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1961 Fools Gold Rd.

993 Fall River Rd.

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1961 Fools Gold Rd.

993 Fall River Rd.

8630 Fall River Rd.

336 Crest Dr.

20% discount!130 Main St., Central City

Topless dancers, all-male revue

Cabaret doesn’t prevent topless

dancers, considers all-male dance

revue for ladies’ nights

There doesn’t seem to be a limit to RCI Hospitality Hold-

ings CEO and President Eric Lanagan’s imagination, as

Rick’s Cabaret and Steakhouse opened in Central City in

late June.

In an exclusive interview with the Weekly Register-Call,

Langan revealed some plans for Rick’s Cabaret that could

work up a sweat for his patrons and perhaps lead to a faint-

community.

Despite his ongoing conflicts with nearby city hall,

Langan said he doesn’t tell his female performers how to

dress—except to wear bikini bottoms—when they take the

stage at Rick’s. The club leaves it up to the dancers’ person-

al choice whether to wear an opaque latex covering on their

nipples or go without anything on their breast areas.

Asked if some of the dancers were completely topless at

Rick’s Cabaret in Central City, Langan replied, “Yes, some

Planners reject casino

The residents who packed City

Hall for the Central City Planning

Commission meeting last week had

varied opinions about the proposed

Gregory Gulch Gaming Resort.

Almost everyone who spoke

supported the large-scale develop-

ment that could bring in millions of

dollars annually for the struggling

Central City. However, many also

spoke passionately and convinc-

ingly, arguing that G3 Gaming’s

proposed 27-story, 315-foot-tall

hotel tower would ruin the com-

munity’s historic look and cast dark

shadows over homes on the nearby

Casey hillside on the north side of

the development.

Ultimately, the five-member

Planning Commission unanimously

rejected G3 Gaming’s Planned Unit

Development concept and forward-

ed its recommendation to the city

council. The nearly three-hour dis-

cussion before the decision included

a variety of opinions from the audi-

ence. However, Alexandr Sheykhet

of Obermeier-Sheykhet Architects

in Denver tried to explain that the

The reason for the day: This cowboy is thrown into chaos at the Gilpin County

Buck For The Badge rodeo Sept. 6 as a horse’s hoof slams into his leg. With his

foot still caught in the stirrup, he instinctively shields his head from the next blow.

The split-second moment shows both the danger and grit of rodeo life. He did get

up, but was attended to by the Gilpin Ambulance crew that was standing by. More

on pages 8 and 9.

Photo by Becky Osterwald

SOB on the November ballot

Should Rick’s Cabaret and

Steakhouse stay open or be

closed in Central City?

Essentially, that’s the deci-

sion registered city voters will

be asked to make when they

answer a referendum question

on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Officially, the ballot ques-

tion will read: “Shall Section

16-3-303 of the Central City’s

Land Development Code titled

“Hospitality, Gaming, Recre-

ation and Entertainment Land

Use Table” be amended as set

forth in City Ordinance No.

25-08 to permit the operation

of a sexually oriented business

use in a limited portion (Main

Street) of the Historic Down-

town Gaming Zone District?”

Over the next several weeks,

the subject is expected to

spark a lot of lively debate

among the 779 residents of

the city, of whom 542 are

registered voters.

The ballot question will ask

if residents want to change

existing city laws that prohibit

Sexually Oriented Businesses

(SOBs) from operating along

Main Street. The measure

would eliminate current

setbacks for SOBs from

nearby churches, homes, and

public gathering places. It

would allow Rick’s Cabaret

and Steakhouse, at 130 Main

Street in the city’s Historic

Downtown Gaming District,

to continue operating as an

adult nightclub with some

topless dancers. (See related

story in today’s edition.)

Voting “yes” means resi-

dents support Rick’s contin-

ued legal operation. A “no”

vote will instruct the city’s

leaders and administration to

keep its existing laws in place

and try to shut down the busi-

ness.

The debate between “vote

yes” or “vote no” could be one

of the most intriguing elec-

tions in Central City history.

