Las Vegas Plans Special Veterans Day

LAS VEGAS – (PRESS RELEASE) -- With American military personnel stationed all over the world, the city of Las Vegas is planning a very special series of celebrations to mark this year's Veterans Day. As the nation remembers and honors the brave deeds and amazing accomplishments of veterans from all American wars, Las Vegas is planning an operation of its own, Operation Welcome Home. This year the city will be working with the U.S. Air Force's Aviation Nation Air Show, the Mayor of Las Vegas, the Honorable Oscar B. Goodman, the Fremont Street Experience and Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) to assure Vietnam Veterans receive their long-deserved welcome home.

The series of events taking place November 10th - 13th throughout the city will honor all veterans and provide a special thank you to those soldiers who served during Vietnam. This very special four-day national kickoff of Operation Welcome Home will be a year-long celebration to publicly honor and thank America's 2.7 million military personnel who served during Vietnam. This initial round of celebrations will be the centerpiece of the annual Aviation Nation festivities sponsored by Las Vegas-headquartered Boyd Gaming during the Veteran's Day weekend.

"There could be no better time or place for this Welcome Home party than in Las Vegas during our 2005 Centennial celebration," said Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman. "Las Vegas is proud of our servicemen and women and equally proud of our veterans. We anticipate a 2005 Veterans Day parade and air show that will go down in the history books."

Some of the events scheduled over the four-day kick-off will include:

The Moving Wall

In honor of courageous Vietnam veterans, Operation Welcome Home is putting a half-scale model of the Vietnam Memorial Wall located in Washington D.C. at Boyd Gaming's Main Street Station property adjacent to the Fremont Street Experience from November 10th - 13th so that veterans, guests and the public may view the wall and pay respects to fallen servicemen and women.

Las Vegas Veterans Day Parade

On Friday, November 11th, Las Vegas will host one of the largest Veterans Day parades in America, which this year will include hundreds of Vietnam veterans attending from nearly every state in the United States marching with their former comrades. In all, more than 110 parade entries, floats, and more than 2,500 individuals are expected to participate.

Fremont Street Experience Patriot Party

To enhance the tribute, the Fremont Street Experience in downtown Las Vegas is celebrating veterans with a free Patriot Party, which will take place under the 1,500-foot Viva Vision canopy that rises above Fremont Street. Scheduled headliners include Felix Cavaliere's Rascals (Nov. 11) and the legendary '70s rock band The Guess Who (Nov. 12). A special light show called "Above and Beyond," will debut in honor of the veterans November 11th.

Aviation Nation, the Nellis Air Force Base-Las Vegas Centennial Air Show

Capping the festivities is Aviation Nation, the Nellis Air Force Base-Las Vegas Centennial Air Show, one of the largest and most entertaining air shows in America. On Saturday and Sunday, November 12th and 13th there will be jaw- dropping performances by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team and the wildly exciting Boyd Gaming-sponsored Las Vegas Air Racing wingtip-to- wingtip demonstration of the worlds fastest motorsport. The air show will also host an official Operation Welcome Home recognition ceremony with colorful Vietnam-era air and ground displays.