Sensi Magazine Nevada - January 2021

DREAM ON

The power of positive planning

HEALING TRAUMA

Reclaiming psychedelic medicine

THE BIG GAME

Top Super Bowl watch spots

N E VA DA JANUARY 2021

BENEVOLENCE BEYOND BORDERS Mexico’s former first lady continues her philanthropy

Cannabis Consciousness Connections The Key

that Unlocks your depth

The Cannabis Cons to those ready to perception of all lim your vision and vis Also visit TOSABl WWAGlobal.com W you are not sure y connecting with yo medicine to gift yo THROUGH the illus

www.TOSABlueMountain.c

www.findhigherlove.com

sciousness Experience is accessible travel into the void through the mitations! We invite you to expand sit SriandKira.com to learn more. lueMountain.com home of the World Summit, March 2021. And, if you understand the consciousness ou now, then begin by inviting your ou the conscious choice to BREAK sion! Together we are better!

com

m

ecuador@sriandkira.com

Joni Moore

President, Ottawa Innovations Higher Love Cannabis Company

Joni’s embodiment of the Law of Instantaneous manifestation from basement grower to President of a rising star in the industry, is the intersection of integrity and awareness of her unique Cannabis Consciousness Connection

herbopip

Herbo Hydrafuge Electronic Chronic The o

A completely new approach to smoking and a pleasurable experie

 Mosturizes and Cools Smoke  Soothest delivery system ever  Strips harmful tars and oils  Enhances smoking pleasure  Protects your lungs  Safe, sanitary, social smoking  Smoothest smoking pipe made  The only pipe that delivers smoke without contact to your mouth!

FOR WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTIO Email: sales@herbopipes.com | Phone: 844-HY

pes.com

only pipe that you don’t put in your mouth

ence. The HERBO is a uniquely designed Scientific Hydrafuge Pipe.

 Many years of scientific research and design have gone into the HERBO  Experience the Hydrafuge Effect  The most unique smoking device in the world  Taste the flower and feel the power  Less is more with the HERBO  No unsanitary contact with your mouth  Safe sharable sanitary social smoking! Simple to use, easy to clean!

ON OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT YHERBO | herbopipes.com | Made in the USA

NOW OPEN Las Vegas Mesquite West Wendover Reno 22 Locations in Nevada.

WE THANK YOU for your business in the past and we look forward to earning your business in the future. We wish everyone to stay safe and healthy and promise to provide a safe shopping experience for our customers.

Please visit our website for location hours or to start your online order today!

leesliquorlv.com/store

Offering 3 ways to shop In-store purchasing Delivery Curbside pickup

NEVADA SENSI MAGAZINE JANUARY 2021

sensimediagroup @sensimagazine @sensimag

34

FEATURES

26

34

Help Beyond Borders

The former first lady of Mexico dedicates her post-political career to activism.

Reclaiming Recovery Psychedelic therapy could help ease the constant wounds of racial trauma.

DEPARTMENTS

11 EDITOR’S NOTE 18 THE LIFE Contributing to your health and happiness 12 THE BUZZ TRAVEL Planning your News, tips, and tidbits to keep you in the loop RESPECT YOUR ELDERS

New elderberry syrup keeps kids healthy.

next vacation now is good for you—whether you take it or not.

2021 VIBE What does the new year hold?

NEW YEAR, NEW CAREER

Cannabis companies are hiring.

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

42 THE SCENE Hot happenings and hip

Elegant designer masks hangouts around town THE BIG GAME Where to YUMMY GUMMIES Elevatwatch the Super Bowl ing the edibles market LIGHT AT THE MUSEUM CALLED TO SERVE Local barber honors veterans. Museum Fiasco premieres its first show.

HEALING SHAME New HIGH SOCIETY Recapping book explores hidden Brett Raymer’s excluemotions. sive home wedding

ON THE COVER

Marta Sangún de Fox, former first lady of Mexico and president of the Vamos Mexico Foundation PHOTO BY RAFAEL CISNEROS GONZALEZ

52 THE END Mesquite Fine Arts Center showcases local creatives.

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

7

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

redrockfertility.com • 702.262.0079 • 9120 W Russell Rd, Ste 200, Las Vegas, NV 89148

ADVISORY BOARD

Bailey’s CBD Pet CBD Tincture & Treats Eden Water Technologies Water System Technologies Green Leaf Money Canna Business Finanacing GreenHouse Payment Solutions Payment Processing Ideal Business Partners Corporate Law & Finance Jupiter Research Inhalatation Hardware Lee’s Discount Liquor Liquor Store Matrix NV Premium Live Resin Red Rock Fertility Fertility Doctor Rokin Vapes Vape Technology RVDCBD Athletic Lifestyle CBD Terpen Terpene Specialists This Stuff Is Good For You CBD Bath and Body MEDIA PARTNERS

Marijuana Business Daily Minority Cannabis Business Association National Cannabis Industry Association Students for Sensible Drug Policy

EXECUTIVE

Ron Kolb Founder, CEO ron@sensimag.com Stephanie Wilson Co-Founder, Editor in Chief stephanie@sensimag.com Mike Mansbridge President mike@sensimag.com Fran Heitkamp Chief Operating Officer fran@sensimag.com Lou Ferris VP of Global Revenue lou@sensimag.com Chris Foltz Director of Global Reach chris@sensimag.com Jade Kolb Director of Project Management jade.kolb@sensimag.com Kristan Toth Head of People kristan.toth@sensimag.com EDITORIAL

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 Contributing Writer DESIGN/PRODUCTION

Jamie Ezra Mark Creative Director jamie@emagency.com Rheya Tanner Art Director Wendy Mak, Josh Clark Designers Neil Willis Production Director neil.willis@sensimag.com PUBLISHING

Abi Wright Market Director abi.wright@sensimag.com

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

9

ALL-IN-ONE

PREMIUM OIL DESERVES TOP-QUALITY HARDWARE.

Request a Sample Today!

300mg Capacity 210mAh Battery Capacity CCELL® Ceramic Heating Element Simple Top Fill Design Inhale Activated Tamper Resistant Mouthpiece Branding Options Available

A Division of T I L T H O L D I N G S

JUPI TERRESEARCH.COM

Connect With Us

info@jupiterresearch.com

1 (480) 867-6100

J

EDITOR’S NOTE

Magazine published monthly

by Sensi Media Group LLC.

© 2021 Sensi Media Group. All rights reserved.

January is traditionally

the month of resolutions,

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

FAC E B O O K Like Sensi Media Group for the parties, topics, and happenings we’re obsessed with right now.

TWITTER Follow @sensimag to stay up-to-date on the latest news from Sensi cities.

I N S TAG R A M @sensimagazine is home to exclusive photos and content.

promises, and a desire to “do better,” which is a very vague catchall for a life makeover. After the chaos of the past year—with the pandemic, politics, the economy, and racial division—the next big thing should be changing an attitude from indistinguishable to decisive. Who wants a do-over after 2020?

