The Mint Las Vegas was a hotel and casino in downtown Las Vegas , Nevada .
37-680: The Mint was the sponsor of the Mint 400 , the largest off-road race from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s. The Mint was made famous (or infamous) as the first night's stay in Hunter S. Thompson and Oscar Acosta 's legendary 1971 weekend trip to Las Vegas, immortalized in Thompson's novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas . The Mint opened July 12, 1957. The four major owners were Milton Prell , Al Winter, L.B. “Tutor” Scherer, and J.D. “Joe” Hall, and
74-564: A Den of Thieves", a sniper shoots a witness who Kojak has arrested from a room at the Mint. The hotel building can also be seen in the closing credits of the ABC television show Vega$ (1978-1981), which starred Robert Urich . The Mint is also a backdrop in Crime Story (1980's) season 2 episode 18, a sniper shoots at a witness being held to testify against organized crime in Las Vegas. The Mint
111-460: A household in the town was $ 26,607, and the median income for a family was $ 54,583. Males had a median income of $ 30,208 versus $ 22,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 20,114. About 17.1% of families and 25.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 33.3% of those under age 18 and 21.3% of those age 65 or over. Casino gambling's effect on the local economy has spurred population growth in unincorporated parts of
148-476: A total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km ), all land. As of the 2020 United States Census , there were 1,026 people, 501 households, and 293 families residing in the town. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,132 people, 537 households, and 254 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,588.4 inhabitants per square mile (613.3/km ). There were 592 housing units at an average density of 830.7 per square mile (320.7/km ). The racial makeup of
185-609: Is served by the Tunica County School District . Zoned schools include Tunica Elementary School, Tunica Middle School, and Rosa Fort High School . Tunica Academy is located in an unincorporated area in Tunica County , near Tunica. Tunica is mentioned in Elmore Leonard 's 2002 novel Tishomingo Blues . Tunica is mentioned by Terry Benedict, a character played by Andy Garcia , in
222-459: The 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever . The Mint's building can be seen in the background toward the end of the 1984 film Starman . It can also be seen in the background of the 1968 film They Came to Rob Las Vegas . The casino can also be seen several times towards the end of the 1987 U2 music video " I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For ", which was filmed entirely on Fremont Street . A computer-generated reconstruction of
259-479: The 1971 race in one of the earliest and best known instances of gonzo journalism . The race is also featured in the 1998 film, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas based on Thompson's book. The 1993 Nissan 400 was featured in the Film Desert Steel. The 2010 and 2011 Mint 400 were featured on Fuel TV , while the 2012 Mint 400 was aired on Speed . Tunica, Mississippi Tunica is a town in and
296-518: The 2007 film Ocean's Thirteen . Tony Joe White sings about Tunica in his early 90's song, Tunica Motel, Just outside of Memphis, Highway 61, Sleepy little town, down by the Mississippi River. Tunica Municipal Airport has had airline service intermittently with aircraft such as Boeing 727 jets of Pan Am Clipper Connection and Boeing 737 jets of Air Tran offering commercial services. The closest airport with continuous airline service
333-628: The Best in the Desert championship schedule, and a new 100 mi (160 km) race loop was carved out for the 400 mi (640 km) contest. The number of entries swelled to an astounding three hundred and twenty three race teams, making the Mint 400 one of the largest off-road races in the world. 2012 also saw the introduction of the Method Race Wheels Pit Crew Challenge, an event in which sixteen pit crews from
370-705: The Glaser Brothers , and at one point developed "Vegas Throat" due to the dry desert heat. For several shows, Cline lip-synched to her records. Kitty Wells followed Patsy into The Mint. The Wilburn Brothers , with Loretta Lynn as part of their act, played the Merri-Mint for a couple of nights in October 1962. Tompall & the Glaser Brothers were also headliners at The Mint for six weeks from May to June 1963. According to author Larry Jordan, in his book " Jim Reeves : His Untold Story," Reeves also played at
407-514: The Mint 400 race came into question in 1988 following the sale of Del Webb's Mint Hotel & Casino to Jack Binion, owner of the Horseshoe Club. However, as a testament to the race itself, the prestige and importance of the event created by veteran race director K. J. Howe and the Mint management team and the financial benefit this promotion brought to the City of Las Vegas, under new ownership
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#1732802446978444-653: The Mint 400" in 1972 to add glamor and PR value to the race. Each year the Mint racing committee chose a contingent of women to reign over the events' activities. Local media representatives would help select the final ten from the hundreds of entries received from contestants from around the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe. The Mint racing committee would select the final five who became the Mint 400 girls. Former mint 400 girls include actress Lynda Carter and Wheel of Fortune 's Vanna White . Mint 400 Girls Tracy Vaccaro and Dona Speir were later Playboy centerfolds and Vickie Reigle
