After Charlie's Down Under: Where Desert Shores Gathers This November

On April 1, 1995, Gary Heckethorn worked the first graveyard shift behind the bar at Charlie's Down Under. "There was no other bar in the area, there was no shopping center, we sat here by itself," he told 8 News Now in September. Thirty-one years later he was still there as general manager, and the bar at 1950 N. Buffalo Dr. held an all-day farewell on September 30 before closing for good on October 1.

The building opened before the shopping center went up around it, and it has gone quiet before anything new has opened inside. Until a new tenant opens, Desert Shores' fixed gathering points are its own. For November, that means the clubhouse at 2500 Regatta Drive, the parking lot beside it and the water.

What is reportedly coming to the Buffalo Drive corner

Becker Gaming sold Charlie's Down Under to Eclipse Gaming, and the same 8 News Now report said Becker's other two venues, Cariba Charlie's and Charlie's Lakeside, would also become Jackpot Joanie's. The Las Vegas Advisor's October 2026 newsletter says all three locals bars have closed and will "reportedly become Jackpot Joanie's slot houses." As of late October, no reopening date has been announced for the Buffalo Drive site, and the new owner has not confirmed a name.

Hoodline identifies the buyer as ECL Gaming, which operates gaming and tavern locations across Nevada. ECL Gaming, which operates as Eclipse Route Operations, LLC, describes itself as a Nevada company that owns and operates gaming properties and manages route operations. Its brands include Jackpot Joanie's, Bully's, Winchell's, Lucky 7's, Bonanza Lounge, Golden West, The Gin Mill and Rounders. Jackpot Joanie's lists more than 25 Southern Nevada locations and a newer one in Sparks, and calls itself "your corner casino."

Heckethorn told 8 News Now he hopes the new operators will rehire his team when they reopen. "They would be crazy not to keep my employees," he said. The buyer has not said publicly whether it will keep the staff. For now, the bar that once stood alone on that stretch of Buffalo Drive is an empty storefront waiting for a new sign.

The calendar on Regatta Drive

The Desert Shores Community Association's dates run through the same weeks the corner sits empty. The post goes live on a Thursday, so the first event is the next evening.

At Trunk or Treat, families decorate their cars and hand out candy, and the trick-or-treaters vote on their favorite trunk. The top three win prizes. The office takes donations of individually wrapped, store-bought candy before the event and also needs volunteers for traffic control and setup.

The yard sale is the one event that takes place across the whole community. Signing up is optional. Households that register get a free yard sale sign and a spot on the map the association uses to promote the sale and point shoppers to each house.

Two schedules list slightly different times for the Veterans Day breakfast. The July newsletter said 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the clubhouse. The October issue, which is newer, says 8 to 10 a.m. It invites all Desert Shores veterans and their immediate families and asks them to RSVP for a head count but to come even if they didn't. A second tradition runs alongside the breakfast. Before November 11, the association places an American flag and a "Thank You" sign in the front yard of each veteran's home. Neighbors can send a veteran's name, photos, dates of service and address to [email protected].

The craft fair is the least settled date on the list. The July issue placed it at the clubhouse on November 14 as a knitting-club event. The October issue is still accepting vendors and gives no date, so check with the DSCA office at (702) 254-1020 before you plan around it.

The clubhouse also hosts the association's governance dates. The annual meeting and election notice falls on November 18 and budget ratification on December 2, both at 6 p.m. Board meetings are held in person on Regatta Drive and on Zoom.

The water carried September and October

The fall season began on the lakes. The association advertised a Patriot Day boat parade on Lake Jacqueline for Sunday, September 20. A children's fishing derby followed at Lake Lindsey on October 3. The lagoon hosted the Labor Day Lagoon Party on September 7 and Desert Shores Night Out on September 29.

The board is also spending on the places where those events happen. At its August 26 meeting, it approved leveling and sealing the lagoon pavers, new plantings at Lake Sarah, a repair to the Regatta wall and a new Regatta handrail. Earlier in the summer it approved a $20,670 project to fix sidewalk trip hazards, and new plantings went in at the entrances. The August newsletter estimated the entrance plantings could take about a year to fill in to the size of the examples at the clubhouse.

Paint on the sidewalks into January

The other change residents will see this season is in the ground. Gigapower is installing fiber internet lines under Desert Shores at no cost to residents or the association, and service will be available to buy once the main build is finished. Lines reach an individual home only after that household orders service. The August newsletter describes the build in three stages.

1. Locates and planning. Crews request public 811 utility locates and spray color-coded paint marking what is underground. Planners then white-line the routes and walk the site with community representatives.
2. Construction. Door hangers go up about a week before work starts. Crews drill underground and place in-ground handholes, plus small above-ground boxes nicknamed "flowerpots" in the easement areas between homes. The newsletter warns of possible cut sprinkler lines, damage to hardscape or sod, cut internet lines and paint left on the roadways.
3. Restoration. A community representative walks the finished work with the crews to list any unresolved damage, and then residents can sign up for service.

Gigapower has assigned a community relationship manager to log and resolve damage reports, at 702.358.1114. The October newsletter says the utility projects are expected to continue through the rest of the year and possibly into January 2027, and that the utility markings on sidewalks and streets have to stay while the work continues, though they will be removed as soon as possible. If you are walking to the yard sale or the pancake breakfast, expect the curbs to look a little like a survey map.

What did open nearby

The one confirmed new storefront nearby this fall fits the neighborhood. Aqua Pool Supply opened its second Las Vegas store at 7501 W. Lake Mead Blvd., Suite 106, in Summerhill Plaza. A July announcement on WhatNow Las Vegas projected a late-summer opening, and Pool Pro magazine reported on September 8 that the store was open.

On Buffalo Drive, the next thing to watch for is a sign announcing what replaces Charlie's Down Under, along with the date it opens.

A new tenant on Buffalo Drive, a fiber build under the streets and fresh work on the lagoon and entrances all change the picture around a Desert Shores home. If you would like a quiet look at what your Desert Shores home is worth this season, Gene Northup can prepare a Free Home Valuation for you, privately and with no obligation.