I do see the change in media. Streaming services and podcast platforms are now recommending movies and programs featuring racial and LGBTQ+ themes. Even sitcoms (which are one of my guilty pleasures) are addressing these issues. I will plead guilty, in print, that I love The Goldbergs, a sitcom about the life of a Jewish family living in a Philadelphia suburb in the 1980s (yes, it covers the entire decade). The series is based on the real life events of producer Adam Goldberg. This is an important point to my story, so remember that fact.

On the episode that aired on November 25, 2020, Adam (the main character) watches Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, a movie about racism in 1980s Brooklyn. The character Adam has been sheltered all his life and wants to end racism in a day. His parents hand him a box of videotaped movies dealing with themes of bigotry. After talking with his Black counselor, and some missteps, the character realizes he can’t end racism alone but can chip away at it. So why remember this sitcom is based on experiences of the producer? At the end of each episode, actual footage from Goldberg’s life in the 1980s is shown. His parents really did give him a box of videos to view movies about racism over the years.

Everyone is urging on socials, in the media, and privately to open the conversation and embrace a dialogue about the divide in our country and the world.

There are certainly many other areas to address and redo, including decriminalization and legalization of cannabis. In fact, congrats to the residents of the four states, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota, on legalizing recreational cannabis.

A redo can be scary and exhilarating at the same time, but it’s needed at this time more than ever. We thank you, our readers, for sharing the evolution. As Sensi magazine makes you think, explore, and talk with others, Sensi embraces the newness of the year for redo and changing life as we know it.

A redo can be scary and exhilarating at the same time, but it’s needed at this time more than ever. We thank you for sharing the evolution.

Yours in the new normal,

Debbie Hall debbie.hall@sensimag.com

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

11

New elderberry syrup and gummies help boost kids’ immune systems.

The best defense is a good offense, especially for the health of children. New Chapter Organic Elderberry has launched new products—Kids Elderberry Syrup + Honey and Kids Organic Elderberry Whole-Food Gummies—as a weapon in an arsenal to boost children’s immune systems.

Elderberries are rich in beneficial anthocyanins (antioxidants) and contain a high flavonoid content. New Chapter’s Elderberry’s line contains no cane sugar, glucose syrup, or corn syrup and is sweetened with real organic fruit. Suitable for children two years of age and older, both products use 12

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 2 0 2 1

sustainably harvested elderberry and are created in a highly concentrated form of elderberry extract in a solvent-free process.

New Chapter has formulated breakthrough products with fermented nutrients in its products to make them more absorbable. It was also the first major vitamin and supplement company to become a Certified B Corporation, meeting the highest standards of verified environmental and social performance, legal accountability, and public transparency.

New Chapter Organic Elderberry / newchapter.com

PHOTOS (FROM TOP) BY PAWEŁ CZERWIŃSKI / COURTESY OF NEW CHAPTER ORGANIC ELDERBERRY

Respect Your Elders

CONTRIBUTOR

Debbie Hall

BY THE NUMBERS

30K

PEOPLE

You’re Hired

PHOTOS (FROM LEFT) BY DARIA PIMKINA / COURTESY OF SELECT GUMMIES / AXYIS YOUR STYLE

The cannabis industry offers opportunity at a time when layoffs and furloughs are on the rise.

Holly Cowden, founder and managing partner of Trim Force Staffing Solutions, has opened the first staffing agency in Southern Nevada to specialize in servicing the cannabis industry.

With more than 30 years in the employment industry, Cowden recognized the immediate need for finding staffing solutions in the field.

Cannabis sales have soared during the pandemic, resulting in a surge of job openings when many businesses are facing layoffs.

Trim Force now has dozens of immediate openings for full-time career opportunities in cultivation and packaging, many of which do not require prior experience. There’s no charge to anyone applying for any job or assessing his or her skill set.

“We work with some of the top cultivators in the industry, and we have provided workers for temporary positions,” Cowden says.

“We can make a difference, and we are here to help job seekers interested in entering the cannabis industry.”

Going forward, Trim Force Staff is planning to open offices in other states that offer legalized cannabis.

Trim Force Staff Solutions / 702-361-0886

Number of individuals employed in the United Kingdom’s dance industry, which maintains around 200 dance companies

6 MILLION

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

Fashion Statement

It’s possible to mask up and be chic.

Axyis Your Style, a Las Vegas–based fashion business, converted its design and production in March 2020 to masks using unique designs. The lab-certified, multilayered masks offer beautiful face coverings that are soft and stretchy. The Axyis collection includes more than 50 styles of women’s, men’s, and children’s masks, including some vented models. Create a fashion statement with bling and express individual personality and style.

Axyis Your Style / $9 and up / shopaxyis.com

The number of languages C-3PO of Star Wars is fluent in

100 FOLDS The number of pleats in a chef’s hat (or “toque”) represents 100 ways to cook an egg.

4

JANUARY The date of National Trivia Day

Sweet Satisfaction

New fast-acting gummies elevate the edibles category.

It’s the start of a new year with a different vibe, so the need to relax and chill is on top of any resolutions for the year. Select Gummies has reimagined edibles with its Select Nano new Gummies and Select Elite Gummies. The Nano offers a new kind of elevation with a faster onset and more balanced experience.

Flavors include Sour Blues and Fresh Treat in 5mg bites containing 100mg of THC. Elite Gummies are infused with highly concentrated broad-spectrum oil and come in four delicious, sugar-coated flavors, including Berry Buzz, Tropical Trip, Sweet Spice, and Summer Sweets in 10mg bites containing 100mg of THC. Select Gummies are available at Acres by Curaleaf in its brick-and-mortar store or online.

Select Gummies / Acres by Curaleaf / 1736 Las Vegas Blvd. S. / $20 / curaleaf.com

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

13

STIGMA FREE, ALWAYS CANNABIS FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE BRAND • WWW.HAPPYHOURMEDS.ONLINE

USE CODE: HAPPYFIRE

AT CHECKOUT FOR A FREE LIGHTER.

THE BUZZ

VOX POPULI

Question: What is next for you in 2021?

DR. RONALD HILLOCK JUSTIN MCCLENDON

RYAN DOHERTY

MEGAN WILKES

BRANDON WIEGAND

Orthopedic Surgeon Las Vegas

Arthur Murray Dance Studio Franchisee, Henderson

Founder, Corner Bar Management Las Vegas

Co-Owner and Co-Founder of Vegas Baby Vodka, Las Vegas

Director of Operations for The+Source, Las Vegas

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

___________________

We will continue to deliver routine health care in 2021. I remain optimistic about our future. We have beat viruses in the past, and we will beat this one as well.

The benefit of ballroom dance is that it’s eternal.

Even during the pandemic, my mission is to continue bringing joy to people’s lives, whether in studio or virtual.

We are excited to debut We All Scream, a candy-colored clubland with music, art, and ice cream, and Cheapshot, an intimate theater with eccentric stage entertainment.

Vegas Baby Vodka is moving ahead with new collaborations as well as introducing our 375ml bottles to hotel minibars throughout Las Vegas. This is going to be a fantastic year.

SKILL OF THE SHAVE PHOTO BY GENE VICTA

Local barbershop pays homage to Veterans.

