Venecian Carnival – a ball-masquerade for real romantics

Venecian Carnival is the most famous and oldest in the world. Every year in mid-February (this year from 6 to 16 February), the whole Venice completely transformes: a few days before the official opening of the carnival in the city come all romantic people from all over the Europe, crowded procession of bands and street theater start walking the streets, carnival masks, capes, caps appear on the shelves.

The opening of the carnival starts with a “flying angel” – the tradition according to which a beautiful woman (often a celebrity) descends from heaven on the Piazza San Marco, as well as celebration of Festa delle Marie - the release of the girls from the hands of pirates from Istria. The program presentation: Comedy, march Harlequin, Pierrot, Columbine and other famous characters, and fireworks of confetti. Cheerful holiday lasts a whole week, giving its magnitude except the carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

But many are rushing to the carnival in order to participate in a masquerade ball held in the old palazzo and palaces. “Ball of Casanova”, a masquerade on the water and the main show “Golden Night” carry the visitors over to the medieval Venice, where reigns joy and freedom. That is why a bright dress and a mask are indispensable attributes of the holiday.

Football legend,NFL Network analyst, and “Dancing With The Stars” fan favorite alum,Warren Sapp has been arrested in Miami on domestic abuse charges.

Sapp was charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic battery and is expected to appear before a Miami-Dade County judge Sunday, Miami Beach police official Juan Sánchez said.

Warren Sapp is in Miami covering the Super Bowl for the NFL network.

Details are still coming in, but even before all the facts in the case are known, the NFL Network spokesman Dennis Johnson announced …”We have been made aware of the arrest of Warren Sapp by the Miami Beach Police Department,” … “In light of these circumstances, Warren Sapp will not appear on NFL Network while we review the matter.”

Apparently, according to the website TMZ.com, …he claims Sapp allowed her to sleep in his hotel room ,… then came into the room early in the morning and pulled her out of bed.,because “he was expecting company.” He told police he was trying to help her and she fell… (SOURCE)

I feel for Warren Sapp.He has worked hard at creating a loveable, hugable Teddy Bear-like image on “Dancing With The Stars”that the audiences responded to in a big way.Through his football career, and in his new role as a television personality he has managed to acquire legions of fans worldwide.

I have been in similar situations in my life as a bachelor, and have been falsely accused by a woman who may have fantasized about being my girlfriend, and did not want to leave the hotel suite voluntarily.I do not know if Sapp did anything other than what he claims, but I have seen him for years on TV giving interviews, and more importantly on “PUNKED”, and he has always maintained a level head even in the midst of a frustratingly stressful situation.

I would caution the public on rendering  judgement on this good man until we hear all the facts.One must remember that the Super Bowl attracts the nation’s number one groupies to prey on single NFL players, past and present,so the motive for the argument my not be innocent.

Remember…you can accuse a person of any crime, but in court you have to prove your case,supported by facts and evidence.Ever since O.J., the authorities are compelled to arrest the man in domestic violence disputes,simply because of the accusation, …coupled with the bruises.

You really can not blame the police, they do what they have to do…

It could be all about the money, as in the case of Tila Tequila versus Shawn Merriman…..totally bogus!!!

Keep Dancing Warren!!!…You will get through this storm!!!!

Warren Sapp And Kym Johnson On "Dancing With The Stars"

Sources-

Mugshot on Radaronline

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2010/02/06/sports/s142859S35.DTL

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-newswire7-2010feb07,0,3619347.story

Although it’s obvious that the iPhone and low-lighting don’t mix, there may very well be no camera on Earth that can truly capture how good these little bites of love are.  Behold the Walnut Shrimp from First Food and Bar; bet you can’t eat just one!

—–

First Food and Bar

The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino
3327 Las Vegas Blvd. S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109

(702) 607-3478

http://www.FirstFoodandBar.com

—–
Mike Dobranski is a professional musician, amateur blogger, eater of good food, poker junkie, master of the inappropriate comment and bad husband to a wonderful wife. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeDobranski.

Follow Tasting Las Vegas on Twitter at @TastingLasVegas.

Vegas Uncork’d Presented by Bon Appetit will take place May 6 to 9 in Las Vegas, coinciding with this year’s Mother’s Day weekend. The four-day fete features new events, new chefs and a diverse and enhanced program. Sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), Vegas Uncork’d will feature more than 30 events blending the worlds of food, gaming and entertainment. The destination-wide event’s anchor resorts are Bellagio, Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and Wynn | Encore. Joining the lineup for the first time this year as an associate partner is The Venetian | The Palazzo. The event’s charitable partner is the Three Square Food Bank, which is dedicated to providing wholesome food to hungry people, while pursuing a hunger-free community.

