keeping people on track and helping them if they get uncomfortable. Diners’ glasses are constantly filled with water throughout a dinner engineered to keep them in what Sayegh calls the “euphoric zone.” Afterward, they retreat to a decompression lounge, where they can wipe their faces with eucalyptus-scented towels and get a massage.

KEEP THEM IN THE ZONE. Sayegh says his specialty is “unIn legal states, a thriving cannaderstanding how people can get bis hospitality industry employs this really beautiful effect withprofessionals in everything from event planning to budtending. Con- out ever being overwhelmed,” a skill anyone who entertains with sumers dab in elegant lounges, sip cannabis should be honing. Stucanna-mocktails, and indulge in pefied or paranoid guests suck the CBD coffee stations and s’more soul out of a party as quickly as bars stocked with infused chocolate. They taste cultivars as they’re obnoxious or passed-out-drunk paired with courses like wine. They ones—and then there’s that part dine on infused foie gras custard about being responsible for their while inhaling from bowls of terwell-being. If you haven’t had pene vapor at $500-a-plate dinners. nightmares about diners slumped

me nama-cray-cray. It kept me from teaching yoga after I got certified and could have strangled my inner canna-hostess, too, if I hadn’t stumbled onto the opportunity to learn from the very best while writing and promoting The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook.

When you need confidence, there’s nothing like going straight to the experts—and a beautiful thing about the cannabis community is how willing anyone who loves this plant is to educate and share.

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over their plates and leaving in wheelbarrows like the hobbits at Bilbo Baggins’ 111th birthday party, you probably shouldn’t be hosting a cannabis shindig.

PHOTO BY LIZ WILSON

HAVE AN “OH, SHIT KIT.” Overconsumption happens, even with the pros. Though he rarely has to use them, Scottsdale, Arizona–based chef and restaurateur Payton Curry stocks up on water with electrolytes and Undoo softgels (a mixture of vitamin E, olive oil, and olivetol that promises to “unhaze the blaze”) when he hosts cannabis-infused dinners.

For a few larger events, he’s even hired nurse practitioners to administer IV bags.

“Americans have been programmed to sleep it off or make themselves throw up if they have too much to drink,” Curry says.

“With cannabis, it’s different. We say, ‘Here’s a pizza, a movie, and six gallons of water.’”

At Denver-based Irie Weddings and Events, the staff keeps an “Oh, Shit Kit” full of homeopathic rescue remedies; lavender, eucalyptus and chamomile essential oils; 5-Hour Energy; and ground pepper (said to mitigate anxiety and paranoia).

Budtenders at these events always ask about guests’ experience and tolerance, and signs at the bud bars remind people to sit down or call over a friend if they feel lightheaded or dizzy. No matter what, they never lets anyone suffer alone.

KNOW YOUR OWN LIMITS. Hosting with the most means being there for someone who thinks they’re dying. (It’s physically impossible to overdose on cannabis, but the time for a biology lesson is

FLOAT-FREE GOODIES If there are any minors at your party, or if anyone chooses not to consume, theyʼll still want to eat. Here is a vegan dessert option everyone will want to taste. (Of course, you could infuse it, too. Itʼs your party.)

Vegan Carrot Cake Recipe by Liz Wilson / Makes two 8-inch cakes

IN G RE DIE N TS

1 cup brown sugar 1 cup sugar ¾ cup plant milk + 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar ¾ cup vegan sour cream 2 teaspoons vanilla ¾ cup canola oil 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 teaspoons cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt 3 cups shredded carrots ½ cup vegan cream cheese ½ cup vegan butter 4 cups powdered sugar

INST RUCT IONS For the cake

For the frosting

• Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease • In a large mixing bowl, add two 8-inch cake pans and line butter and cream cheese. with parchment paper.

Beat until fluffy.

• Whisk together plant milk • Slowly add powdered sugar and vinegar. Set aside. and continue beating. Add • In another bowl, whisk flour, plant milk to reach desired baking soda, baking powder, consistency. Add vanilla. salt, and spices.

• Assemble and ice the cake • In a large mixing bowl, add the after cake layers have fully brown sugar, sugar, sour cream, chilled. Top with nuts if desired. oil, vanilla, and milk mixture.

CHEF’S NOT E Mix. Add in dry mixture and • Our favorite vegan blend until combined. substitutions are Earth • Fold in carrots.

Balance, Miyokos Kitchen, • Pour even amounts of batter and Follow Your Heart into each of the pans. Bake brands. for 30–35 minutes.

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Q: Which U.S. President Asked Congress To Decriminalize Cannabis?

A: Jimmy Carter

Within ďŹ rst six months of taking oďŹƒce, President Jimmy Carter was candid about cannabis. During a 1977 address to Congress, he asked they abolish federal penalties for possession. If we know this much about cannabis, imagine what we know to Lift Your Business.

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THE ULTIMATE E L E V A T E D EVENT If youʼve read all the terms and conditions and feel ready to host your own elevated evening, here are a few of our best tips for what to have and what to know as you plan.

Know whatʼs allowed. Cannabis has been legal for less than a decade. Laws vary by state and rules vary by venue. Experienced professionals can walk you through gray areas and do the hard work during the event so you can socialize.

Create a consumption area.