The barbershop is a centuries old tradition and often a cultural center of the neighboring community. With The Garrison Barber and Goods, a new barbershop is now open in the Huntridge Shopping Center in downtown Las Vegas. The name, The Garrison, means a place where a body of troops is stationed, and the name was selected

We look forward to expanding our retail footprint in Nevada. We’ll be investing in our cultivation to produce more WORD OF THE MONTH flower and our production EN·THE·O·GEN (n) team to produce more A psychoactive solventless products. substance, typically derived from plants, that is ingested to produce a non-ordinary state of conto honor veterans, who receive a discount on all services. sciousness for religious This is the second shop owned and operated by Elliott purposes or spiritual Chester, known as the go-to barber for MMA fighters enlightenment. (See such as Colin McGregor. The shop has been in the plan- “The Road to Reclaiming ning stages for two years, and Chester decided to open Recovery,” p. 34.) up the location despite the pandemic.

“We want to bring back the classical services with an elevated level with an attention to detail, and that is high on our priority list,” says Shon Lawhon, a veteran as well as a partner and manager of The Garrison.

“I appreciate the environment of the barbershop as well as the grooming of clean, straight lines, and precision cuts,” Jeremy Martin (pictured) says as he receives services in The Garrison. “It is always a good conversation in a barbershop.”

Nearly $500,000 was spent on the space, combining an Old World feel with modern touches. The shop collects pins and patches from customers who are encouraged to share their stories. There have been barbershops in the neighborhood since the 1940s, and one of the previous owners of a barbershop that opened in the shopping center in 1969 visits The Garrison. A men’s product line, T-shirts, and leather goods are also offered.

The Garrison Barber and Goods / 1130 E. Charleston Blvd., Huntridge Shopping Center / Facebook @The Garrison

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

15

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

20% OFF C O U P O N

PRESENT THIS OFFER FOR 20% OFF ENTIRE PURCHASE.OFFER ONLY GOOD IN PERSON AT THE 4845 S. FORT APACHE RETAIL STORE. OFFER ENDS 10/31/2021

4845 S. FORT APACHE LAS VEGAS, NV. 89147

702.857.7474 THISSTUFFISGOODFORYOU.COM LOGOS ARE A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OWNED BY THE NEXTL3VEL SERVICES GROUP LLC. 2018THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE.*NOT ACTUAL PRODUCTS SHOWN

16

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 2 0 2 1

THE BUZZ

BILITIES

BY STEPHANIE WILSON, EDITOR IN CHIEF

1 NEW YEAR, SAME YOU, FRESH PURPOSE: The arrival of

Releasing Hidden Emotion

A new book guides readers on healing self-destructive patterns.

2021 is a chance to make a change. The year in our rearview torpedoed everything we thought of as “normal,” and there’s no going back. Not that we want to—the old normal and even the new normal isn’t good enough. We all were grinding away, but we weren’t making progress. And we’re all about progression.

2 MOVING ONWARD: It’s the only direction into the auspicious year of 2021, known as the Year 5 in numerology. According to Astrofame’s summary of Year 5, “We often feel freer and more able to make changes that we have been thinking about for a long time. We will pursue new initiatives and could even feel like we are growing wings. Curiosity and desire for freedom will be present, as will the desire to go beyond our limits.”

3 BORN AGAIN: According to Pinterest Predicts, an annual notyet-trending report, in 2021, we can expect “routines to be remixed.

Expect regular to be reinvented.” Pinterest says 2021 will be a rebirth, not a reset. “After the plague came the Renaissance.”

4 PLANT POWER TO THE PEOPLE: We’re at the beginning of a new Renaissance—a modern period of cultural, artistic, political, and scientific rebirth. At Sensi, we spent the past year undergoing a transformation to better serve our founding purpose: to break cannabis out of the chains of stigma, to be the bridge that connects cannabis with the mainstream, to tell the stories of the plant and of the people impacted by the plant, to stir people’s curiosity and their desire for freedom to use the plant—and inspire demands for the freedom of people suffering in prison because of cannabis prohibition.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN DUNIA

5 MUSIC MAKERS: This modern Renaissance will provide relief … releaf … ReLeaf. As in, Sensi Presents ReLeaf, the Compilation Album Volume 1, a Benefit for Last Prisoner Project is the next bold step in Sensi’s journey, part of our rebirth. It’s the first release from Sensi’s new record label, and we are so excited and honored to introduce it to you. In the coming months, we’ll have ongoing coverage of the album and the artists who lent their talents to the project, and we’ll also shine a light on the important accomplishments of the Last Prisoner Project—both in the magazine and on the newly rebirthed sensimag.com.

For most of his life, John Dunia felt he was not fulfilling his purpose. When things began spiraling downhill, he embarked on a journey toward self-awareness. He discovered how shame-based thinking hinders a successful and happy life. After experiencing his healing and understanding, Dunia wrote Shame on Me, which chronicles his struggles and triumph over self-destructive patterns.

Inspired to help others, Dunia, known as “The Shame Doctor,” is one of the leading authorities on healing from shame. He collaborated with several accredited psychologists to design comprehensive strategies that guide people beyond feeling stuck in the past, so they can truly heal.

“If you've suffered from any abuse, I want you to know there’s hope, because healing from past trauma is not only possible, it’s the key to becoming the most powerful version of everything you were always meant to be in this life,” Dunia says.

The book takes a comprehensive look at the shrouded emotional healing issues and teaches readers intuitive ways to change a destructive pattern of thinking to loving.

Shame on Me / shamedoctor.com

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

17

18

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 2 0 2 1

PHOTO BY KRISTOPHER ROLLER, UNSPLASH

Happy Plan Americans finally have reason to (cautiously) dream about travel again.

TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON

If you’re wondering how has stirred up some wanderlust in you, you are to be a good traveler in not alone. And stoking the time of COVID-19, look to the words of an- the fire of your passion for travel is so much cient Chinese philosmore than just a guilty opher and author Lao pleasure—it’s an exerTzu. Among his many cise shown by science to notable wise quotes is boost your mental health this one: “A good travand emotional well-beeler has no fi xed plans ing. To which we sing, and is not intent on “Dream on, dream until arriving.”

Fact is, we don’t know your dreams come true.”

There’s some good when we’ll be able to news for globe-trotters: travel freely again, but Although most people there’s reason to be have back-burnered their optimistic we could be leisure travel for now, catching flights (not trip planning doesn’t feelings) sometime need to be canceled too. in 2021. In November, “According to researchwe learned that one ers, looking ahead to of the candidates for your next adventure a COVID-19 vaccine, could benefit your menmade by Pfizer and BioNTech, was more than tal health,” writes Erica Jackson Curran in Na90 percent effective in tional Geographic. “Even preventing volunteers from contracting the vi- if you’re not sure when rus—news that sparked that adventure will be.”

To back that idea up, a dim light at what we Curran points to a 2007 hope is the end of the study published in the very long tunnel we’ve Journal of Experimental been wandering in our Psychology. Researchers masks since March. at University of ColoraIf all the wandering

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

19

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

A: Jimmy Carter

Within first six months of taking office, 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.

ALL YOUR WATER NEEDS UNDER ONE ROOF!

From inlet to product, we’re the Water Guys!

Specializing in sales and installation of Water Treatment and Complete Fertigation Systems.