Among the event’s highlights are a Culinary Conversation with Chef Wolfgang Puck, led by Bon Appetit Editor-in-Chief Barbara Fairchild; Masters’ Series Dinners at Caesars Palace with Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill, Bradley Ogden at Bradley Ogden, Restaurant Guy Savoy with Guy Savoy, and Rao’s with Carla Pellegrino; Masters’ Series Luncheons at The Venetian | The Palazzo with Wolfgang Puck at Cut, David Burke with David Burke, Restaurant Charlie with Charlie Trotter and Piero Selvaggio’s Valentino with Luciano Pellegrini and Piero Selvaggio; the Ultimate All-Star Interactive Luncheon, with Wynn and Encore chefs Paul Bartolotta, Frederic Robert, Alex Stratta and David Walzog; the Grand Tasting at Caesars Palace, featuring 50 restaurants and 50 vintners at the Garden of the Gods pool complex; Better by the Bay with Alain Ducasse and Charlie Palmer at Mandalay Bay’s 11-acre tropical pool area; Chef’s Table with Alain Ducasse at miX, atop THEhotel at Mandalay Bay; Fashion Feast: A Delicious Evening of Style and Taste at Bellagio, featuring Bellagio chefs and Via Bellagio designers, plus a five-course dinner with wine pairings; Celebrity Chef Blackjack with the likes of Bobby Flay, Charlie Palmer, Joel Robuchon, Alex Stratta, Kim Canteenwalla and Carlos Guia; the Wine Immersion Experience at Bellagio, hosted by Master Sommelier Jason Smith at Jasmine; Payard Patisserie and Bistro Tea & Dessert Demonstration at Caesars Palace; Culinary Theatre: Two Master Chefs Collide, with Rick Moonen of rm Seafood Cafe and Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys and Burger Bar; and Mother’s Day Brunch at L’Atelier at MGM Grand with Fairchild and Chef Joel Robuchon. For more information, visit www.vegasuncorked.com . For general Las Vegas information, call 877-847-4858 or visit www.visitlasvegas.com.

Contact your Travel Agent for Travel Arrangements.

For Christmas and my birthday, I received a few new board games, some of which I asked for, and some of which I had never heard of. By and large, these games were amazing, and have really brought on a renaissance of game playing in our house. So, in no particular order (other than the order I received them in):

Ticket to Ride (Europe)

This is probably the most universally liked of the new games. Basically, you draw destination cards, and you must build trains linking those destinations (although obviously it’s a little more complicated than that). Although you play with several people, you’re not competing directly with them per say, although sometimes people build on a route you’d like to build on. It makes you think, but just enough; it’s not nearly as thinking-intensive as, say, Acquire. This also works really well as a 2 person game, which is something Sara and I are always looking for. I don’t think anybody who has played this one doesn’t like it. The downside is that games can be long, especially with a lot of people.

Palazzo

In this game, each player tries to build the biggest, most beautiful Italian palace. What makes this game interesting is that the bricks for the buildings are usually auctioned off to the highest bidder. So you are directly competing with the other players, free market style. This game has been pretty popular as well. I personally prefer Ticket to Ride, but I think at least 2 people prefer Palazzo. The other nice thing is that games are always pretty short. Sometimes you just have time for a quick game, and if so, this one’s for you.

Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot

Okay, I loved this game, but some people have expressed a strong dislike for it (although, I should point out that those people did not actually play the game). Basically, the point of the game is to try to keep your bunnies alive, while killing all of your opponents bunnies with things like flame throwers, black holes, and flying razor spatulas. I once killed two bunnies by having a clumsy bunny of mine open a pack of razor sharp melba toast, sending them flying. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to purchase your magic carrots. This game is hilarious and silly and a lot of fun, though maybe confusing on the surface. This game is also better with more people playing. I’ll be looking for people to play this with.

The Settlers of Catan

This is the only game I haven’t had a chance to play yet, but it is the game I am most excited about. Unfortunately you cannot play it with only 2 players. I found some various rules online that can allow you to play with only 2, but we figured we shouldn’t do that for the first time we play. So I’m still waiting. I have, however, read through the rules, so I think I have an understanding of things. Basically you build towns in strategic areas to collect resources to build more things. That probably doesn’t make sense, but suffice it to say, it is a strategy game that I think will require a lot of thinking. I wanted to hold off on this blog post until I could play this one, but it doesn’t look like it is happening any time soon.