A designated smoking lounge isolates fumes and frames a ceremonial space.

Have a policy for minors.

Are kids allowed? Are they allowed in the consumption area?

Tailor consumption methods to your guests. Dabs are a little much for relatives who havenʼt smoked since senior prom.

Canna-mocktails allow accurate microservings and are more discreet.

Have music. If you wonʼt have a DJ or a band, make a playlist long enough to last the soiree, and test it. Even at operational consumption levels, you donʼt want to be messing with the music—or worse, not have any.

Think brunch. Having a late-morning gathering allows your guests the afternoon to enjoy being high and happy.

Keep at least a 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD. Offering CBD-dominant food lets newcomers experience less intense infused food.

“Cheat” with store-bought ingredients. With all the premade tinctures, oils, butters, chocolates, and even water-soluble additives on the shelves these days, thereʼs no reason to spend hours making your own infusions.

Moderate alcohol. Drinking alcohol thins blood, allowing for more active THC to enter. If both are being served, limit the servings and potency of each.

Water, water, water. Keeping guests hydrated is beyond crucial.

Make sure you have every guestʼs consent (in writing for larger events) before photos and videos are taken and posted.

Give gifts. The party shouldnʼt stop when guests walk out.

Cheri Sicard, author of The Cannabis Gourmet Cookbook, sends them home with infused cookies during the holidays.

Make sure no one drives impaired. Lyft and Uber make it easy.

not during a crisis.) You need to control your own consumption— or even wait until after the party.

That’s why you might want to hire pros, says Andrew Mieure, owner of Top Shelf Budtending, a service that offers certified “cannabis sommeliers” who present a holistic introduction to the plant’s botany, tastes, aromas, and effects. Mieure specializes in serving first-timers and people returning to cannabis after a long while, and they heighten his sense of obligation to deliver only smooth, groovy adventures.

“Their experiences,” he says, “can make or break the future of cannabis in America.”

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WOKE, NOT WASTED They say they’re not alcoholics, and they’re certainly not anonymous.

What is sober curious—and can sobriety really be fluid?

TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

I

drink badly, and I have a lot of fun doing it (when I remember). That’s a lethal combination, and when you throw in my unfortunate discovery of White Claw—I can drink as many as I want and never feel full!—I flamed out with alcohol last winter.

On February 1, just as everyone else was celebrating the end of Dry January and just ahead of the Summer of the Claw, I swore off the seltzer.

I figured I’d give myself one month (note: the year’s shortest) to reset. It wasn’t an easy 28 days, but when March 1 rolled around, I felt better than I’d felt in years. The

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chronic inflammation I had attributed to everything from gluten sensitivity to genetics was clearing. I saw the light, and there was no going back.

I thought sobriety would be lonely, that every Saturday night would be Netflix. I forgot the Brett Kavanaugh generation isn’t in charge of culture anymore (thank God).

Millennials and Gen Xers aren’t interested in swilling beer until they black out like we did in the ’80s. Sober is sexy—or, as hipsobriety.com sees it, “sobriety is the new black.”

On Instagram, there are influencers such as @stylishlysober, @thesoberglow, and the darker @fucking_sober

and hashtags like #soberliving, #soberAF, and #sobercurious. Millie Gooch, who posts as @sobergirlsociety, encourages her nearly 60,000 followers with inspirational messages like “Mocks not cocks” and “Sobriety: a surefire way to improve your wellbeing and your Uber rating.”

Just like that, I’m a cool kid—with a huge range of new options on Saturday night (and beyond). I’m exploring elixirs made with raw cacao, maca, and horny goat weed at Tonic Herban Lounge just a few blocks from my home in downtown Boulder (I can walk home after imbibing, and it amuses me that I don’t need to). I can

do yoga and shake it before dawn at a Daybreaker dance party (daybreaker.com) in Denver, one of 27 cities where the alcohol-free early morning rave pops up and invites people to “sweat, dance, and connect with ourselves in community.”

I’m surely not alone in this realization that life is better without booze.

Worldwide, alcohol consumption fell by 1.6 percent last year. Led by young people, heavy-hitting countries like Russia, Canada, Japan, and the UK are seeing drinking rates as well as tolerance toward intoxication decline. An international survey found that about a third of people wanted

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cus, Presence, and Deep Connection” is February 14–16, 2020, at Massachusetts’ renowned wellness retreat center Kripalu). Her take is that a lot of Americans might not have a “problem” with alcohol but see it as getting in the way of their healthy lifestyles. “We eat well. We exercise.

We meditate,” the press release for Sober Curious states. “So, why do we… still drink?”