20

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 202 1

PHOTO BY ROBERTO NICKSON, UNSPLASH

THE LIFE

do Boulder found that people were happier during the planning stages of a vacation than they were after taking one. Put another way, we’re likely to enjoy the anticipation of a trip more than we enjoy reminiscing about it afterward, a theory that was seconded and thirded by later studies. According to findings by researcher Jeroen Nawijn published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, travelers planning a vacation reported being happier than people who aren’t dreaming of their next escape. That 2010 study found that all vacationers experienced a significant boost in happiness during the planning stages of a trip.

“For most,” the researchers concluded, “the enjoyment starts weeks, even months before the holiday actually begins.”

We all could benefit from some more enjoyment right now. The global pandemic has taken a toll on American’s well-being, as multiple global surveys and reports have shown.

One study revealed that Americans are experiencing the lowest levels of happiness in 50 years.

And according to results of the latest Ipsos survey on global happiness released in October, the J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

21

c

w

is

h

en

all wom g n i all o love cannab

CONNECT WITH YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN CITIES AROUND THE GLOBE

TOKEATIVITY.COM/CONNECT

22

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 202 1

PHOTO BY ATLAS GREEN, UNSPLASH

THE LIFE

prevalence of happiness is down more than nine points in the United States compared with last year. Of those surveyed, 25 percent reported being “not very happy” and six percent saying they are “not happy at all.”

If you can relate, now’s the time to start planning your next escape. A new poll conducted by the Institute for Applied Positive Research backed up earlier studies, fi nding that simply planning a trip can help boost happiness and alleviate stress. According to the institute’s founder

Michelle Gielan, “Booking a trip—even just getting it on the calendar—might be the very thing we need to restore our emotional immune system after months of mounting uncertainty and stress.”

If your bank account is laughing at the thought of booking a vacation, first applaud its sense of humor. Then reassure it that dreaming of getting away at any point in the future is not an exercise in futility: planning for life returning to normal can be a comforting activity amid all the uncertainty. Just because

Just because you couldn’t swing a trip in the immediate future doesn’t negate the positive impact that anticipating a vacation can have on your mental health.

you couldn’t swing a trip in the immediate future doesn’t negate the positive impact that anticipating a vacation can have on your mental health.

This is a long way of suggesting you go start a Pinterest board or two to populate with photos of whatever exotic paradise catches your wandering, lusting eye.

Because one day—perhaps one day soon-ish— you can be on your way to finding it. There’s no time like the present to plan your future escape.

It’s all but guaranteed to bring joy to your world this holiday season.

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

23

®

®

THE LIFE

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mona Van Joseph is a professionally licensed intuitive reader in Las Vegas since 2002.

Author, radio host, and columnist, she has created the Dice Wisdom app and is available for phone and in-person sessions. mona.vegas

PHOTO BY JOZEFMICIC, ADOBE STOCK

2021 Vibe

the government), which will make it attractive to wait until that month.

The numerals in 2021 This is the year that you get what you want. add up to a 5 in numeroloTEXT MONA VAN JOSEPH gy, resonating to fast-moving communication, the The year 2020 was a vised unless it’s presented planet Mercury, and the Foundation Year designed (in writing or contract) to Norse God, Loki. It is the to show us what’s most benefit you authentically.

Year of Media—the truth important. It was spiritual Patience with yourself and and the trickster. Both awareness to our growth, others right now will do the truth and the manipand in many ways, we you a world of good when ulation of the truth in any were forced to recognize the energy shifts. issue will be present. Make and honor our priorities.

Make your plan for your own conclusions Isolation, loss, and money forward movement when and decisions on what you worries were (and still are this energy shift begins in know to be your truth. for many) center stage.

May. This will allow you Make the first quarter There will (still) be to attend a baseball game personally productive. Reholding back energy on or concert in July, the member, this year is about gatherings until the end of power month this year. connections and commuMarch and awareness of It will enable you to get nication. Do your best to money issues until April. that promotion or launch connect with people who People will be deciding a new beginning. The best you’ll want in your wheelwhat they want to do with month to retire would also house moving forward. their careers or finding be in July. There will be Connect with everyone ways to fill up their days in offers made to those close you’ve met on LinkedIn, the first quarter. Action in to retirement age in July especially if one of your the first quarter is not ad- (either by an employer or goals has to do with a new

HOROSCOPE

career opportunity.

Remember that nature abhors a vacuum, and the practical cleaning out of things in your living space will allow new things to present themselves. Make it a goal to have one drawer, one shelf, and one cabinet in each room empty so you are setting up the energy to receive. Hang all of the hanger hooks in your closet backward to see what you’re actually wearing (and decide in six months what you’ll keep or donate).

Spending time with ourselves in 2020 was to show us what truly makes us happy and purposeful.

This will be an action year as soon as you decide what that looks like for you. It’s truly that simple. Speak aloud what you want, and do not speak aloud what you don’t want.

MULLIGAN For the coming year, Mona is offering a 9 Day Energy Reset.

To learn more or participate, visit 9dayer.com.

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

25

26

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 202 1

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FIRST LADY MARTA SAHAGÚN DE FOX

HELP BEYOND BORDERS The former first lady of Mexico dedicates her post-political life to furthering education, health, and stability for the most vulnerable in her country.

TEXT DEBBIE HALL

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

27

“In Mexico, the first lady…has no obligations in the government. [But] I wanted to work for the good of the people as a gesture of goodwill.”

—Marta Sahagún de Fox, former first lady of Mexico and president of the Vamos Mexico Foundation

A

fter serving as a country’s first lady, what does a person do next? Former first lady Marta Sahagún de Fox, along with her husband, Vicente Fox Quesada, the 55th president of Mexico (2000-2006), advocates and creates change for those without a voice in Mexico.

Sahagún de Fox is president of the Vamos Mexico Foundation (vamosmexico.org.mx) and the chairman of the board for Vision Mexico (visionmexico.org), continuing her lifelong activism. A powerful voice on women’s issues and shared social responsibility, Sahagún de Fox addresses the challenges of Mexico’s citizens. She has dedicated her life to public service to promote education, women’s and children’s health, the fight against poverty, and support for vulnerable groups.

At the time of her marriage to former president Fox in 2001, Sahagún de Fox was working for the government. She had always been active in politics and social change, so becoming Mexico’s first lady allowed her to pursue these goals on a much bigger scale.

“I had to decide what to do. In Mexico, the first lady performs few duties and has no obligations in the government,” Sahagún de Fox says.

“I wanted to work for the good of the people as a gesture of goodwill.

I believe in education, and I wanted to educate my brothers, my mother, and all other families.”

She chose to use this political platform to serve and help the people of Mexico as her personal path to happiness. Sahagún de Fox created the Vamos Mexico Foundation in 2001 to tackle social causes.

“There are three main issues: health, education, and strengthenJ A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

29

Adrian Marcel Cazares with Marta Sahagún de Fox

1. Rylie Maedler is the teenaged president and founder of Rylie’s Smile Foundation, a nonprofit that helps families make choices concerning legal medical cannabinoid therapy.

2. Coltyn Turner is the first registered medical marijuana pediatric patient for Crohn's disease in the state of Colorado and possibly the US. 3. Nine-year-old cancer survivor Lilianna Carmen Diversey (along with her mother, Brianna) is a Leukemia Ambassador for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.