One side story, my mom saw this box and mistakenly thought it said, “Settlers of Satan”, which I think sounds like a WAAAAY more awesome game that I should totally make. The box cover could look almost the same, with a few subtle modifications (that scythe could look a little more grim-reaper-y, maybe give the guy with the ax some glowing red eyes…). So anyway, look for the Settlers of Satan, coming soon to a gaming store near you!

One of the most coveted awards for a restaurant in North America to receive is a nod from the annual AAA Diamond Awards.  With even more of a readership than Tasting Las Vegas (for now!), restaurants see a great deal of business based from AAA’s recommendations.  AAA reserves their Four and Five Diamond appointments for only the finest restaurants, and Las Vegas can proudly boast being one of the best-represented cities in the U.S.!  Only Chicago beat out Las Vegas’ impressive 5 Five-Diamond Award winners this year with their astonishing 7 individual restaurants.  And yes, in the on-going battle between Las Vegas’ and New York City’s claims to culinary superiority, Las Vegas put an old fashioned whoopin’ on New York’s paltry 3 Five-Diamond Award winners!  Don’t you just love it when the Manhattanite snobs take one in the gut?  Ahh…the glory….

Anyway… In regards to the process of how AAA chooses who gets how many Diamonds they’ll dole out, first a prospective property needs to file for an application.  Once an application is received, AAA will send one of its 65 full-time evaluators out to the property unannounced to first label the candidate “AAA Approved” and then will designate the appropriate number of Diamonds, one to five.  The properties are re-evaluated annually by AAA to keep their ratings current.

The highest of all, the AAA Five Diamond Award, has the following description by AAA:

Establishments are renowned and consistently provide a world-class experience. This is “haute cuisine” at its best. Menus are cutting edge, using only the finest ingredients available. Food is prepared in a manner that is highly imaginative and unique. The combination of technique and ingredients is extraordinary, reflecting the impeccable artistry and awareness of highly-acclaimed chefs. A maître d’ leads an expert service staff that exceeds guest expectations by attending to every detail in an effortless and unobtrusive manner.

Without further adieu, here are Las Vegas’ own AAA Five Diamond Award Winners:

The Five Diamond Award winners are old news (published back on November 6, 2009), but pre-dates the arrival of Tasting Las Vegas, so we thought we’d include them.  The new news, however, comes with the announcement of the Four Diamond Award winners, updated January 13, 2010.

AAA describes their Four Diamond Award winners with the following:

Establishments are geared to individuals in search of a distinctive fine-dining experience. Often orchestrated by an executive chef and an accomplished staff, menus reflect a high degree of creativity and complexity, using imaginative presentations to enhance high-quality, market-fresh ingredients. The proficient service staff demonstrates a strong desire to meet or exceed guest expectations. A wine steward is typically available to provide menu-specific knowledge. The ambiance is highly refined, comfortable, and well-coordinated, incorporating quality materials and a variety of upscale design enhancements to give a first-class impression. The overall dining experience is typically expensive.

The impressive collection of 29 Four Diamond Award winners in the Las Vegas Metropolitan area (3 are in Henderson, YAY Henderson!) shows how deep the bench is for Las Vegas’ dining quality.  And the AAA Four Diamond Award Winners are…

What is regrettably missing from this fabulous collection of 34 fine restaurants are the establishments of equal or greater quality found in the streets of Las Vegas and Henderson.  Possibly because they don’t have the multi-million dollar budgets to decorate and appoint their restaurants as the Strip locations need to in order to survive, we are fortunate to have a local stable of restaurants more than worthwhile for hungry tourists to hop in a cab for.

Tasting Las Vegas is dedicated to bringing the full scope of Las Vegas area dining to you, whether it is among the sparkly lights of multi-billion dollar resorts on The Strip, or whether it is among the flickering electrical shorts of strip mall parking lot lights (mad props to you, Pasta Shop Ristorante!)

A hearty congratulations to all of those honored by AAA’s bling. You make those of us fortunate enough to reside among you proud of our little town!

—–
Mike Dobranski is a professional musician, amateur blogger, eater of good food, poker junkie, master of the inappropriate comment and bad husband to a wonderful wife. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeDobranski.

Follow Tasting Las Vegas on Twitter at @TastingLasVegas.

