Search Results

Oral history interview with Carl Esteban conducted by William Bailey on December 2, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Esteban recalls growing up in Salinas, California in a predominantly Asian community before relocating with family to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2002. As a first generation Filipino America, Esteban's mother sacrificed her life in the Philippines to become the sole person in her family to immigrate to America. Esteban received his degree in Special Education and is currently pursuing to a master's degree in the same field. Esteban is currently a special education educator at the Yvonne Atkinson-Gates Center in North Las Vegas. Throughout the interview, Esteban discusses a wide range of topics spanning from his family migration story, his early childhood, his Filipino identity, Asian stereotypes as the model minority, and how his mentors helped shape him into the person he is today.

Information about the Wee Kirk o' the Heather sign that sits at 231 S Las Vegas Blvd.
Site address: 231 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Wee Kirk Property Group LLC
Sign details: Wee Kirk O' the Heather is one of the oldest standing Wedding Chapels to still remain in operation to this day. The building was originally constructed in 1925. Two wedding chapels Wee Kirk O' the Heather and the Hitching Post both opened in 1940 across the street from each other though the Hitching Post has been torn down. Wee Kirk O' the Heather is Scottish themed where the name translates to "Little Chapel of the Lucky Flowers." Since the chapel is considered as one of the oldest wedding chapels here in Vegas, there are quite a few wedding renewals or generational marriages. The site has been featured in multiple Las Vegas films; such as "Fools Rush In, "Intolerable Cruelty," and many more.
Sign condition: 4.5 - The sign is well maintained, no damage is seen.
Sign form: Pylon
Sign-specific description: The current sign is circa mid-2000s. It is mainly a white plastic backlit sign that states "Wee Kirk o the Heather" in a violet swirled font. There is a yellow reader board underneath this. Below the reader board is a small 'Open" sign that contain incandescent light bulbs. Above the logo is a neon rendering of a flower in skeletal neon. The original sign and establishments color scheme was dark blue, mustard yellow and pure white. The protruding cantilever construction is a beautiful decorative white leaf and floral bouquet with a mustard yellow vase. On the bottom is a dark blue faux wood, zig zagged at both ends of the structure and features traditional Gothic font in white. Connected to the faux wood structure is the hanging sign held by two poles with a sign that says "Wedding Chapel; Everything Arranged."
Sign - type of display: Neon, incandescent light bulbs and plastic back lit portion.
Sign - media: Steel and Plastic
Sign - non-neon treatments: Reader board and plastic back lit portion
Sign environment: This location is on Las Vegas Blvd. South and Bridger Ave. This is just a few blocks south of Fremont Street. The property is surrounded by the Villa Inn Hotel-Motel and Lloyd D George Courthouse.
Sign - date of installation: Circa Early-2000's
Sign - date of redesign/move: Transition form older sign to current sign in Early-2000's
Sign - thematic influences: The sign beckons to the current trend of minimal square clean designs that is simple, white, purple and yellow with a trim of leaf and floral design at the top rendered in Neon. The flower design is symbolic to the meaning of "Wee Kirk o the Heather" translation into Wedding chapel of Lucky Flowers.
Sign - artistic significance: The theme of both the sign and architectural building is of a small cottage themed chapel with a minimalist sign. The usage of yellow and purple added to the kitsch theme with the added purple wood trimming to the building. The coloring of the building is similar to the colors in their sign.
Survey - research locations: Wee Kirk O the Heather website https://www.weekirk.com/ , UNLV archives, and Vintage Vegas http://vintagelasvegas.com/search/wee+kirk+of+the+heather , viewing the sign in person, and speaking to a representative on their website.
Surveyor: Gisselle Tipp
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-13
Sign keywords: Pylon; Neon; Incandescent; Plastic; Backlit; Steel; Reader board

Craig Palacios was born on November 1, 1971 and grew up in the Paradise Palms neighborhood in Las Vegas, Nevada. His family lived close to him and he remembers playing with his relatives up and down the Maryland Parkway Corridor. His first job was in construction where he poured and finished concrete. His talents for design became apparent and he began a new job as a swimming pool designer. Craig’s first company was a concrete company, but he later had to close its doors. After that, Craig decided to attend college and graduated with degrees in Architecture and Art History from UNLV in 2005. He worked for YWS Architecture for a few years before opening his own studio in 2011. Since then, BunnyFish Studio has worked on the Downtown Project and the Maryland Parkway Project.

Session 1: Interviewed by Marcela Rodriguez-Campo. Barbara Tabach also participates in the questioning. Session 2: Interviewed by Rodrigo Vazquez. Monserrath Hernandez also participates in the questioning. Patricia Vazquez was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV and shares her experiences growing up in the Valley as a Queer Latina. At a young age, she remembers traveling back and forth between Mexico and the U.S. to visit family. When she started school she shares how her home language, Spanish, became her family's "secret language" as she began to learn English. During elementary school Patricia was tracked into the special education program, and remove from the mainstream classroom. She would find her love for learning in books and libraries as she taught herself how to read in English. Despite being tracked into less advanced courses, Patricia would end up taking AP/ Honors courses in high school after forging her favorite teachers signature, which changed her educational trajectory. After coming out to her family, Patricia went nearly a decade distanced from her mother and continued her college education at Arizona State University. There, she would complete a bachelors in painting and a masters in comparative literature. Her work with the Chicano Studies program at ASU helped her develop her Chicana identity and begin her involvement in social activism. In Las Vegas, she worked to fight for marriage equality and LGBTQ rights with the American Civil Liberties Union , and later with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. She also conducted several lectures for the Latino Youth Leadership Conference on sexuality, gender, and homophobia for over a decade. She has served as an English Professor at the College of Southern Nevada for the last 20 years and is an avid hiker, traveler, and painter.