She has her own Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome team called “The Lily Army.”

30

N E VA DA

ing the community. We have created different programs, which have grown over the years,” she says.

After years of work, the first phase of the Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center San Miguel de Allende (CRISMA), one of the foundation’s programs, was finally opened. The fully integrated rehabilitation center, located 170 miles northwest of Mexico City, provides a full range of rehabilitation services, including hydrotherapy, hearing and language therapy, artistic expression workshops, and pediatric physical therapy. CRISMA also offers physical therapy for adults as well as neurological and psychological services for disabled persons in vulnerable situations.

CRISMA was initially operated by one woman, the late Señora Lucha Maxwell, who took care of the children in her town. When she reached 92 years of age, she was unable to continue her work.

She approached the former president and first lady to continue her mission, and Vamos Mexico decided to accept the responsibility.

The programs are operated in a beautiful ranch and hospital located in the historic city of San Miguel de Allende. The city’s international population of artists, writers, and expatriates promotes the organization’s progressive stance. The program started with 22 children living in a very old house in less than desirable conditions.

“Through the goodwill and generosity of many people, Mexicans and Americans, we can help so many children,” Sahagún de Fox says. “Americans understand and practice philanthropy and want to help others. Today, we are helping 320 children, taking care of them

J A N UA RY 202 1

STEPS IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION Statement of Juan A. Garcia, senior advisor to former president Vicente Fox and former first lady Marta Sahagún de Fox: “The Mexican Senate has just approved the first level of the law that will allow the recreational consumption of cannabis. While we do believe in the curative elements the plant brings in certain medications to the country, former first lady Marta Sahagún de Fox has nothing to do with cannabis and the aforementioned legislation in the Mexican Senate. Mrs. Fox serves as president of Vamos México Foundation and CRISMA and is chairman of the board for Vision México. We are focused on the beautiful hospital that was constructed in San Miguel de Allende for children and adults with special needs. We are on a quest to increase the endowment for the hospital to serve more people. We know, as does the world, that the Israelis, Americans, and French are developing medicines from this plant. Our mission is to serve the people through the foundation.”

Statement of Adrian Marcel Cazares, US ambassador to former president Vincente Fox and the first lady Marta Sahagún de Fox: “We are excited about what is to come for the people of Mexico and the benefits this God-given plant medicine will provide for the children and elderly of CRISMA. Through the Padrino initiative, Mrs. Fox and I look forward to co-creating with many of the industry’s enlightened beings to be the light in dark worlds. Though we cannot claim victory yet, as there is still much to do before Lower Legislative Chamber approval and signature by the president of Mexico, provided he has no objections. The Mexican lower house decided to delay debating articles in the marijuana legalization bill until the next legislative period, starting in February. Lawmakers said on December 8, 2020, that they need more time to study the bill, and the Mexican Supreme Court concurs. After the law is approved, before any sales can take place, a cannabis agency must be established, and secondary rules written. If government and “plantvocates” can learn to cooperate, pool our wealth, share our intellectual capital, we can defeat any disease in the galaxy through love and educational reform. Children such as Rylie Maedler,1 Coltyn Turner,2 and Lilianna Carmen Diversey3 are precious star-seeds who are the generations taking the baton to do the work we’ve started. Loving people through their stigmas so they can open up and be vulnerable to receive this information is how we inspire healing.”

and their families, in a new hospital with state-of-the-art technology and equipment. Our goal is to help children walk again, and as medical science discovers new methods, children walking again becomes a reality for so many.”

The fundraising efforts continue to support and grow the programs implemented by the foundation.

“COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on the economy; we need to step up and reach even more people with our help. Thera-

py is so important to families who are struggling emotionally and physically,” she says. “The quarantine has forced so many to become isolated. COVID-19 is tough on children, and those with a disability are really feeling the desperation.”

CRISMA had to close its doors in March and then again in September due to the government mandate. Children and families keep telling the staff of the center how much they are missed. Emotions run high as the center, even

while closed, takes every safety precaution for staff, volunteers, children, and their families.

“We are protecting everyone, and with help from good people, we can extend a hand to help again,” Sahagún de Fox says. “We are going to keep helping, going to people’s homes—and we remain committed.”

One program that’s helping is the foundation’s Godparent a Child, which supports the rehabilitation of children with disabilities

Today CRISMA provides services to some 320 children in San Miguel de Allende.

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

31

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.

32

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 202 1

“We have to keep going and remain in hope and faith. The time will come that we can see the light.”

—Marta Sahagún de Fox

living in poverty. There are different levels of sponsorship, with a one-year commitment, to help children receive consultations and therapy. The program improves children’s communication capabilities, advances them toward a better quality of life, improves possibilities for the children to enjoy

life, helps achieve social inclusion, and allows them to become independent.

Sponsors can select the child who they’d like to support, receiving a packet with a photo and the child’s story, his or her rehabilitation goals, and periodic progress report. Sponsors are encouraged

to send supportive messages.

“We have to keep going and remain in hope and faith,” she says.

“The time will come that we can see the light, and we are grateful for everyone’s support. We are here for our children, the elderly, the disabled, and the people of our country.”

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

33

Psychedelic therapy could help ease the deep, constant wounds of racial trauma, but stigma and the movement’s unbearable whiteness keep people away.

TEXT ROBYN GRIGGS LAWRENCE

34

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 2 02 1

THE ROAD

ORIGINAL PHOTO BY BEN SCOTT, UNSPLASH

TO RECLAIMING RECOVERY

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

35

Want a sample of our work? You’re reading it.

Em Agency is proud to be the creative force behind Sensi’s award-winning visual style.

We build brands we believe in—the brand you believe in can be next. emagency.com

n her vision, NiCole Buchanan is lying on a mat on a dirt floor, watching the woman sitting across from her morph into her ancestors through multiple generations, women she recognizes as legacies of her own history. They tell her they have survived brutal lifetimes as Black women so that she could be. They tell her she’s doing everything they’d hoped and dreamed.

In Jamilah George’s vision, she’s riding a lapa (an African skirt) like a magic carpet, looking down at her ancestors working the plantation fields. A face that looks like hers turns toward her and reaches out a hand, and George pulls her up to the lapa. As generations of her ancestors pass by below, she continues to reach down and pull them up until her lapa is full of beautiful Black women from her lineage, all holding hands. “I’ve never felt so much warmth and support in my life, ever,” she says.

Buchanan, an associate professor of psychology at Michigan State University and founder of Alliance Psychological Associates in East Lansing, Michigan, and George, a Detroit native who is studying the potential of psychedelic medicine to heal the psychological effects of racial trauma while pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Connecticut, shared their psychedelic experiences during an emotional segment of “Black Lives Matter & Psychedelic Integration: Pathways to Radical Healing Amidst Ongoing Oppression.” The webinar, sponsored by the Chacruna Institute (a nonprofit that provides education about psychedelic plant medicines) in

November, is one of many such events that have come online recently to explore how entheogens (plants that inspire non-ordinary states of consciousness and spiritual enlightenment) may be able to uproot and heal deep, embedded scars from generations of systemic racial oppression.

