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Minnesota Man’s Pride and Joy: Extensive Las Vegas Memorabilia CollectionIt would be fair to say that Randy Temple loves Las Vegas. The lights, the glamour, the thrill, and, especially, the mementos.Temple, who is 41 and hails from Sturgeon Lake in Minnesota, has been collecting souvenirs from Las Vegas for the past 18 years. They completely fill the two- bedroom mobile home where he lives alone, covering every available surface. "Everywhere I can set something, I have it full," said Temple. The décor is all Vegas, all the time. The walls are covered in posters that show Las Vegas casinos in various stages of development, and photographs of The Strip at night and in the day. Temple’s computer even has a piece of the action: its screensaver displays old Las Vegas casinos. There are signs from casinos propped against the walls, and there are even remnants of old slot machines. There is also a bookcase full of Las Vegas travel guides, reference books, and coffee table tomes- all, of course, about casinos. Temple’s day job is as a manager of a Market Place Foods in Moose Lake. He is well-known in his town for his collection. "Friends think I should be charging admission," he chuckled. "They say it's like a museum." Temple prefers souvenirs that bear the name of Las Vegas casinos, particular of casinos that have closed. One his possessions is an old wooden menu from the El Ranch Vegas casino, which burned down in 1960. Some of Temple’s souvenir items are commonplace; items such as shot glasses and towels with names of casinos are featured in his collection. When Temple’s friends go to Vegas, he said they often bring him back bars of soap that bear the names of casinos. Other aspects of Temple’s collection are more rarified. "It's now hard to find the name of [casinos] on ashtrays, but I have four to five boxes of ashtrays," Temple said. "I can find them at swap meets. In Las Vegas they're worth more, especially if the [casino] isn't there anymore." Temple finds many of his items, particularly the older ones, on the internet. He especially likes to bid for items on EBay. One treasured item he won on EBay is a 1955 drinking glass from Moulin Rouge, the first of the Las Vegas casinos to be integrated. Temple paid only $15. Sometimes, he even contacts the casinos directly. When the Desert Inn closed five years ago, Temple sent Steve Wynn, the owner, a letter requesting a souvenir. Wynn sent him an entire box of memorabilia, including a Faberge plate with the casino’s name. Temple calls the plate the “prize” of his collection. Temple is an expert on Las Vegas history. He knows when casinos were built, when casinos were razed, who they are owned by, and trivia about events that occurred in the casinos. To stay current, he reads two online Las Vegas newspapers every day. When asked what is so attractive to him about Las Vegas, Temple explained, "The city is always changing. It's an exciting place to be. I wish I could live there."
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