At The Palazzo Resort on the Las Vegas Strip, the Chinese Restaurant News held their 6th Annual Top 100 Chinese Restaurants in the USA Awards Ceremonies and high honors were bestowed upon the Palazzo’s own, Zine Noodles Dim Sum, with a Top 10 finish in the Overall Excellence Category.

According to the press release issued by Chinese Restaurant News:

To qualify for the Overall Excellence Award, restaurants must be in business a minimum of two years, must receive positive industry or customer recognition, and at 50 percent of the menu must consist of Chinese related cuisine. The final results are tabulated with Mystery Diner’s scores and direct votes from the general public. The top 100 highest-scoring restaurants achieve the Overall Excellence Award. These award-winning restaurants demonstrate the highest standards of cuisine, decor, service and cleanliness.

While Zine Noodles Dim Sum appears to be the only Chinese Restaurant in Las Vegas recognized in this year’s Top 100 Awards, this is not the first time a restaurant featuring Chinese cuisine has been given high honors in Las Vegas.  Wing Lei at Wynn Las Vegas holds the honor of being the first and only Michelin Starred Chinese Restaurant in North America.

Congratulations to Chef Simon To, recipient of the prestigious Blue Ribbon by the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, and Zine Noodles Dim Sum for the great recognition!

—–

Zine Noodles Dim Sum

The Palazzo Resort Hotel Casino
3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109

(702) 607-2220

http://www.palazzolasvegas.com/zine.aspx

—–
Mike Dobranski is a professional musician, amateur blogger, eater of good food, poker junkie, master of the inappropriate comment and bad husband to a wonderful wife. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeDobranski.

Follow Tasting Las Vegas on Twitter at @TastingLasVegas.

More than offering just pocketcasino sports wagering, which Cantor Gaming launched at The Venetian last September, Cantor Gaming, an affiliate of the global financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, has announced yesterday that their pocketcasino (only available on the Las Vegas Strip at The Venetian and The Palazzo), is now offering casino style games in addition to in-running sports wagering incuding traditional casino games such as blackjack, video poker and slots.  

Included in the new choice of casino games are innovative games including XtraOdds Blackjack and XtraOdds Baccarat. These games offer extra propositional bets that dynamically calculate odds based on the cards dealt, giving an extra opportunity to press or hedge your bets.  

Pocketcasino gaming promises a dramatic increase to business revenues while allowing casino patrons to multi-task and gamble like never before, including allowing patrons the ability to play casino style games while roaming throughout the high limit slot salon, Grazie gold lounge, race & sports book, and designated public areas currently including  bars, lounges and restaurants at The Venetian and The Palazzo in Las Vegas.

Situated a short walk from Venice’s train station and nearby to the famous Restaurants in Venice, Palazzo Labia is a gothic masterpiece now owned by RAI, the Italian state broadcasters. It also happens to be one of the city’s best-kept secrets. Open only three hours a week – telephone reservations obligatory – it is strict enough to throw all but the most keen sightseers off the scent. Step inside, however, and you will see Tiepolo frescoes like you will never see again – surely the finest work that one of Venice’s most favourite sons ever produced.

Forget about having a dinner fit for king- how about just ‘settling’ on a $750 cupcake in Las Vegas? 

The Sweet Surrender cupcake and candy store opened today in The Palazzo in Las Vegas.  It brings together remarkable pastry chefs and the finest ingredients to create irresistibly indulgent treats. Cupcakes, cookies, lollipops, toffee, licorice, hard candies and dipped treats, are just some of their many indulgent treats to satisfy any discerning sweet-tooth. 

The shop’s variety is wide and sweet-tooth satisfaction endless with the crème de la crème of Sweet Surrenders offerings being only for the most passionate cupcake lover: the $750 Decadence D’Or.  It’s a sumptuous cupcake, handcrafted from the most exclusive, rich, and enterprising ingredients around the globe.  One luscious ingredient is the Palmira Single Estate Chocolate derived from the rare and fragile Porcelana Criollo bean and cultivated to its fullest state of richness exclusively at the Valrhona plantation in Venezuela.  Complementary to the Palmira Single Estate Chocolate is Tahitian Gold Vanilla Caviar- the world’s most labor-intensive agricultural crop.  This fruit, after it is ripened for nine months, then hand-harvested, cured, sweat, dried, and hand-split, is obtained only by tedious manual extraction; it is truly a delicacy, both in taste and exclusivity. Topping the Decadence D’Or is the masterfully smooth Louis XIII de Remy Martin Cognac, 100 years in the making, and edible, metallic gold flakes, each painstakingly hand-placed.  Finally, once baked to perfection, this grand dessert is encased in a stately, hand blown sugar Fleur-de-Lis and presented on a handmade exclusive elegant crackled-gold glass curved plate and bowl. Your palette never had such a royal treatment! 