Oyi Sun, an Atlanta-based martial arts master and coach who produced the 2020 Detroit Psychedelic Conference, explains it this way: “The white man has been selling trauma for generations, and here’s the terrible part—we’ve been programmed to receive it. And when you’re dealing with earthly trauma, entheogens are the best therapists in the world. There’s been a spiritual suppression going on for over 2,000 years, and now with the help of entheogens, there’s about to be a renewal of spiritual power.”

Sun stepped in to run the conference, with the theme “Entheogenics in Urban Environments: A Journey into the Mysteries,” after its founder, Baba Kilindi Iyi, died in April. Kilindi, one of the world’s foremost experts on psychedelic science and healing and the master of mushroom megadosing, was often the only Black presenter—if not the only Black person—at conferences and events on the psychedelic circuit, and he created the Detroit conference to bring the conversation home. “The faces that look like Kilindi—the brown faces—have not been represented in the entheogenic community,” Sun says.

The conference took place at the Bushnell Congregational Church, a prewar Colonial Revival building on four acres in Rosedale Park, over a long weekend in August. Diverse speakers from around the world J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

37

shared their expertise on everything from subatomic particle research and hyperdimensional realms to psychedelic justice, culminating in a memorial for Kilindi that Sun describes as “four hours of emotions, laughter, speakers, heart pouring, drumming—and more drumming and more drumming and more dancing and martial arts exhibitions.” It was a template for future events, Sun says, and they’re already brewing in Oakland, Denver, and Portland, Oregon (where voters recently legalized psilocybin for therapeutic use and decriminalized possession of all drugs).

a scab keeps getting ripped off a wound, the wound can never heal.

“If someone is assaulted, for most of us, that happens once, then you have some time to heal,” says Undrea Wright, who co-founded The Sabina Project last year to provide Black-led psychedelic education, training, and harm reduction. “For people of color, we don’t have any time to heal because when we come out of ceremony, reality is still there.”

Psychedelic therapy, one of the hottest healing modalities to emerge in decades, shows a lot of promise in treating PTSD, and many see its potential for treating racial trauma

Ottawa, has found psychedelics to be highly effective at treating racial trauma. She is the clinical director of the Behavioral Wellness Clinic in Tolland, Connecticut, where she and her colleagues offer culturally informed ketamine-assisted psychotherapy as a means of treating racial trauma. They find that many Black people refuse to even consider it, because they can be “fearful of a psychedelic medicine and the vulnerability that comes with it,” Williams explained during a Chacruna Institute forum on diversity in psychedelic medicine in February 2020.

In 2018, Williams and three

The Pygmy tribes of Central Africa discovered the psychedelic properties of ibogaine, an indole alkaloid extracted from a rainforest shrub called Tabernanthe iboga, thousands of years ago and shared it with people who practice the Bwiti religion in West Africa. Still used as sacred medicine in Cameroon and Gabon, ibogaine opens doors to mystical experiences and communion with ancestors and spirits, often taking people on dreamlike journeys through their lives and offering transformative perspectives.

Ibogaine is being studied as a treatment for drug addiction (opioids in particular), and clinics offer ibogaine-assisted detoxification in Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Africa, and New Zealand. In the United States, ibogaine is a Schedule 1 narcotic.

PSYCHEDELICS AND RACIAL TRAUMA Racial trauma is a lot like PTSD— with symptoms like nightmares and hypervigilance—and it develops over a lifetime of injustices and abuses. But racial trauma is more insidious than PTSD because people of color continue to experience the same threats and humiliation that triggered them in the first place on an ongoing basis. When 38

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 202 1

as well. “Right now, what’s taking up all the space for Indigenous and Black people is trauma, and the opposite of trauma is creative,” Sun says. “When entheogens come in and start clearing up that trauma, there’s going to be a void, and that void will be filled with creativity.”

Monnica T. Williams, PhD, an associate professor in the School of Psychology at the University of

colleagues published their findings from a methodological search of psychedelic studies from 1993 to 2017. In those studies, 82.3 percent of the participants were non-Hispanic white, 4.6 percent were Indigenous, 2.5 percent were African American, 2.1 percent were Latino, and 1.8 percent were Asian.

Selection bias is a factor in this, certainly, but just as importantly,

many people of color have little trust for medical trials (one word: Tuskegee) and illicit substances (two words: Drug War). They’ve been exploited and abused within the medical system and targeted in an immoral war that has decimated communities. Many don’t have the expendable time and money it takes to participate in clinical trials.

George was one of few Black participants in clinical trials for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy to treat PTSD that were sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and it was anything but a healing experience for her. (MDMA is an acronym for the synthetic drug 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, more commonly known as Ecstasy and Molly.) After her session with two white therapists, she was sent home with a white night attendant, but she continued to feel alone and terrified. “I remember feeling so lost, so out of touch with my body, and psychologically, I didn’t have control of my thoughts,” she said during the webinar. “I was scared to call anyone. How do I tell any of my Black friends I just did an MDMA study?”

“THESE MEDICINES ARE PART OF OUR CULTURAL BIRTHRIGHT, AND I BELIEVE WE LOSE MORE WHEN WE STEP BACK AND CHOOSE NOT TO ENGAGE.” —Monnica T. Williams, PhD, University of Ottowa’s School of Psychology

RECLAIMING PSYCHEDELIC HEALING Beyond the clinic, underground psychedelic experiences like ayahuasca circles have become a thing in communities across North America—and every one of those circles is overwhelmingly white, says Wright. The few people of color who do participate, he says, find it uncomfortable because white people often (wittingly or unwittingly) gaslight them. “If I’m in a space that’s supposed to be safe and available to my story, and people are telling me my story is not real J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

39

40

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 202 1

or valuable, that I just need to move past it, now I have an additional layer of trauma,” he says. “This is the story we kept hearing over and over.

People of color had the wherewithal and learned about the medicines, finally found the circle—which is cost-prohibitive for most of us— then they had to do this dance in the circle. It can be retraumatizing.”

Wright and Charlotte James co-founded The Sabina Project because they recognized “how healing it would be to be able to share our experiences and extend access to these medicines with our own communities, especially during these incredibly challenging and isolating times,” James says.

People have been flocking to their workshops, trainings, and virtual ceremonies throughout the lockdown, seeking both community and information as they confront the demons of isolation.

“WE JUST WANT TO GUARANTEE THERE IS SOME SAFE, JUDGMENTFREE SPACE TO PROCESS JOURNEYS.” —Undrea Wright, Co-founder of The Sabina Project

The Sabina Project’s ceremonies are open to everyone, but integration circles are only for people of color. “We just want to guarantee there is some safe, judgment-free space, free of the white gaze, to process journeys,” she says. Fearing a judicial system that’s stacked against them, Wright and James facilitate only ceremonies with substances that are legal in the United States. Citing an ACLU study in Maryland that found African American men 900 percent more likely to be arrested for simple possession than white men, Wright says, “The consequences for us to do anything illegal are severe.”

Those consequences are why many Black parents warn their children away from all drugs, psychedelics included. Buchanan said during the webinar that when she was growing up, everyone knew the story of her father’s best friend Lonnie, who tried acid after he returned from Vietnam and went crazy. “Every Black community has one of these stories,” she says.