The Weekly Register-Call

spoke with several residents

over the past week, who said

they plan to put up “vote no”

yard signs and discuss the bal-

lot question with their neigh-

bors—similar to how residents

show support for candidates

running for office.

RCI Hospitality Holdings

CEO and President Eric Lan-

gan, who developed the Cen-

tral City Rick’s location, said

he plans to hold several public

forums in upcoming weeks

to explain how the business

operates and why residents

should consider voting “yes”

on Nov. 4.

A deeply divided Central

City Council approved putting

the question on the Nov. 4

ballot during a special meet-

ing last Wednesday, Sept. 3.

The council had approved

the first reading of the ballot

question during a special ses-

sion on Monday, Aug. 25.

At both meetings, Mayor

Jeremy Fey and aldermen

Todd Williams and Chuck

Spencer voted to include the

referendum on the Nov. 4

ballot, while council members

Zane Plsek and Marcia Enloe

voted against it. Despite his

vote, Spencer said, “According

to our current zoning laws,

they should be shut down.”

Last week’s special coun-

cil meeting, which lasted 45

minutes, seemed like a repeat

hog Day.

three years.

has admitted to frequenting

Rick’s, said public opinion has

shifted since the RCI started

working to open the business.

As a result, residents should

have the opportunity to vote

on the matter, according to

the mayor.

However, former mayor

Buddy Schmalz, who attended

both special meetings, con-

tinued to criticize city officials

during last week’s meeting.

Schmalz, whose family oper-

ates the Dostal Alley Brewpub

and Casino just a few doors

down from Rick’s Cabaret,

said that zoning and code

regulations are complicated

for the average residents to

understand.

“Make the decisions we

elected you to do,” Schmalz

said. “We voted for you to

make the hard decisions.”

Regular council attend-

ees Deb Wray and Kathleen

Ashpaugh also criticized the

council for its SOB-related

actions over the past three

years. “Why wasn’t the caba-

ret not closed immediately?

Most of the council doesn’t

want to listen to the people,”

contended Wray, who accused

the council of working at “a

Ashpaugh said the council’s

decision to put the issue on

the ballot was a delay tactic

and “a lot of B.S.” She noted,

“We keep coming in and talk-

ing but you ignore us. We are

concerned about what Central

On the other hand, resident

Jenny Ernst commented,

“Thank you for putting it on

the ballot. I think it’s impor-

tant for everyone to have a

Langan told the audience

last week about his operation,

“We are not a SOB. There

aren’t any private rooms or

areas [like at our Denver

clubs]. If you vote “no,” the

city will be forced to spend

hundreds of thousands of dol-

lars in legal fees.”

While several residents

opposed to the club said

Langan’s comment suggested

a threat that RCI might sue

Central City again, the CEO

later clarified to the Weekly

Register-Call that he did not

believe any threat was intend-

ed. He stated he doesn’t want

to sue the city but empha-

sized that the company has a

“fiduciary duty” to protect its

shareholders’ investment.

Plsek told the anti-club

protesters that one reason he

ran for council was because he

doesn’t want any kind of SOB

on Main Street. “I remember

sitting in the audience a year

ago. I still feel the same way.”

Alderman Williams told the

audience he voted in August

to hire a special legal counsel

to help the city with its SOB

regulations. “It’s in the hands

of legal representatives, and

we have to let that play out.”

Spencer, who attended last

week’s meeting virtually, said,

“Do I want a strip club on

Main Street? No.” He com-

mented he believes some pub-

lic opinion has changed since

RCI arrived in Central City

three years ago and purchased

130 Main St. from the city for

$2.4 million. “I want to put

this in residents’ hands,” he

said of the ballot question.

The special council meeting, held at 3 p.m. on Sept. 3, didn’t attract a stand-room-only crowd

like previous evening sessions on the subject. However, the majority of the audience spoke

against SOBs and placing the subject on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Resident Brent Lambi told council that having a Sexually

Oriented Business will tarnish the city’s image.

Photos by Don Ireland

Central resident Deb Wray has been an outspoken critic of

RCI Hospitality Holdings’ Rick’s Cabaret during the past three

years.

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A Timeless Legacy in Central City

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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