Warrington wants to to reduce their alcohol APPS FOR THAT know why the only peointake because of everyple who don’t drink are Loosid: Digital platform for sober dating, destinations, and meetups Sober Grid: “The worldʼs most popular mobile sober community” thing from sexual regret the ones who can’t and Twenty-Four Hours a Day: Inspiration through daily meditations and embarrassment to asks, “What if I am just…a little bit addicted?” physical health. A 2018 Call me old school, survey found that nearly but a little bit addicted 40 percent of global consounds a lot like a little sumers want to drink less pushing more women, mi- As Sean Paul Mahoney norities, and poor people writes on The Fix, a web- bit pregnant. I worry that for health reasons. to the bottle, according to site about addiction and In the US, CNBC repeople who shouldn’t ports, 52 percent of adults a study published in JAMA recovery, “I didn’t get so- will take the advice of ber to be cool. I just got John Costa, who writes are trying to lower their al- Psychiatry. The national on twentytwowords.com cohol intake, and underage Institute for Alcohol Abuse sober to stop dying.” and Alcoholism reports drinking has steadily dethat being sober curiclined in the last 10 years. that 17 million adults in A LITTLE BIT ADDICTED? ous is like being bi-curiBut only 21 percent of US the US are alcohol de“Sober curious” became ous—you don’t always adults in a CivicScience pendent, and the Centers a thing after Harperhook up with people of poll said they had any for Disease Control and Collins released Ruby the same sex, and you interest in drinking less Prevention says one in Warrington’s Sober Cudon’t have to cut out or not at all, and most of six binge drink—defined rious: The Blissful Sleep, drinking forever. “Be those were 21- to 34-year- as drinking four or more Greater Focus, Limitless sober half the time,” he old, vegan-leaning flexitar- drinks over two hours or Presence, and Deep Conwrites, “and sauced the ians who practice yoga and until blood alcohol reaches nection Awaiting Us All on other half.” He’s joking, consume cannabis daily.

0.08—nearly once a week. the Other Side of Alcohol but those are dangerous Women, especially those For this White Claw guzin 2018. Warrington also words for me. That’s the in their 30s and 40s, are zler, that definition is, well, has a podcast, runs Club life I was living: sober by drinking more than ever. sobering. I called that hap- Söda NYC (featuring day + tanked by night = Booze still rules for py hour. sober events like Kundbalance. most Americans, and Giving up alcohol isn’t alini Disco), and stages Like all disorders (and “increased stress and dea hashtag for a lot of peo- events (“Sober Curious: pretty much everything moralization” is actually ple. It’s not even a choice. Choosing Sobriety for Fo- in our culture), alcohol DECEM BER 2019

SOBERING STUDIES

Alcohol accounts for nearly 1 in 10 deaths of people aged 15 to 49 and is the leading risk factor for disease and premature death.

Source: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Binge drinking rates in states where cannabis is legal fell to 9 percent below the national average and 11 percent below non-legal states in 2016.

Source: Cowen & Co.

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SPIRITS FOR NEXT-GEN PARTIERS The joke goes that nonalcoholic drinks are like listening to porn on the radio, but times have changed. Theyʼre the CBD of the alcohol world. Nonalcohol (NA) beverages are a bright spot in a declining alcohol market, and their sales are expected to grow 32 percent by 2022, according to a Bon Appetit report. Todayʼs creative, health-inducing craft beverages are a lot more than just alcohol-free.

BEER

Athletic IPA: Robust alcohol-free craft brew Heineken OO: The OGʼs first NA brew OʼDoulʼs: Anheuser-Buschʼs classic has new limited-edition meant-for-Instagram cans by local artists in New York, Chicago, and LA

WINE

Napa Hills: Blend of fruit-flavored water and VitaRes (antioxidant blend with resveratrol, red grape skin, and red wine extract) with as many antioxidants as red wine O.Vine: Grape-infused wine water with “the health benefits of the real thing”

use runs on a spectrum. I was at the end that spent hours upon hours researching whether drinking while on this antibiotic would really make me projectile vomit and scoffed at friends as they struggled through Dry January, Dry July, Sober September, and Sober October. I wasn’t interested in giving up drinking for any reason or any amount of time, until I had to give it up for life.

Warrington, who sees reducing alcohol intake as another step in the wellness revolution, is at the other end of the spectrum—and she is aware of the difference between recovering from alcohol addiction and feeling better during yoga. I hope all of her fol-

lowers are, too, because the last thing most drinkers need is a loophole.

I want to believe the trend Warrington is leading toward spirits-free activities and thoughtfulness about alcohol’s role in our culture—where every ritual, celebration, loss, entertainment, and even sporting event is cause for a drink—is not a trend but a movement.

That we’ll look back at “mommyjuice” like we shake our heads at “mother’s little helper” pills from the ’60s and ’70s. The infrastructure to support sobriety is being built, and public opinion is turning. After centuries of going hard, America is getting woke, not wasted.

Cheers to that.

SOBERING STUDIES

A British study of Dry January abstainers found that 82 percent felt a sense of achievement, 62 percent slept better, and 49 percent lost some weight.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robyn Griggs Lawrence is the author of the bestselling Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook and Pot in Pans: A History of Eating Cannabis.

SPIRITS

Curious Elixirs: Individually bottled alcohol-free craft cocktails High Rhode by Kin: “Euphorics” made from nootropics and adaptogens, including 5-HTP, rhodiola, and caffeine Ritual Whiskey: “As a veggie burger is to beef, or almond milk is to dairy, Ritual is an alternative to traditional whiskey” Seedlip Spice 94: Gin-like blend of Jamaican allspice berry, cardamom, and citrus peel Stryyk: “Zero-proof spirits,” including Not Vodka, Not Rum, and Not Gin Three Spirit: “Social elixir” made from yerba mate, lionʼs mane, damiana, and cacao

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HIGHS A

t the end of October, the Wall Street Journal ran an article titled “Cannabis Open Houses Are Putting the High in High-End Real Estate.”