Chef Long Nguyen, executive pastry chef of The Venetian and The Palazzo is the visionary genius behind all the exotic cupcake flavors and Chef Johann Springfield, head baker makes the cupcakes a reality.  In addition to the exclusive specialty cupcake Decadence D’Or Sweet Surrender carries: Red Velvet, Lemon Strawberry, Chocolate Ganache, Carrot, Black Forest, Strawberry, Coconut and Chocolate Fudge cupcakes. 

Sweet Surrender, located on The Palazzo casino floor next to guest elevators, is open Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. through Midnight.  Special orders can be placed directly by calling 702-607-0753.

Author : PRASETYO, DIMAS

Setelah berada di pasaran selama hampir 10 tahun, ternyata tingkat awareness dari merek Palazzo masih rendah, hal ini dibuktikan dari hasil survei yang menunjukkan bahwa masih banyak pelanggan lantai keramik yang belum mengetahui merek Palazzo. Maka revitalisasi merek dari Palazzo perlu dilakukan dengan tujuan untuk meningkatkan tingkat awareness pelanggan terhadap merek Palazzo dan menjadikannya menjadi top minded di benak pelanggan, dan untuk selanjutnya dapat meningkatkan penjualan dari merek tersebut. Tujuan dari penelitian yang dilakukan adalah untuk mengevaluasi visualisasi dari merek Palazzo dan melakukan desain ulang atas brand Palazzo untuk menciptakan brand awareness yang semakin tinggi. Teknik analisis dalam penelitian ini adalah teknik deskriptif yaitu memaparkan semua temuan selama penelitian. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa melalui revitalisasi merek dengan melakukan perubahan terhadap visualisasi merek Palazzo, ternyata mampu menciptakan kesan kekuatan, favorable, dan keunikan dari merek tersebut sehingga pesan merek bisa sampai kepada konsumen dengan efektif.

Keyword : palazzo, brand revitalization

Sumber : http://repository.petra.ac.id/2903/

Through a series of strange business circumstances I ended up flying from New Orleans to Las Vegas for a quick 24 hours (actually 20 hours to be exact). I had all kinds of plans for maximizing that 20 little hours … very little sleep, a little dining, playing a little craps and blackjack and getting a little bit of shopping done. Most of these plans didn’t materialize because my neck went out on Sunday and I was in terrible pain. So I had to alter my plans to fit my predicament.

I stayed at the Palazzo for the first time. It was fantastic. It’s the new hotel attached to the Venetian. The suites are gorgeous, a little more of a modern feel than the Venetian. I love the remote control that works everything in the room … all the lights and even the window shades and drapes … super cool. They also have great bathroom amenities.

I arrived late Monday night after working at the Convention Center in New Orleans all day. Our flight was delayed by about an hour and I ended up going right to bed.

On Tuesday morning I slept in a little bit and decided to go have a sophisticated breakfast at Bouchon. I love this place. It’s one of Thomas Keller’s (of French Laundry’s fame) restaurants. It’s serves upscale French Bistro fare in a classy environment with lots of wood, glass

and frenchie chalk boards with the daily specials written on them.

I ordered the Boudin Blanc. Boudin Blanc is a soft buttery white sausage and it was served with scrambled eggs, a housemade croissant and buerre noisette (browned butter).

I would have never thought about serving browned butter with scrambled eggs, but it was delicious.

The croissant was fantastic too, as are all of the pastries they serve here.

I will definitely go to Bouchon again. I love the authenticity, artistry and quality of the food and the whole experience. Though I will probably not order the boudin blanc again. It was good, but just not my favorite flavor.

After breakfast I wandered around for a while looking at all of the fabulous Christmas decorations that were going up.

These cute little (or should I say gigantic) bear bodies were made entirely of white poinsettias.

I thought this was a very … ummm … interesting Christmas ’sculpture’. But it was very pretty.

Bouchon had a lovely traditional tree.

After breakfast I wasn’t good for much with my neck / pain situation. I went across the street to the Fashion Show Mall and got a little bit of shopping done, then I spent the rest of the day at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub Aquavana. I didn’t get a treatment but just relaxed in the hot tubs and saunas.

