I'm a Vegas expert! At least, that's what they tell me.

I've been blogging regularly about Vegas for Planet Eye and The Las Vegas Adventurer. It's been a great excuse to get out and get around again after a few months of writing strictly for print media. Now that I'm back online, I hope you check out my other blogs and feel free to write a comment or rate the post. After all, I love hearing your feedback.

Free concerts athte Courthouse

The Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse brings free lunchtime concerts to the courthouse jury selection room every month. In September, on Friday the 21 from noon to 1 p.m. everyone is invited to bring a sack lunch or enjoy the light refreshments offered as they listen to the sounds of Hot Club of Las Vegas. The band plays Gypsy Djazz, an acoustic music combining elements of American Swing, Flamenco and Parisien Musette. Born out of the Paris jazz scene in the 30's and 40's and made popular by Django Reinhardt, Stephanie Grapelli, and Quintette du Hot Club de France, the music is traditionally played on a Selmer-Maccaferri guitar.

The courthouse, located at 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South, features monthly lunchtime concerts, lectures and other entertainment, presented by the Office of Cultural Affairs of the city of Las Vegas Office of Government and Community Affairs. Call (702) 229-4614 for more information.

Swing into Fall

Make plans to for the first weekend in September to swing into fall with two great end-of-summer concerts. Sponsored by the The Las Vegas Jazz Society, the weekend kicks off on Friday, September 7 featuring Jerry Lopez’ Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns, a high-energy band that provides an organic blend of funk, salsa, swing and jazz. Come back for more on Saturday, September 8, when the musical talents of Walter Boenig Big Band and Jo Belle Yonely provide a night of Big Band Dance music sounds while honoring straight-ahead jazz.

The concerts are hosted by the Spring Mountain Ranch State Park in the super Summer Theatre, located 10 miles west of 215 on Charleston Blvd. Guests familiar with the outdoor summer theatre program know to bring a blanket, lounge chairs and a cooler of drinks to enjoy the sultry clean air and the brilliant red cliffs juxtaposed against the green grass and trees of the historic ranch.

Both concerts begin at 7 pm and gates open to the public at 6 pm. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 at the UNLV Box Office, Prestige Travel at Lake Mead and Rampart or online at unlvtickets.com. A limited number of tickets are available at the door the night of each show for $15. For more information, please call 702.594.PLAY or visit www.supersummertheatre.com.

This project is funded, in part, by a grant from the Nevada Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Children Grow

Something about the new school year makes parents think their children are a little older and wiser than last year. Kids can't grow if they aren't allowed to increase their access to the outside world, but whoa! is that scary for parents. Modern parents may be harming their kids by being too wary of letting them out in the world. This shows up in many ways like playgrounds that are so safe they bore kids into abandoning them; empty streets that used to be filled with playing kids who now stay inside their safe homes; and middle school kids who aren't allowed to walk the mile home from school. According to a recent EPA report in 1969, 48 percent of kids walked or biked home from school; in 2001, not even 15 percent made it on their own two legs. Not only does this make kids fatter, it take away an important social time where kids can get to know their neighbors and establish friendships -- not to mention the increased carbon output from the cars waiting to take little Jimmy home.

Something that does merit caution is letting kids on the internet. They don't have the capacity to hide from the score of predators who wait to take advantage of their youth and naivety.

The city of Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services is offering a free workshop on Monday, Sept. 17, designed to educate adults about the dangers inherent in use of the Internet by children and what precautions adults can take to protect their families. The workshop is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brinley Community School, located at 6150 Smoke Ranch Road. Nevada Child Seekers and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department are collaborating on this project. The free workshop will be offered again Oct. 15 and Nov. 19. Pre-registration is required.

For more information and to register, call (702) 229-2642.

Children Grow

Something about the new school year makes parents think their children are a little older and wiser than last year. Kids can't grow if they aren't allowed to increase their access to the outside world, but whoa! is that scary for parents. Modern parents may be harming their kids by being too wary of letting them out in the world. This shows up in many ways like playgrounds that are so safe they bore kids into abandoning them; empty streets that used to be filled with playing kids who now stay inside their safe homes; and middle school kids who aren't allowed to walk the mile home from school. According to a recent EPA report in 1969, 48 percent of kids walked or biked home from school; in 2001, not even 15 percent made it on their own two legs. Not only does this make kids fatter, it take away an important social time where kids can get to know their neighbors and establish friendships -- not to mention the increased carbon output from the cars waiting to take little Jimmy home.

Something that does merit caution is letting kids on the internet. They don't have the capacity to hide from the score of predators who wait to take advantage of their youth and naivety.

The city of Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services is offering a free workshop on Monday, Sept. 17, designed to educate adults about the dangers inherent in use of the Internet by children and what precautions adults can take to protect their families. The workshop is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at Brinley Community School, located at 6150 Smoke Ranch Road. Nevada Child Seekers and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department are collaborating on this project. The free workshop will be offered again Oct. 15 and Nov. 19. Pre-registration is required.

For more information and to register, call (702) 229-2642.

100 Suns

You probably still haven’t made the trip into Nevada’s most sensitive past. The Atomic Testing Museum documents the era when the government sent employees with fake Geiger counters to assure locals that atomic bomb fallout was benign and encouraged sun glasses so locals' eyes wouldn't burn when they sat on their rooftops watching a bomb detonate. Artist Michael Light has compiled an enigmatic book and installation of one hundred images of above ground atomic explosions between 1945 and 1962 before nuclear treaties sent atomic tests underground. This isn’t kid stuff, but that doesn’t mean that kids shouldn’t see it. Through August 26; Frank H. Rogers Building at the Desert Research Institute; 755 East Flamingo Road; open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., from 1 p.m. on Sundays; adults $12.50, ages 7 – 17 $9, under 7 free; 702-794-5151.

Summer Escapes

Others may get antsy after enduring months of icy winds, but it takes a long, blistering Vegas summer to really create a full blown case of cabin fever. Now, of course, somewhere out there other-people’s kids read all day, paint, or play early morning tennis. Then, in the dappled afternoon shade, they build elaborate obstacles courses to train their freshly-washed pet dogs (at least that’s what I tell my kids). However, the only obstacle course my family seems eager to build is the one in the living room when it is strewn with various forms of electronic screens. (My son likes to inform me that “a recent study said video games were good for you!” “Yeah, right,” I reply, “according to Advocates for the Afternoon Cocktail, so is a series of stiff drinks.”)

So forgo your Cosmopolitan, put a cool compress on your sweaty brow, unplug every cord in your living room then pile the family into your car for a day of adventure. The best cure for cabin fever, I’ve found, is to escape the cabin. With the daytrips I’ve uncovered, those video game buttons may even gather a little dust.

Go for the Gold

The Techatticup Mine was once the richest gold mine in Southern Nevada and has the colorful -- and violent -- history to prove it. Located above a now-serene cove in Black Canyon on the Colorado River, the property offers a variety of activities for a day of cool pleasure. First, meander into the always-70-degree restored mine shaft, then visit the nearby wrecked airplane used in the movie, “3000 Miles to Graceland.” Finally, picnic at the sandy cove and watch for bighorn sheep, wild burro and blue heron while the kids build castles in the sand. Reservations required for the mine tour, the rest is free; four person minimum; adults $12.50, 12 & under $7.50; 702-291-0026; call for directions.