The trend piece by author Katherine Clarke revealed the emerging discovery being used by developers and real-estate agents to move luxe properties in communities where recreational cannabis is not just legal but widely accepted.

It’s not unlike Los Angeles, where the rising industry is being hailed as an untapped source for buyers of high-priced homes. Throwing cannabis-related events—everything from elaborate seven-course pairing dinners with vapes in lieu of vino to live trimming classes—at multimillion-dollar properties on the market is garnering attention, building social buzz, and attracting buyers with money earned in, around, or on cannabis.

Not everyone sees the genius behind the trend, however. Clarke spoke

SPECIAL REPORT

Luxury has gone to pot.

TEXT LORI TOBIAS AND STEPHANIE WILSON

to one agent in New York, where recreational cannabis is still a pipe dream and old tropes live on about munchie-motivated stoners. “When I think about cannabis, I don’t think about buying an expensive house,” says Warburg Realty’s Jason Haber. “It’s not a call for action as much as a call for Doritos.”

Someone should tell him friends don’t let friends make tired stoner jokes anymore.

Especially ones implying cannabis consumers indulge their munchies with mindless consumption of unhealthy snacks when the reality is cannabis appeals to what The Economist dubs the “health-conscious inebriate,” citing a poll that 72 percent of American consumers thought cannabis was safer than alcohol. A 2018 The New Yorker headline declared cannabis to be a wellness industry in California where, in fact, a cannabinoid cousin of THC and CBD is starting to garner a whole lot of buzz.

Instead of stimulating appetites, THCV may suppress those hunger pangs. When 2021 is declared the year of THCV, you can say you heard it here first.

CONSUMPTION AND CONSUMERISM Cannabis has moved so far beyond the clichés of yore. Tie-dye tees, bell-bottom cords, dancing bear patches, plastic bongs, Ziploc baggies: these tired trends are so out of style, some have already circled back and left again. (Looking at you, tie-dye.) The stoner kids of yesterday are the cannabis entrepreneurs, enthusiasts, and connoisseurs of today. And as they’ve aged, their tastes in cannabis aged with them, like the fine wine they can now afford. Cannabis consumers have money to burn.

And since we live in a capitalist society (an unjust one where people remain locked up for nonviolent drug charges in states that earn taxes off now-legal cannabis DECEM BER 2019

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF BARNEYS NEW YORK, INC.

The High End at Barneys New York in Beverly Hills

sales—that’s a whole layered story for a different day), money makes things happen. And what’s happening now is the emergence of a cannabis experience elevated to a higher level.

If you were paying attention to the pop-culture cues over the decades, you would have seen the high-end highs coming. When cannabis prohibition began its slow-and-steady march to its forthcoming end, it emerged from the black market with an established following of consumers—loyal cannabis consumers with no brand loyalty, because cannabis brands didn’t exist. Dealers did, growers did, activists, advocates, and believers, too. But the concept of cannabis brands was all brand-new.

With strict laws surrounding where the substance can be marketed,

sold, advertised, distributed, and more, establishing customer loyalty in this industry is more difficult than it would seem on the surface.

What differentiates one edible brand from another, one vape pen from the next is complicated to discern for those who aren’t well versed in the modern verbiage or its meaning. (Full-spectrum distillate, live resin, 2:1 ratios, oh my!)

This is where marketing and branding comes into play. And with marketing and branding comes the emergence of new market segments, including the ultra-luxury category. It is from within that category that future trends are likely to emerge. That’s how trends play out, as Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) explained to her new assistant in one iconic scene of The Devil Wears Prada. (If

“Expensive breeds expensive things. You wouldn’t have expensive cannabis if you didn’t have people who wanted to buy expensive cannabis.”

—Karyn Wagner, Paradigm Cannabis Group

you haven’t seen it in a while, a quick refresher: “The color of the shirt you are wearing right now was determined years ago by high-end designers preparing their collections for fashion GOT MONEY TO BLOW? week runways.”)

This Caleb Siemon Trickle-down trends Blown Art Glass are a hierarchical proWater Pipe will cess whereby individuals set you back with high status establish about $950. fashion trends, only to be imitated by lower-status individuals wearing cheaper versions of the same styles.

“It’s always been a thing,” says Karyn Wagner, CEO of Paradigm Cannabis Group, a women-owned extraction company specializing in pre-rolls and extracts made from small-batch sun-grown flower. “There’s always been those products that are better than others. But now, with adult use, we have to be more brand-conscious. With DECEM BER 2019

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that, how do you distinguish yourself from someone else? Why is this better? What makes it better?”

PHOTOS (FROM TOP): KATHLEEN HARRISON, KIKOKO HIGH TEA / COURTESY OF BEBOE

SOME LIKE IT HAUTE With any luxury good, consumers want the assurance of quality and efficacy, Wagner says.

But you can never underestimate the prestige that comes with a high price tag. “The moneyed class always loves expensive items,” she says. “This normalizes it in their world. It brings in folks who didn’t normally have the desire. It made it OK in their class.

Expensive breeds expensive things. You wouldn’t have expensive cannabis if you didn’t have people who wanted to buy expensive cannabis.”

