Vester and Molly Lemons were visiting Las Vegas with their children in early March, scouting the area for a new home. Then the coronavirus pandemic shut things down and sent the Lemons back to Indiana.
“It was a nightmare,” said Vester Lemons. “We were here with five kids and we had to cut our home search short and take off. But (the visit) just solidified things for us. As soon as things opened we knew we were going to be right back.”
The couple closed on their new home May 18 and were finally able to celebrate as they were two of roughly 100 patrons who lined up for the reopening of Aliante Casino in North Las Vegas.
“It’s been a lot of anticipation,” Vester Lemons said. “Looking online to see what’s going to be open, and it just worked out for us because we live a couple miles from here.”
Aliante opened its doors Thursday morning at 12:01 a.m., along with several other casinos, for the first time since March 18, when Las Vegas was forced to shut down for the first time since the JFK assassination in 1963.
Aliante Casino, which is part of Boyd Gaming, had security personnel stationed at two entrances, prepared to take the temperatures of everyone who entered the property. All Boyd Gaming properties are practicing what they’re calling “Boyd Clean,” a set of comprehensive protocols aimed at protecting the health and safety of both staff and guests.
For the Lemons, diehard Cubs fans, they’re just happy to start playing slot machines and eventually entrench themselves into Las Vegas’ pro sports scene.
“I love to play slot machines,” Lemons said. “We’ve always had really good luck and it’s just what we like to do. And hopefully they (Golden Knights and Raiders) get to have a season, we’ll see how it goes. We’re looking forward to getting involved in all that down here.”
