Writers’ Wednesday

Nevada Historical Society
Writers’ Wednesday

Wednesday, February 12th, 2020
5:00 – 5:30 pm – Wine and Cheese reception
5:30 – 6:30 pm – Lecture

A Bold Gamble in Lake Tahoe with author Doresa Banning, will discuss her book.

Book Write-up
GAMBLERS, RACKETEERS, CELEBRITIES: MOST HERE DIDN’T PLAY BY THE RULES.

Their new, nature-inspired hotel stood amid a Northern Nevada township of more trees than people. The raw beauty of that lakeside spot on the cusp of development portended enormous getaway potential.

The owners, legitimate businessmen, strove to add a casino, but no one would finance it.Then Jimmy Hoffa’s Teamsters pension fund wormed its way in. The locals objected to a gambling house in their neighborhood. Shady characters usurped the enterprise. Lives were threatened.

State agents witnessed an employed stickman using mispotted dice. Felonious crimes occurred on the property, allegedly. Lawsuits by and against a later proprietor crept into the double digits. And those events were just a handful of a mounting pile of troubles.This is the story of a gambling business’ journey from concept to stability during the 1960s and 1970s, a time when the industry was Mob infiltrated, often volatile, theft and cheating prone, and unpredictably policed.

Today, that once fledgling inn is the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino in Incline Village, Nevada.

The Writers’ Wednesday Lecture Series, held the second Wednesday of each month, features a different author who takes part in a book signing, a presentation and a question-and-answer session with the audience. A wine and cheese reception precedes the lecture.

The intent of the program is to highlight writers who specifically focus on Nevada, the Great Basin, or the West in general. The authors talk about the content of their books but also share details about the creative process.