Jenny Le Coq, president of Le Coq & Associates, a marketing and communications firm in San Francisco that represents Kikoko cannabis-infused botanical mints, points out that most people typically don’t seek out a cheap bottle of wine, but look for something fine, trustworthy, and familiar. They want to know the winery, its reputation, who recommends the vintage. “People are looking at wines today with a more discerning eye—how their grapes

With any luxury good, consumers want the assurance of quality and efficacy.

Luxury doesn't always have to indicate price, but what it must indicate is quality.

are grown, for example,” Le Coq says. “People are looking at cannabis in the same way: with a discerning eye.”

“Discerning” can add up to big money, for sure. Anecdotal stories abound in national media outlets, suggesting couples in Colorado will drop several bills on “cannagars” and other high-end party favors to celebrate weddings and anniversaries. At The High End, Barneys New York’s luxury cannabis lifestyle shop in Beverly Hills, shoppers can splurge on a $1,475 sterling silver bud grinder or a $950 water pipe. New York fashion brand Alice + Olivia partnered with luxury cannabis brand Kush Queen to debut a CBD wellness line earlier this year—bath bomb, body lotion, bubble bath with lavender. Alice + Olivia packaging features CEO Stacey Bendet’s signature “StaceFace” motif, with big sunglasses and a bold red lip. A timeless statement-making style that trendsetters of every era make their own while trendy types try to emulate the overall aesthetic. That’s just the way things work.

To be fair, luxury doesn’t have to mean $$$$. What it must indicate, however, is quality.

“Luxury is an assigned

label. It is typically assigned by marketers,” Le Coq says. “So, what do you want cannabis to be? As a consumer, how do you perceive luxury?

The concept is really defined differently by every person. We want people to experience something that is luxurious.

Not only the packaging is beautiful, the taste is beautiful, the place you are put into mentally is a nice, beautiful place.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lori Tobias is a lifelong journalist based on the Oregon Coast, where she lives with her husband, Chan, and two rescue pups, Luna and Monkey.

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SINFULL DESIGNS BODY ART

sinfull.designs.bodyart

Out of the Box

Local artists enliven our days with their unique artistic vision.

TEXT DEBBIE HALL

It’s a magical world in the land of Las Vegas. Look beyond the neon lights to discover the quirky, fanciful, and delightful landscape capturing the heartbeat of Sin City.

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Caught on Tape

Tape has so many uses, and in the skillful hands of artist Johnny Mack, Sinfull Designs Body Art becomes fashion. Using different colored tape and sharp scissors, Mack creates designs that hug the body as a suit, bikini, or costume as a new vision of body paint. Anyone daring enough to put on his big, bold, colorful, and sexy fashions will make a statement every time.

PHOTOS BY DANIELLE EUGENIA PHOTOGRAPHY

THE

Artful Pour

Cabo Wabo Cantina (cabowabocantina.com) in Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, Sammy Hagar’s hard-rockin’ dining, drinking, and live music venue, combines the laid-back beachtown vibe of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with the excitement of the Strip. December 20 is National Sangria Day, so if you can’t make it to the cantina, then impress your guests at home by making carafes of the cantina’s signature white or red fruity concoctions.

The recipes (at right) make 55 servings each, quenching everyone’s thirst for those big holiday blowouts.

Just Frog Things

In the whimsical world of Frogthings (patsihughesfrogs.com), frogs golf, cook, play, drink, elevate, and live life to the fullest.

Artist Patsi Hughes has created a world where frogs come together to find the formula to save other frogs from a life of boredom and monotony. One such place is Hempville with Pond 420, Toad Creek, and Smokin’ Jack farm. There is Mayor Bennie, yoga teacher Priscilla, farmers Mary Jane and Smokin’ Jack— all living and loving life. Her art and clothing line embrace the world of Frogthings celebrating the frogs of Hempville.

Mayor Bennie oversees the world of Frogthings.

Cabo Wabo Sangria PARTY SIZE: Makes about 55 servings.

INGREDIENTS For white sangria

12 bottles Riesling 1 bottle peach schnapps 4 cups of lime juice 1 diced pineapple 1 diced cantaloupe 1 diced honeydew 5 oranges For red sangria

12 bottles burgundy wine blend 1 bottle triple sec 4 cups lime juice 1 diced pineapple 1 diced cantaloupe 1 diced honeydew 5 oranges INST RUCT IONS

Mix all ingredients and let sit for 48 hours so the flavors meld.

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Cannabis Cultivators Las Vegas #1 Trusted

Grow Houses & Cultivation Facilities Air Conditioning Company

• Confidentiality & Non-Disclosure • Background Checked Staff • Licensed - Bonded - Insured • Certified Technicians

(702) 331-3333

scheduling@myacguys.com | christy.garcia@myacguys.com

www.MyACGuys.com

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THE LIFE C R E AT I V I T Y

A Seat at the Table Jeremy Martin invites us all to join him.

TEXT DEBBIE HALL

As a visionary, Jeremy Martin march with others to celebrate fulfills many roles, including International Whores’ Day. husband, father, son, brother, Martin embraces cannabis blogger, podcaster, comedian, as “a wonderful tool for those and author of Build a Bigger struggling with health issues Table (available on Amazon). [that] can be used recreationAs lead pastor of Downtown ally responsibly.”