“What’s crazy,” Wright says, “is that most of these [sacred earth medicine] practices come from people of color. They convinced us to denounce these very powerful tools and replace them with pharmaceutical drugs that are killing us.”

“These medicines are part of our cultural birthright,” Williams said in her lecture last February. “And I believe we lose more when we step back and choose not to engage.

It is true that it has not always been safe for us, but I hope we can come together as a people, create our own safe spaces, and become empowered to reclaim psychedelic healing for ourselves, our loved ones, and our community.”

DOING THE MOST GOOD Support The Sabina Project by checking out its new merch collection.

They’ll pay that support forward by giving 5 percent of all proceeds to the Mutual Ceremony Fund, which provides monetary assistance for BIPOC looking to explore psychedelic healing work through The Sabina Project’s workshops.

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

41

Game Changer Here’s our roundup of hotspots for celebrating playoff season and the Big Game.

TEXT DEBBIE HALL

Pandemic or no, Nevada’s sports-obsessed fans, along with those simply looking for a good party, still want to share the highs and lows of the playoffs and the fanfare of the Super Bowl on February 7.

These are some of our 42

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 202 1

favorite places to enjoy sports paired with some great food and drink— while, of course, practicing social distancing.

Tailgate Social Sports Bar and Grill, a new sports-centric bar, opened in November in Palace Station, just in time for football’s Tailgate Social playoff push and college (Las Vegas) football’s march to the Palace Station / 2411 W. Sahara Ave. national championship. / tailgatesociallv.com Inside, fans will find

more than 30 high definition TVs and a surround-sound system for a viewing experience that’ll make everyone feel as if they’re at the game.

Tailgate Social’s value-friendly menu features comfort-food bar favorites, including

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TAILGATE SOCIAL

“Bag-A-Bones” (hickory-smoked baby-back ribs with a side of fries) and a build your own burger with a multitude of mix-and-match options. Its famous Holey Moley Big Ass 4 Foot Stromboli is loaded with pepperoni, sausage, and

roasted peppers with melted Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. To satisfy any sweet tooth, try the Tailgate Banana in the Tailpipe Sunday, a mélange of chocolate-covered bananas, vanilla soft serve, honey toast custard, chocolate

sauce, strawberries, and sprinkles.

Tailgate Social’s oversized beer list features hard-to-find brews and local favorites. On tap is 7Five’s Training Day Golden Ale, a brew created by Vegas Golden Knights right winger Ryan Reaves. Tailgate Social offers a full menu of handcrafted drinks.

Try the Red Card drinkapp pairing: a top-shelf spicy house-blended michelada garnished with a charred jalapeno and served with a grilled fish taco, chips, and salsa.

Though walk-ins are welcome for most games, reservations for

big game days can be made on opentable.com.

The Still Craft, Drafts & Eats (Las Vegas) The Mirage Hotel & Casino / 3400 Las Vegas Blvd. S. / thestillvegas.com

How about a little history while watching a game? At The Still Craft, Drafts & Eats, located in the Mirage, the eats are served out of a refurbished Airstream trailer called Bud Bud’s.

Found abandoned in Tennessee, the vintage trailer took on a new life as a fully functioning kitchen inside The Still. The eatery’s menu features prime steak J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

43

THE SCENE

44

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 202 1

8,000-square-foot space peppered with 27 televisions. It’s truly a haven for sports lovers and one fun place to watch any and all sporting events.

The center bar features more than 50 craft beers; 12 varieties of Mules made with vodka, gin, tequila, bourbon, and whiskey; and a number of drinks with Grey Goose vodka and Red Bull. The Still’s

cucumber mint martini, made with Absolut Elyx vodka, Bombay London dry gin, cucumber, and fresh mint, elevates martini time. Showcasing a classic drink with a twist, the Still ol’ Fashion blends Jim Beam Whiskey, maple syrup, and orange bitters barrel-aged in-house.

During games, the Football Menu adds to the party atmosphere.

Make reservations online and then cheer a favorite team.

The Depot Craft Brewery & Distillery (Reno/Sparks) 325 E. Fourth St. / thedepotreno.com

The Depot Craft Brewery & Distillery is housed inside a three-story brick building with a rich history. The structure, built in 1910, served as the

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE STILL CRAFT, DRAFTS & EATS

tip skewers (certified Angus New York beef), mini cheeseburgers, and street-style tacos with al pastor chicken, steak, and grilled fish. Finish with fried PB&J with dipping sauce or deepfried Oreos (with red velvet batter and cream cheese icing).

First opened in 2016, The Still serves craft beer and specialty cocktails in the comfort of an

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID CALVERT (THE DEPOT)

THE SCENE

headquarters for the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway for ranchers and farmers along its 238mile stretch. It inspired the creation of the state’s first combined brewery and distillery, which celebrated its sixth anniversary on New Year’s Eve. Championed by the head of business development Chris Shanks and brewmaster and distiller Brandon Wright, The Depot creates a unique dining experience. It brews several beers and distills its own vodka, bourbon, rye, single malt, Picon-style liqueur, and gin.

Great drinks demand wonderful food such as Cornbread Fritters made with garlic, jalapeño, and bourbon honey or brussels sprouts flash fried in a bacon, maple, and sherry vinaigrette.

Gastro-fare includes the Depot burger: halfpound of grass-fed beef topped with a bacon onion jam, swiss cheese, sautéed mushroom, and white aioli served with fries. For the daring, the Cat Iron Filet with smashed potato, haricot verts, and mushroom soubise tempts sophisticated palates.

Enjoy the game with history, brews, spirits, and an upscale menu while rooting for the winning team.

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

45

MORE INFO

THE SCENE

Museum Fiasco AREA15, 3215 S. Rancho Dr museumfiasco.com

ART

Bending Dimensions Museum Fiasco immerses guests in light and sound.

PHOTOS BY ANTHONY MAIR

TEXT DEBBIE HALL

Museum Fiasco (located on the mezzanine in AREA15) invades Las Vegas as the city’s first Kunsthalle-style museum premiering its first show, Cluster. The award-winning installation by Playmodes Studio shares its international cross-culture work from Spain in Southern Nevada. Everyone who enters the large-scale audio-visual experience is immersed in a dynamic, interactive show that engages the senses and pushes boundaries in sound, light, technolo-

gy, and creativity. The virtuosic play, through a collection of lights that strobe in harmony with the extraordinary soundscape, expresses the story. The 360-degree experience explores the chaotic feeling of being inside a glitchy computer processor.

The reimagining of this museum in the 21st century was conceptualized and designed by Corner Bar Management founder Ryan Doherty.

The 5,000-square-foot gallery showcases futuristic exhibits, audio-vi-

sual experiences, and art in a space that will foster a sense of connectivity for visitors.

With his extensive background and hospitality experience, Doherty created the museum based on the German Kunsthalle model, which features rotating exhibits with no permanent collections. There are currently 14 Kunsthalle-style museums in the United States, with Museum Fiasco the first one in Nevada.

“This is a great addition to the cultural

fabric of Nevada,” says Brian Paco Alvarez, museum manager. “Cultural arts in Las Vegas has really flexed its muscles this year, so to speak.