481-530: The Mint 400. Jay Leno raced with Jerry Zaiden from Camburg Racing, Heavy D & Diesel Dave from the Discovery Channel show. Diesel Brothers competed in the Mint 400 in 2017. Heavy D & Diesel Dave's race in the Mint 400 was featured on the show in the episode from Season 3, "Race Against the Machine". K.J. Howe, Mint Hotel executive and longtime Mint 400 Race Director, conceived "The Girls of
518-609: The Mint Casino in the early-1960s. Peter Urquidi, "Man of Many Sounds", played the Top of the Mint for more than a decade until the early-1970s. Upstairs in the lounge was the Johnny Elvis Foster show For The Love Of Elvis . The Memphis Sound also played at the Mint. Sidney Fields of Abbott and Costello fame appeared on the same bill in a comedy act. The Mint's casino appears in the 1964 film Viva Las Vegas and in
555-421: The Mint in 1962. The addition was expected to be completed within 16 months, at a cost of $ 5 million. The addition would be built on the Mint's north parking lot and was to include 300 additional hotel rooms and suites. A six-story, 210,000 sq ft (20,000 m) parking garage would be connected to the new hotel building and would include more than 550 parking spaces. In May 1962, the city planned to review
592-554: The annual Mint 400 Off Road Race continued to be run in 1988 and 1989. New owner Binion felt the race and its ancillary activities along Fremont Street had a negative impact on his casinos. So, the race was no longer held after the 1989 Mint 400. The Mint was not held for nearly twenty years, then was restarted by long-time sponsor General Tire with help from the Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts . The race resumed on March 29, 2008. The race
629-464: The area including casinos along Mississippi's Gulf Coast region, Tunica was not in the path of Hurricane Katrina . As a result, some of the regular Gulf Coast customer traffic from casinos drifted northward to Tunica County while repairs and reconstruction were underway in the Gulf Coast locations. Though the casinos lie outside the town limits, the benefits of tax revenue generated have also aided
666-431: The area. Tunica is the fourth community to serve as county seat of Tunica County, succeeding earlier county seats at Commerce (1839–1842, 1842–1847), Peyton (1842, temporary) and Austin (1847–1888). Tunica gained national attention for its deprived neighborhood known as "Sugar Ditch Alley", named for the open sewer located there. Its fortunes have improved since development of a gambling resort area nearby during
703-653: The casino can be seen in the 1998 film Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas . A casino in Tunica, Mississippi was used to depict the Mint in the 2005 film Walk the Line . The Mint is also seen in music videos by Panic! at the Disco from their 2013 album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! and also featured in Father John Misty 's video for "Mr. Tillman". In the 1975 episode of Kojak titled "A House of Prayer,
740-563: The county outside Tunica proper. Since 1990, the town's name has been popularly associated with several casinos located near the Mississippi River . However, the current group of casinos is located in the community of Tunica Resorts , 10 miles north of the town of Tunica, and extending to the DeSoto County line. Tunica Resorts was originally named "Robinsonville", but the name was changed in 2005 to eliminate confusion over
777-553: The county seat of Tunica County, Mississippi , United States, near the Mississippi River . Until the early 1990s when casino gambling was introduced in the area, Tunica had been one of the most impoverished places in the United States . Despite this economic improvement, Tunica's population continues to decline from its peak in 1970. The community derives its name from the Tunica Indians which once were numerous in
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#1732802446978814-570: The early 1990s. While population growth has taken place mostly outside Tunica, the major casinos employ numerous locals. They attract visitors from nearby Memphis, Tennessee , West Memphis, Arkansas and all over the Southeastern United States . Tunica is located approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of Downtown Memphis, Tennessee . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has
851-954: The field to win. The Martelli Brothers parted ways with Best in the Desert for the 2020 edition, and created the Unlimited Off-Road Racing series in 2023, which also features the Parker 400 and California 300. Entrants in this event were worldwide and included some well-known names from racing and people from the television and motion picture industry . Indianapolis 500 winners Parnelli Jones , Al Unser , Rick Mears , and Rodger Ward ; off-road champions Mickey Thompson , Ivan Stewart , Jack Flannery , Walker Evans ; international off-road competitor, Rod Hall ; power boat champion Bill Muncey , film and television stars James Garner , Steve McQueen , Larry Wilcox and Patrick Dempsey ; comedian Mort Sahl ; astronaut Gordon Cooper and rock musician Ted Nugent have competed in
888-557: The first general manager was Sam Boyd . Architects for the building were Walter Zick and Harris Sharp. The Mint’s neon sign was designed by Ed Harris of Zick & Sharp in collaboration with Young Electric Sign Co. The Mint and Sahara Hotel owners created the Sahara-Nevada Corp for a merger with the Del Webb Corporation in 1961. Sahara-Nevada Corp. announced plans for a 22-story hotel skyscraper addition to
925-460: The jurisdiction of Tunica County or be annexed into the town of Tunica. If Tunica Resorts incorporates, the new town government would directly benefit from casino tax revenue, enabling construction of municipal government offices. Depending on population and revenue growth, fire and police stations, libraries and other public infrastructure could be other likely additions. Potential effects on the existing town of Tunica are unclear. The Town of Tunica