Faith, he welcomes people of “The idea started with a conall faiths—including pagans, versation with the principal of metaphysicians, and atheists— Clark High School,” he says. “He on Sundays. On the last Monexplained to me that the people day of the month, people grab a talking are the people learning.” beer and join him at Pub Theol- Martin has created a space to ogy, held at Banger Brewing in discuss life and faith with meandowntown Las Vegas. ingful conversations while gathChurch members participate ered around a table. in the Laundry Project and AfDowntown Faith / dtlvfaith.com fordable Christmas as well as DECEM BER 2019

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THE LIFE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mona has been an intuitive since 2002. She is an author, columnist, and host of Psychic View Radio. She created DiceWisdom.com, which also has a smartphone app. mona.vegas

HOROSCOPE

DECEMBER HOROSCOPE

What do the stars hold for you this month?

TEXT MONA VAN JOSEPH

SAGITTARIUS, RECENT KUDOS FOR YOUR EFFORTS ARE ABOUT TO CREATE THE KIND OF PATH THAT ALLOWS YOU TO MOVE FORWARD.

NOV. 22–DEC. 21

SAGITTARIUS

you to get into the moment and concentrate on a deep level. Instead of fighting the energy, decide to embrace it this month. It will be your gift of focus.

As much as you’d like to have your own thing (business, adventure, or item), it is not good timing right now. You’ve been a bit scattered lately. Recent kudos for your efJAN. 20–FEB. 18 forts are about to create the kind of path that alYou’ve always been a bit lows you to move forward. of a risk-taker. These 31 days will be about doing DEC. 22–JAN. 19 what has not been done before, like making a caAdmit it. You do your sino a nonprofit entity best stuff when you’re a with proceeds to benefit little stressed. That enan organization near and ergy has always allowed dear to you.

AQUARIUS

CAPRICORN

FEB. 19–MARCH 20

PISCES

As much as you may dread it, you will find more opportunities for joy, romance, and change when you participate in group activities. Accept all invitations. Give to charity and be in the public eye.

MARCH 21–APRIL 19

ARIES

you’ve been doing a lot of that lately. Do not be stingy. If it’s the difference of a few dollars, spend the extra. If someone needs a little more of your time, be there for them.

JUNE 21–JULY 22

CANCER

a new cocktail or start a unique holiday tradition.

If it seems as though you’re not getting the entire story, you are correct. If someone presents one impression, and you find out differently, do not hesitate to 86 them out of your life. You should cull away any dishonesty or intrigue now.

APRIL 20–MAY 20

JULY 23–AUG. 22

If your work has become dull, it’s time to add an exciting element to your current activities or maybe dump them entirely and do something new. You are an artist in your work and excellent at what you do.

It’s time to enjoy it again.

This is an anti-procrastination month. Do not hesitate to take care of things you promised yourself you’d do at the beginning of the year. Purge the old crap that’s building up in your living space, and make space for the new.

GEMINI

VIRGO

TAURUS

Reach deep within to see how creative you can be. Your inventive apMAY 21–JUNE 20 proach to holiday gatherings with friends will set Be a giver this month— the tone for 2020. Invent even if it seems that

LEO

Love your way, and present it to activities that may be a bit out of your comfort zone. New environments will bring you unexpected success. The quote “Ninety percent of success is showing up” is going to work wonders for you.

SEPT. 23–OCT. 22

LIBRA

Someone unexpected has nudged you along into what you really want to do. Make a total commitment to this very supportive energy and permit yourself to be what you’ve always known you are. What happened by accident has now turned into a direction.

OCT. 23–NOV. 21

SCORPIO

You made amends recently with your actions and probably solved some old nagging issues through your dreams.

You’ll start to see things AUG. 23–SEPT. 22 get a little easier for you this month. We are drawn There’s the right way, the to what rewards us, so wrong way, and your way. keep allowing this gift.

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THE

Intimate Dining Santos Guisados Tacos & Beer challenges the stereotypical Mexican menu.

PHOTO CREDIT

TEXT DEBBIE HALL

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GO THERE

Santos Guisados 616 E. Carson Ave. santostacoslv.com

Atmosphere can elevate a dining experience. The authentic, cozy 40-seat restaurant Santos Guisados Tacos & Beers brings a south of the border vibe to the revitalized downtown area.

Las Vegas’s first guisado taco shop features homestyle dishes that managing partner Eduardo Cordova enjoyed while growing up in Mexico. Guisados are braised, slow-cooked, and stew-like meats and

The eatery’s interior design draws inspiration from Mexican churches.

Look for the “Pray for Tacos” mural by local artist José “Killz” Lopez.

vegetables that fill the restaurant’s house-made tacos. Favorite tacos include the vegetarian Holy Cauliflower with crispy cauliflower tossed with furikake, Mexican slaw, mango sauce, and Santos aioli. Crunch into a crispy taco with braised beef, chicken tinga, or potato, topped with lettuce, salsa, pico, crema, and cotija cheese.

The offerings from behind the bar pair seamlessly with the fare served by the kitchen. Michael Carlisi, the restaurant’s general manager and long-time mixologist gained an extensive knowledge and expertise on mezcal while working in Oaxaca. Drinks are enhanced with housemade salts that add a twist to the flavor while balancing acidity. Try the Downtown Paloma,

with grapefruit, dried chili, and hibiscus salt.

