Las Vegas Weekly

March 4, 2010 · 7:26 PM

Photos: Palms chefs, Cirque du Soleil join St. Baldrick’s effort

By Robin Leach

Circus Couture 2010: Incognito at Rain in the Palms.

Photo: Courtesy

There will be a lot more bald men walking around Las Vegas this weekend, and, no, we’re not having a shiny pate convention. The hairless heads are all part of a giant worldwide fundraising effort by the organization St. Baldrick’s that leads the fight against childhood cancer. Call them shaven, stark, smooth, Spartan and severe looks, but it’s the gesture that counts!

Two celebrity chefs are getting in on the act: Nove Italiano’s chef Geno Bernardo at the Palms received his mohawk, the Nove logo and a little green color at Michael Boychuck’s Amp Salon this afternoon. He’ll shave the rest of his head Saturday at McMullan’s Irish Pub that will serve as St. Baldrick’s headquarters. Fellow Palms chef Barry Dakake of N9NE Steakhouse also is participating, along N9NE Group staff including President Andy Belmonti and Rain General Manager Ian Clement.

Everybody’s favorite Las Vegas bartender Johnny O’Donnell from N9NE is shaving his head, too. They are all partnering with the Cirque Du SoBald volunteers from Cirque du Soleil. The main St. Baldrick’s event is at McMullan’s opposite The Orleans on Saturday from 2 p.m. to 3 a.m. More than 300 volunteers are expected over the 13-hour shave-a-thon, and I’ll join local TV personalities as emcees.

Two new Irish pubs are joining the battle this year: Nine Fine Irishmen in New York-New York and Fado Irish Pub in Henderson. The shaving on the Strip will take place for the first time on the Brooklyn Bridge outside New York-New York, weather permitting. It’s the fourth consecutive year the Irish pub trade here is raising money. In the past three years, locals have raised more than $350,000.

St. Baldrick’s was formed less than a decade ago by 17 people in Pasadena, Calif., who wanted to do more than just sit around and drink Irish beer on St. Patrick’s Day. It grew from a goal of $1,000 a volunteer to where now it’s observed at 2,400 events in all 50 states and 18 countries. Last year, 106,000 shaved their heads.

Las Vegas publican Brian McMullan said: “Over 72,000 heads were shaved last year, raising some $50 million, and we know here in Las Vegas, we will certainly add to that this year with even more volunteers willing to go unadorned.”

CIRQUE DU SOBALD

Meantime, the guys and gals from the Cirque shows on the Strip teamed up for an advance St. Baldrick’s fundraiser by Cirque du SoBald held at Rain. Some 600 people attended and raised about $30,000. The Cirque family presented a fashion show and art auction to benefit St. Baldrick’s and the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases of Las Vegas.

Circus Couture 2010: Incognito began with an art auction with paintings, sculptures, photos and other pieces, followed by the main event performances and fashion show with Las Vegas dancers, acrobats, aerialists and runway models. Organizers voted to do it again on a larger scale next year.

Erica Linz, a featured aerial acrobat in Ka, is the driving force of Circus Couture. When she learned about the annual St. Baldrick’s event, she devoted herself to fundraising as part of Cirque du SoBald and was the first volunteer to go bald.

We’ll report the progress of this weekend’s clean-cut campaign, and I hope to debut the new audio and video on Twitter.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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