Wonderful works of art have been created, especially on boards covering windows and doors on buildings. Museum Fiasco adds to that experience, bringing another dimension of artistic expression.”

Museum Fiasco is a ticketed attraction with other installations added and changed throughout the year.

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

47

C THE SCENE

HIGH SOCIETY

Celebrating Love In late November, Brett Raymer, star of Animal Planet’s Tanked, hosted an exclusive invite-only wedding and reception. The happy socially distanced event showcased his home, which is often used for filming and private parties.

Scott J. Polek officiated with DJ Dank playing the music. Diamond Events catered the delicious food and drink, Queen of Hearts baked the cake, and LV Cannagars provided the dab bar along with goodies by Too Short Stix.

Mylissa amazed all with her belly dancing.

Special moments like these touch so many people and make this house a home.

48

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 202 1

PRIVATE WEDDING WHERE: PRIVATE HOME WHEN: NOVEMBER 21 PHOTOS: HOLLIE CARDINAL PHOTOGRAPHY

THE SCENE HIGH SOCIETY

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

49

Fighting for freedom is Join the revolution at norml.org

P R O M OT I O N A L F E AT U R E LEE’S DISCOUNT LIQUOR

Lee’s Discount Liquor Expands Empire A longtime Las Vegas liquor store will now carry CBD-infused drinks.

A

South Korean immigrant continues to expand his enterprise, Lee’s Discount Liquor, with more stores, trying out a potential new product line for his loyal customer base.

In 1980, Hae Un Lee came to the United States from his home in South Korea, in search of the American dream. He began building his liquor sales empire in Las Vegas, personally gambling that his hard work would drive customers to his stores and help him move his family to the states for a better life.

His timing was perfect. At the time, liquor was only being sold in super-

two miles off the Vegas Strip called A-Plaza Liquor Barn. “His mentality was that he always wanted to be on top,” Gutowski says. “That’s why he chose that name. It put the company at the top of the list in the Yellow Pages.”

Lee’s Discount Liquor stores carry hundreds of brands of wine, beer, and liquor, including Turkish and Russian liquor products, plus rare and hard-to-find items like Pappy Van Winkle bourbon.

With all the recent action about legalizing recreational cannabis in Vegas, and the many dispensaries popping up over the last three years, the potential market for selling infused CBD drinks caught Lee’s attention.

“We have been researching CBD drinks to bring into our stores and currently have one Artic Ice in five different flavors. That’s the first one we’ve decided to carry,” Gutowski says. The company has been looking at several other CBD-infused drink companies.

“We are keeping an eye on the trend.”

Lee’s Discount Liquor hosts two annual experiences, one in May, featuring beer and tequila, and one in November, featuring wine. The proceeds from the experiences go to Lee’s own nonprofit organization, Lee’s Helping Hand Foundation, which then distributes that money to selected charities across Nevada, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada.

markets in the city, and there were no independent liquor stores.

Today, Lee has opened 22 locations, including 18 Lee’s Discount Liquor stores in Las Vegas, one in Mesquite, Nevada, one in Wendover, Nevada, and two in Reno, with more stores planned in the coming year.

“Mr. Lee started from scratch,” says Marsha Gutowski, director of marketing and events. “He wanted to do something that would provide a living and benefit his kids’ education, and he was really hardworking.”

Lee’s Discount Liquor Lee opened his first liquor store Purveyor of Spirits, Beer, Wine, and in Vegas in 1981. He bought a CBD-Infused Drinks 2,500-square-foot strip mall store just leesliquorlv.com

J A N UA RY 2021

S E N S I M AG .C O M

51

THE END

Mesquite Fine Arts Center mesquitefineartscenter.com @mesquitefineartscenter

Thriving in a Small Town Mesquite Fine Arts Center showcases artistic endeavors. TEXT DEBBIE HALL In the city of Mesquite, 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas, artists continue to paint, sculpt, draw, color, and create. The nonprof-

52

N E VA DA

J A N UA RY 202 1

it Mesquite Fine Arts Center, managed by the Virgin Valley Artists Association, remains open for all to enjoy (and pur-

chase) artwork made by local artists.

The center is a hub for artistic culture and education, promoting creativity for all ages in the Virgin Valley. It is a place to learn, share, develop skills, and display artistic endeavors. Exhibits include multimedia, oils, acrylics, jewelry, ceramics, photography, drawing, fabric, glass, and sculpture. Visitors can find art pieces for sale in its gift shop.

Settled by pioneers in 1880, the city was named for the mesquite timber that grew nearby, and the town has origins in farming. The first casino, Peppermill Mesquite Casino, was opened in the 1970s, and the town was incorporated in 1984 with a master development plan in the 1990s.

Exhibits are changed out every month, with an artist of the month featured prominently.

PHOTOS BY NORMA SACHAR / ARTWORK BY RACHELLE KNIGHT

MORE INFO

Introducing Uleva TM

Full Spectrum Hemp Extract Herbal Supplements rich in phytocannabinoids to help support your body’s endocannabinoid system* Full Spectrum Hemp Extract perfectly blended to: FUEL™ with green tea, FLEX™ with glucosamine and chondroitin, DIGEST™ with ginger, RELAX™ with ashwagandha, RELIEVE™ with turmeric, SLEEP™ with melatonin

Use code SENSI20 for 20% off your first order Available now at www.uleva.com www.uleva.com

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

DREAM ON

The power of positive planning

HEALING TRAUMA

Reclaiming psychedelic medicine

THE BIG GAME

Top Super Bowl watch spots

DREAM ON

The power of positive planning

HEALING TRAUMA

Reclaiming psychedelic medicine

BUD & BREAKFAST

A safe space for all women

DREAM ON

The power of positive planning

N E VA DA

NORCAL

NEW ENGLAND

JANUARY 2021

JANUARY 2021

JANUARY 2021

HEALING TRAUMA

Reclaiming psychedelic medicine

BUD & BREAKFAST

A safe space for all women

A L L D OW

STAYCATION

NHILL FRO

Getaways for when you can’t get away

M HERE Wh

at t

oe

xp

ect

on

the

slope

s this s

eason

BENEVOLENCE BEYOND BORDERS Mexico’s former first lady continues her philanthropy

DREAM ON

The power of positive planning

HEALING TRAUMA

Reclaiming psychedelic medicine

STORIES THAT STICK

Excerpts from a new memoir

DREAM ON

The power of positive planning

HEALING TRAUMA

Reclaiming psychedelic medicine

PUT BLUNTLY

Your new favorite skin-care brand

NEW YEAR, NEW LOOK Redo your interior vibe

MICHIGAN

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

C O LO R A D O

JANUARY 2021

JANUARY 2021

JANUARY 2021

HEALING TRAUMA

Reclaiming psychedelic medicine

SNURFING USA

The origins of snowboarding

DON’T OVERDO IT No-effort resolutions that are easy to keep

WORD TO THE WISE Amanda Goetz’s womanempowering enterprise

MADE IN THE MITTEN New film explores snowboarding’s origins

SEE ALL THE JANUARY EDITIONS NOW AVAILABLE!