The classic margarita gets elevated with touches of dehydrated lime peel salt paired with lime, orange, and earthy tequila flavors.

Cordova explains that Carlisi, recognized for having created the best margarita in the Bay Area where he worked at The Douglas Room, adds to the enthusiasm of Guisado’s bar program. Carlisi embraces creativity and will continue to expand the cocktail offerings.

The eatery’s interior design draws inspiration from Mexican churches.

Traditional and contemporary Mexican saints and angel décor are illuminated by the playful celebrity saint candles surrounding diners. Look for the special “Pray for Tacos” mural by local artist José “Killz” Lopez.

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LOST VEGAS: TIM BURTON WHERE: THE NEON MUSEUM WHEN: OCT. 12, 2019 PHOTOS: COURTESY OF DENISE TRUSCELLO AND THE NEON MUSEUM

B

THE SCENE HIGH SOCIETY

Burton’s Brilliance The Neon Museum celebrates Tim Burtonʼs links to Las Vegas. The sculptural and digital installations will be on display in the Neon Boneyard and incorporated into Brilliant!, the museumʼs projection mapping in the North Gallery through February 15.

The interactive and engaging experience incorporates the museumʼs landmark sign collection, prominently featured in Burtonʼs film Mars Attacks!, and pays homage to the sci-fi B-movies of the 1950s and 1960s as well as the disaster films of the 1970s.

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THE SCENE CA L E N DA R

Fun ways to fill your last month of the 2010s with culture.

Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

TEXT DEBBIE HALL

Dec. 5–14 Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas nfrexperience.com

Beyond the Strip, music, art, dance, poetry, theater, and community thrive. Whether you’re celebrating the holidays, looking for culture to expand your horizons, or engaging with your neighbors, there are so many options. Vegas is a convention town, and one of the largest gatherings of cannabis business professionals, MJBizCon, will soon descend on the city. December is also cowboy and cowgirl month, headlined by the National Finals Rodeo. What will you do?

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Dec. 1, 7–8 Vegas Theatre Company, Las Vegas theatre.vegas

DECE M BER 2019

First Friday Dec. 6 Arts District, Las Vegas ffflv.org

The Las Vegas Philharmonic Presents: A Baroque Holiday: Handel’s Messiah Dec. 6 The Smith Center, Las Vegas lvphil.org

Hansel and Gretel Dec. 6–8 Windmill Library Theatre, Las Vegas operalasvegas.com

Presented by Opera Las Vegas, this musical treat for the family is based on the fairy tale of the same

PHOTO COURTESY OF HUMAN NATURE

On the Calendar

Holmes and Watson

THE SCENE CA L E N DA R

TOP LEFT: HUMAN NATURE TOP RIGHT: KWANZAA BOTTOM LEFT: HANSEL AND GRETEL BOTTOM RIGHT: CHINESE HERITAGE

name. An amazing gingerbread house, a scheming witch, children’s chorus, and a ballet of angels make this opera another holiday tradition.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic Presents: A Classic Holiday Dec. 7 The Smith Center, Las Vegas lvphil.org

Mondays Dark Chinese Heritage: Year of the Rat Exhibition Dec. 6–Feb. 15 Mayor’s Gallery, Historic Fifth Street School, Las Vegas artslasvegas.org

Dec. 9 The Pearl Theater at the Palms, Las Vegas mondaysdark.com

It’s the sixth anniversary of Mondays Dark, as a different Perfect for all and eclectic cast ages, this annual performs a oneinvitational fine art time-only show to exhibit focuses on raise money for Chinese heritage. different charities.

Artists will show To date, the philanpieces that include thropic event has the rat and signiraised more than fiers, images, or $500,000 for local visual concepts that nonprofits. honor and celebrate Chinese tradition.

MJBizCon Dec. 11–13 Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas mjbizconference.com

Jack Herer Cup Dec. 12 Hard Rock Cafe, Las Vegas jackherercup.com

PHOTO CREDITS (FROM TOP): RON KARENGA / RICHARD BRUSKY / SANDY MILLAR

“The Battle Is Not Yours” Winter Dance show Dec. 15 West Las Vegas Library, Las Vegas lvccld.org

Human Nature Dec. 17–23 The Venetian Resort, Las Vegas humannaturelive.com

with a family-friendly event for muggles, witches, and wizards.

Harry Potter–inspired fun includes crafts and food.

The Poets’ Corner Dec. 20 West Las Vegas Arts Center, Las Vegas artslasvegas.org

Saturday Night Live Art & Music Saturdays in December Las Vegas Artists’ Guild Galleria at Sunset, Henderson lvartistsguild.org

Kwanzaa Dec. 28 Charleston Heights Arts Center, Las Vegas artslasvegas.org

In the Spirit of Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), celebrate the third day of Kwanzaa with a marketplace bazaar, children’s workshop, poetry, song, dance, drumming, and the Rites of Passage Graduation.

Winter at Hogwarts Dec. 18 Summerlin Library, Las Vegas lvccld.org

Hogwarts is taking over the library DECEM BER 2019

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Eva Littman, MD, F.A.C.O.G.

