These days, however, Vic stands alone, a stiff, silent, lonely bachelor. In 2017, Vickie was dismantled as part of the demolition to make way for Circa. But like the shining star she is, she wasn’t in her dark crates for long.
“I’ve always thought that when you own casinos, in some ways we’re a private company, but there’s a little bit of an element where there’s a public asset—I feel a responsibility to the community that we need to preserve, protect, and carry on some legacy,” says Stevens, recognizing Vickie’s nostalgic allure, not to mention advertising potential. “We thought that was something pretty cool that would make people want to come inside our casino.”
Vickie was refurbished by the legendary Young Electric Sign Company or YESCO, who sanded her down, gave her a pop of paint, fixed up her lights, and also put in a new motor for her kicking leg. It was a surgery that would cost in the tens of thousands, but it was worth it. Vickie would not just be resurrected at Circa, she would become integral to the resort’s design.
Today, you can visit her in all her fringed glory in the lobby, where she adorns her very own glitzy cocktail bar. Try a Leg Kick, loaded with Jameson, Cynar, strawberry, mint, and grapefruit, or a Moulin Rouge, named after the first racially integrated casino in the US. Whatever you do, it’s probably best not to bring up ol’ stiff-armed Vic, left outside in the (relative) cold.
