Winter Solstice Thread, Part 1
December 21st, 2010 was the longest night of the year and the official start of the winter season in the desert. Darkness arrived as early as it ever would, just as the corner of Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard was coming alive. City planners had coordinated with local vendors to bring locals and tourists alike a Winter Solstice Celebration to remember. It was held outside, on an empty, paved lot across from the Sahara resort. This evening, however, all that open space was filled with the entertainment and the crowd.

There were small stages set up at two corners, for a variety of live performances to include dancers and singers, local bands and comedians. In another corner of the lot, a small winter wonderland had been set up with fake snow and a rink brought in for ice skating, and the air was just cool enough to allow the ice a slower melt. The farthest corner of the lot featured a dug-out pit with the makings of a small bonfire. In the center of it all, there were vendors selling hot chocolate, coffee, eggnog, spirits, confectionaries and pizza and pretzels. Some had brought Vegas's typical fare... slot machines. Here and there, a few vendors played carols from small speakers. Periodically, bursts of fireworks dressed up the sky between neon-lit buildings. Everything was decked out in ice cycles and silver and blue.

All sorts of people were in attendance, some of them not truly people at all. In the darkest corners, mischief lurked, and some of it spilled into the streets around the celebration.

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