Amity Hererra, PA-C

Voted “Top Doc� in Fertility Trained at Duke & Stanford Universities

15 Years in Reproductive Endocrinology Trained at UCSD & Western Universities

P R O M O T I O N A L F E AT U R E M AT R I X N V

Keep it Simple and Clean

Matrix NV’s first extracted product was a CO² extracted oil sourced from “We know its garden, and, using that oil, Matrix exactly NV started a partnership with Pax Era what is Pods in August 2017.

In July 2018, Matrix NV introduced going hydrocarbon extracts to make more into our dabbable products, such as different products. live resin extracts sourced from the We are a company’s gardens.

Ficken says that they are working on cannabis a new pre-roll product using palm leaf company he goal of Matrix NV, a that buy products from state-regulated in response to consumer demand and making all cultivation and processentities such as Matrix NV, which have will be rolling out a line of gummies cannabising facility in Las Vegas, to go through rigorous testing required later this year. They are also developderived is to make sure to always by the state. ing a line of tinctures and topicals. offer a product that it controls from The founders of Matrix NV, Evan The company is focused on the products.” start to finish. In the wake of the Marder and David Tuttleman, pushed Nevada market. “The way we operate vaping crisis, that business decision hard to get their medical facility —Alex Ficken, COO of would make it challenging to take has turned out to be a critical one for up and running in 2016. They were Matrix NV what we do here and move it to cannabis consumers. committed to getting medical cannabis another state and maintain the quality “We grow a high-quality flower to products available to patients, becom- we have here,” he says. “We view the make high-quality extracts,” says Alex ing one of the first medical cannabis Nevada market as robust compared Ficken, COO of Matrix NV. “We know facilities in the Las Vegas area. They to other states, and we’re optimistic where everything comes from. We have entered the recreational cannabis about our position in the market.” never used any cutting agents or put market in July 2017. anything into our oil except cannabis.”

“When we began, we had both a The black market has created the cultivation and production license with vaping problem. Consumers need to the idea to source certain genetics protect themselves by purchasing that were desirable as flower and also Matrix NV matrixnvmmj.com products from licensed dispensaries in extracts,” Ficken says.

Matrix NV cultivation and production facility ensures a competitive advantage.

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P R O M O T I O N A L F E AT U R E WELLNESS PREMIUM PRODUCTS

Wellness Premium Products Hemp seed oil hair-care products get to the root of healthier hair.

H

emp can change the world. That’s what Taylor Burk, Miss Nevada Earth 2018-19, believed when she boldly became the first in a beauty pageant contestant in American history to publicly support hemp.

“Due to the lack of education and general confusion between psychoactive and non-psychoactive uses of cannabis, promoting hemp during my reign was extremely controversial at the time,” Burk says. “I found it interesting how not many people were aware that hemp is the epic game changer in the beauty and wellness space, but also environmentally, economically, and industrially.”

Fast forward to 2019. Taylor met her business partner, Roni Josef, the founder and guru in the professional beauty

space working on the global expansion of Wellness Premium Products, makers of luxury botanical, hemp seed oil haircare products from Israel.

“I love the culture of our company,” Burk says. “We help so many people and bring hope to all the men and women who suffer from hair loss and dry, chemically damaged hair.”

The wellness line of products includes shampoo, conditioner, and a hair mask that comes with ampoules and serum, and that doubles as a heat protectant. All products are to be used together for complete hair health.

Burk, a hemp beauty educator, says that she and Nevada locals tend to have dry, coarse hair because of the desert heat and hard water. That all changed for her after using the Wellness

hair-care system. “My hair instantly became strong, flexible, hydrated, and shiny. That’s because our products are created with an exclusive micro-capsule technology, which allows the benefits of protein-rich hemp to penetrate deep into the hair core and heal the hair follicle from the inside out as well as topically.

All of the Wellness formulas cater to scalp health and stimulate the blood flow necessary for new hair growth.”

The company is collecting testimonials from people using its line of products and hopes to introduce more wellness products in the near future. “We are getting testimonies that showcase reactions from real people about their results using our products,” Burk says.

“We must remain authentic in this beauty industry because the positive impacts that organic hemp seed oil brings to people are too powerful to not share with the world.”

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THE END

Escape Badass bride and the hero R.U.N. for a last chance at love.

Darkness devours the world outside of the glowing embers of Las Vegas, as holy matrimony tries to outshine the bleakness. The hero interrupts the wedding and, in true comic book fashion, the cou50 L AS V EGAS

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ple roars away in a high-speed chase as the Machiavellian gang follows.

R.U.N., the live-action thriller produced by Cirque du Soleil, brings an apocalyptic world to the Luxor Hotel and Casino stage.

Montreal street artist Fluke and his team of graffiti artists from ASHOP Productions transformed the theater lobby into an urban city street, setting the mood. The world of good versus evil with heroes

and villains comes alive with intricate combat scenes that push the boundaries of human endurance. Live action combined with film, cinematic projection, art, music, and dance engages the audi-

ence as fantasy and reality blend into authenticity. Hope reigns as the hero and bride battle for happiness.

Luxor Hotel and Casino R.U.N. Theater 3900 Las Vegas Blvd. S. cirquedusoleil.com/run

PHOTO BY ETHAN MILLER FOR GETTY IMAGES

TEXT DEBBIE HALL

For Use Only by Adults 21 Years of Age and Older. Keep Out of Reach of Children.