By now it was getting close to 3:30 in the afternoon, time to shower and get ready for my last meal in Vegas. I decided to try Sushisamba.

I had been there once before with Deb and my Mom and Dad last summer and decided to go for round two this trip. Sushisamba is an ecclectic (to say the least) blend of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian cuisine and design.

Sampling small plates is a great way to go here so that’s what I did.

I started off with the Green Bean Tempura served with Black Truffle Aioli. It really was sublime. I love truffles!

Next course, I ordered the Yellowtail Sashimi Tiradato which had yellowtail sashimi, jalapeno slices and a lemongrass sauce.

Then I had one of their house specialty rolls, the Bobo Brazil roll. It had seared kobe beef, avocado, kalware, shiso, red onion and chimichurri sauce. It was an interesting tasty mix of flavors.

Overall I like Sushisamba, but the food feels a little bit too contrived for it to be one of my favorites.

After my early dinner it was time to pack my bags and head back to the airport. Homeward bound! I’m looking forward to my next trip to Vegas when hopefully I’ll feel better and ready to play Vegas style.

The Palazzo in Las Vegas is uniquely celebrating the holiday season with artic décor complete with a larger-than-life 16-foot polar bear poinsettia sculpture that raises awareness about conservation of polar bears and Arctic habitat. 

While guests of The Palazzo Las Vegas will enjoy the usual sunny weather for the holiday season, from December 9 through the New Year they’ll also encounter the winter décor display anchored by a special Arctic visitor: a 16-foot tall polar bear mother and 6-foot tall polar bear baby, made entirely of a specially-developed white poinsettia named “Polar Bear.”

The “Polar Bear” Poinsettia is developed exclusively by Ecke Ranch, the largest grower in the world of poinsettias.  The strong white coloration of the “Polar Bear” Poinsettia with its bracts of deep green veining is the perfect topiary fur for the polar bear display. The custom, hand-sculpted and hand-painted heads and paws, constructed by Design Solutions, bring the bears to life.  The mother and baby bear, consisting of approximately 10,000 poinsettias planted in sphagnum moss and weighs in at approximately 5,000 lbs. The bears snuggle on a custom-sculpted ‘arctic ice float’ that hovers over a water feature located at The Palazzo Atrium. 

In addition to the larger-than-life polar bears, The Palazzo embraces the holiday season with Arctic inspired décor elements that combine to create the breathtaking winter wonderland display. The gardens are filled with a variety of unique poinsettias and 25-foot silver tip pine trees; an 80-foot whimsical vine transitions to holiday with oversized pine cones, holiday berries, poinsettias and twinkling holiday lights; over 225,000 cranberries donated by Ocean Spray float above a water feature creating a sea of cranberries and snow will elegantly fall from above the décor adding to the Arctic theme. 

The white “Polar Bear” Poinsettias have an important message to promote awareness of polar bears and the loss of their Arctic habitat due to climate change. Ecke Ranch is donating a portion of the proceeds from each poinsettia cutting sold to Polar Bears International (PBI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of polar bears through research and education.  This event will serve as the official launching pad for Ecke’s “Pay-it-Forward for Polar Bears” campaign which benefits PBI.   

“In a part of the world that never sees snow, it can be challenging to explain why the most important initiative that we can undertake at this time is saving polar bear habitat in the Arctic. Polar bears need sea ice for their survival, and so does the rest of the planet. The Arctic is a key regulator of the global climate system, and loss of Arctic sea ice will impact people and wildlife around the world. So when we save the polar bears, we save so many other species from butterflies to frogs,” said Robert Buchanan, president of Polar Bears International. 

“Currently the world’s CO2 level is at 385 parts per million (ppm) and growing at an average of two ppm per year. Scientists believe that the tipping point in the Arctic is around 400 ppm. Once this level is reached, the domino effect may not allow the summer ice to return for tens of thousands of years. This of course will not only affect wildlife but the ocean currents and humans in the end. This is not an irreversible situation. Individuals can and must make a difference. It can be as easy as packing a reusable bag when you shop, buy carbon off sets for your flights and purchasing products with limited and/or recycled packaging,” continued Buchanan. 

On December 9, The Palazzo will host the unveiling of the Arctic-inspired winter décor display to kick-off the holiday season and raise awareness about conservation of polar bears. The event will take place at 5 p.m. in The Palazzo Waterfall Atrium and the general public is welcome to join in the celebration.