962-508: The location of the casinos, which have always used the name "Tunica" as an identifier. The success of these gaming houses in northern Tunica County came at the expense of the area's first group of casinos in the early 1990s, located just northwest of Tunica proper, in an area known as Mhoon Landing . This now comprises the current census-designated place of North Tunica . These casinos were closed or moved as larger resorts opened closer to Memphis to attract its larger residential base. Unlike
999-533: The permit for the new tower. A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the tower in July 1962. Construction was still ongoing in July 1964, at which point the tower was planned to include 24 floors. Construction reached the 24th floor at the end of the year, with plans for an additional four floors. The hotel tower was ultimately built with 26 stories, and was topped out on March 20, 1965, with plans to open later that month. The new tower stood 290 ft (88 m), and
1036-449: The prize purses were increased dramatically, driving up the number of entrants to nearly double from previous years. The contingent of off-road women competed for a combination of online votes and judges’ votes. After an online contest with online voting, the competition was narrowed down to three women. Vanessa Golub-Ferrara was picked as The 2012 General Tire Miss Mint. Hunter S. Thompson 's novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas depicts
1073-567: The top unlimited truck teams competed in a head-to-head battle to decide who had the best crew. Each of the three-man teams were given one jack, one impact gun, and one spare tire. The team who completed two tire changes the fastest, advanced to the next round. Over 10,000 spectators on Fremont Street, showed up to cheer on the teams. After several close and heated rounds the General Tire/THR team – which included drivers Mikey Childress, Rick Johnson, and crew member James Walker – out-pitted
1110-539: The town was 67.84% White , 29.42% African American , 0.27% Native American , 1.06% Asian , 0.88% from other races , and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.30% of the population. There were 537 households, of which 18.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.3% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 52.7% were non-families. Of all households, 48.0% were made up of individuals, and 26.4% had someone living alone who
1147-402: The town. Major improvements to the public school system and downtown district are among the most visible aspects. Long-term effects include major highway improvements on U.S. Route 61 and a much-discussed potential expansion of Tunica Municipal Airport . As of 2007, some Tunica Resorts residents are trying to incorporate their community as a separate town government, rather than operate under
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1184-464: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.01 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 23.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.0 males. The median income for
1221-486: Was featured in an episode of Ghost Adventures entitled Binion's Hotel and Casino where they investigated claims of paranormal activity and full-bodied apparitions inside the 25-story tower, which has been sealed off since its closing. 36°10′17″N 115°08′41″W / 36.1715°N 115.1446°W / 36.1715; -115.1446 Mint 400 The Mint 400 is an annual American desert off-road race which takes place near Las Vegas , Nevada. It
1258-477: Was on the Playboy cover subsequent to her Mint 400 publicity.1981 vegas favorite was Kim O’Brien Lisa Soulé , Anita Merritt , Angela Aames , Lisa Hunter and Suzanne Regard later appeared in various movies and television series as well as Mint Hotel and Casino advertising campaigns. The Miss Mint contest was revived along with the race with the goal to become the premiere beauty contest in motorsports. In 2012
1295-598: Was one of the tallest buildings in the state at the time, ranking only behind The Landmark Hotel and Casino , which stood 297 ft (91 m). Renovations were also done to the existing building, which included work to the Merri Mint Theatre, and expanded dining areas. In 1988, The Mint was sold and became part of Binion's Horseshoe . Patsy Cline performed at the Mint Casino's "Merri-Mint Theater" from November 23 - December 28, 1962, three months before her fatal plane crash. She appeared with Tompall &
1332-661: Was preceded by inspections of the vehicles on Fremont Street in the Fremont East district. SNORE eventually sold the franchise to The Martelli Brothers for the 2011 edition. In 2012, the Martelli Brothers partnered with off-road industry veteran Casey Folks, owner of the largest off-road desert racing organization in the world, the Best in the Desert Racing Association. The Mint was added to
1369-771: Was resumed in 2008 after a 20-year hiatus. The race was for both motorcycles , until 1977, and four-wheel vehicles ( buggies , cars and trucks ) sponsored by Del Webb 's Mint Hotel and Casino . Webb, a real estate developer and friend of Howard Hughes , was owner of the Mint Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. It became known as The Great American Desert Race . Norm Johnson created "The Mint '400' Del Webb Desert Rally" in 1968 in his role as promotions director of The Mint Hotel & Casino. The first race sent 101 vehicles across roughly 400 miles (640 km) of desert, started and ended at The Mint Hotel in Las Vegas with pit-stops at Ash Meadows, Beatty and Lathrop Wells. The future of
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