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Dona Maria's Tamales Restaurant sits at 910 South Las Vegas Boulevard. The family owned and operated eatery has been serving the valley for over thirty years. Information about the sign is available in the Southern Nevada Neon Survey Data Sheet.
Site address: 910 S Las Vegas Blvd
Sign owner: Dona Maria Alfredo Martinez
Sign details: Alfredo Martinez and Elvia met each other in California as high school sweethearts. Alfredo was a soccer player and Elvia a cheerleader who always watched his matches. After high school the two of them married and started a new chapter in their life in Las Vegas. Alfredo has a love of cooking traditional Mexican cuisine and soon taught Elvia his family recipes. In 1980 they opened their first restaurant a four table fast food operation on Charleston and 10th. Three years later after great success the four table operation grew into a full time restaurant where their location moved to 910 S. Las Vegas BLVD. For years their restaurant won many awards that led the couple to open another establishment in 1993.
Sign condition: The sign is a 4 out of 5, for the family maintains the sign. The paint on the sign is fading so it could use a new layer of paint to update the color hue.
Sign form: Pylon and entrance sign
Sign-specific description: The sign uses pale turquoise and soft pink hues to stand out. It resembles 1980s southwestern color palette. The sign is rectangular shaped with the background as the soft pink and font as turquoise. Dona Maria's font is in white and the background is maroon surrounding the letters. The border outline for the rectangular shaped sign is also in the color Turquoise to make the soft pink pop out. The base of the sign is bright custard concrete yellow attached to the building.
Sign - type of display: Neon
Sign - media: Concrete and steel
Sign - non-neon treatments: Small portion of the sign is back lit plastic
Sign environment: This location is on Las Vegas Blvd close to Charleston. It is next door to the Gateway Motel, as well as close to the Goodwhich, the Millennium Fandom Bar and a 7/11.
Sign - date of installation: Circa 1983
Sign - thematic influences: The theme resembles the prominent late 1970's/early 1980s Southwestern color palette. The sign is very colorful that resembles many Mexican restaurants that are quite colorful naturally.
Sign - artistic significance: Artistic themes is very 80s in terms of color palette, but also utilizes colors that is representative of Mexican culture.
Survey - research locations: Assessor's Page, Dona Maria's Website for the history- https://www.donamariatamales.com/our-history/
Survey - research notes: In 1980 the restaurant expanded and grew from their location at 10th and Charleston to 910 S. LV, BLVD S.
Surveyor: Gisselle Tipp
Survey - date completed: 2017-08-28
Sign keywords: Neon; Steel; Backlit; Plastic; Building-front design; Back to back; Pole sign

Gus Mancuso (Ronald Bernard Mancuso), a talented impresario, was born in Spangler, Pennsylvania in 1933. Gus grew up in Hastings, Pennsylvania as the youngest of nine children. His father, an immigrant from Italy, Joseph Mancuso, owned multiple businesses and his mother, Josephine Ceranni toiled as a stay at home mother. Despite his father’s businesses, the family struggled financially. By the eighth grade Gus moved to Rochester, New York, where his mother joined him, after his parents separated. As a youngster Gus Mancuso learned to play the trumpet by ear. By age 11 he was encouraged to learn to play the drums so he could help earn money for the family. After two weeks of training, Gus Mancuso was earning $5 dollars as the replacement for his older brother Joe in musical performances in places like Moose Hall and the Elks Club in Pennsylvania. His performances were so legendary that an article was written about Gus entitled the “Eighth Grade Drummer”. He continued to demonstrate tremendous musical versatility even after moving from Hastings to Rochester where he received first chair trombone honors after impressing his high school band teacher. After graduating high school, in 1951, Gus went on the road with the Don Manning Trio. Shortly thereafter, a bass player position opened in his brother’s group the Ray Brand Trio. Despite the fact that Gus did not know how to play bass, when he received the offer to become a member of Joe’s band, he went on to learn yet another instrument and joined the Ray Brand Trio. However, while with his brother’s group, Gus was drafted into the army. He packed his trumpet, and despite initially receiving flack for playing in the latrine, the lieutenant exempted Gus from duty so he could perform in the morning and at night for his fellow troops. Shortly thereafter, Gus served in the army band as a piano player. His instrumental capabilities and proficiency helped pave the way for more opportunities. After the army he moved to Nevada and played trombone with Tony Pastor in Reno. He found his way to Las Vegas in 1955 when he opened at the New Frontier on Halloween night. Gus went on to open at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, playing bass, with Sarah Vaughn. They went on to tour Europe together. He also played bass for Billy Eckstine and Les Brown as well as worked in the music department at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Gus Mancuso met Lauri Perri, a singer and his first wife, while playing for the Mary Kaye Trio in Lake Tahoe. They were married at the Little Church of the West in 1960. However, Gus is now married to Maggie Peterson an actress who worked on the Andy Griffith Show. He lives in Las Vegas and currently works three nights a week playing piano at the Bootlegger owned by his first wife and getting the job from his son Ronald.