´Cultures of Las Vegas: The Thais' Plays Throughout Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
The local Thai community is the focus of the next iteration of the popular "Cultures of Las Vegas" television and podcast series.
“Cultures of Las Vegas: The Thais” is airing on Clark County Television (CCTV) throughout May, which is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Guest moderated by Patranya Bhoolsuwan, a former KLAS TV reporter who is owner and founder of Patranya Media LLC, the half-hour interview show focuses on the history and growth of the local Thai community, Thai cultural influence on the younger generation and Thai food, “then and now.”
"Now more than ever, Asian Americans are calling Southern Nevada home and that includes the growing Thai community," said Bhoolsuwan. "We all have different reasons for wanting to live here, but at the same time, we also share a common thread. Thai culture is rich and you see that in our arts, language, and of course food! I am thankful that through this show "Cultures of Las Vegas", Clark County is giving us the space to share our unique story through the wonderful people in this community".
Joining Bhoolsuwan for the show are John Zeigler, president of the Las Vegas Children Foundation, Nevada Assemblywoman Cecilia Gonzales, Attorney Ranee Samerthai, Onpreeya Long and Claudia Nipakorn Long of the Pong Lang Las Vegas Dance Group, Dr. Christian Giovanni of the Thai Culture Foundation, Asian-Thai News Presenter Santhana Foster, Suntharee Balthazor of Sun’s Beef Jerky, Pitch Pukdee of Sun’s Thai Food and Mark Padoongpat, author and director of Asian and Asian American Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Besides appearing on CCTV, the show also may be viewed on Clark County’s YouTube channel at www.YouTube.com/ClarkCountyNV. A direct link to the show: https://youtu.be/6u_n6WWxeEg. The special will also appear on the County’s social media channels.
Further, the discussion is available on Clark County’s “Cultures of Las Vegas” podcast available for iPhones and Androids.
The show will appear on CCTV throughout May, including Thursday, May 5 at 1 and 6 p.m.; Friday, May 6 at 4:30 a.m., 3 and 11 p.m.; Saturday, May 8 at 11 a.m. and 9 p.m.; Sunday, May 8 at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.; Monday, May 9 at 1 and 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 and 11:30 p.m. CCTV’s schedule may be found at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov.
Previous iterations of the series have focused on the Chinese, https://youtu.be/wSXlaLr20eA; the French, https://youtu.be/l53oPCatW7k; the Germans, https://youtu.be/a7EerPFA954; the Indians, https://youtu.be/oh2J9AFzQXk; the Irish, https://youtu.be/Fu5OcnTlGy4; the Italians, https://youtu.be/FA-X8QB_c3A; Mexico, https://youtu.be/jyl96aqwjUk; the Native Americans, https://youtu.be/jDbBr0cCi0k; and the Poles, https://youtu.be/UOz5qjA6jNA. CCTV has also produced similar shows, including, “Celebrating Latino Contributions,” https://youtu.be/6OcrX1ywDHw; “Influences of Asia and the Pacific,” https://youtu.be/8X3EIlvufME; and “The Legacy, The History: Celebrating Black History Month,” https://youtu.be/1hmHSrqooyA. Clark County plans to continue the series, focusing on the contributions of local ethnic groups.
CCTV is available in the Las Vegas area on Channel 4 on Cox cable and on CenturyLink on Channels 4 and 1004 as well as in Laughlin on Channel 14 via Suddenlink. Live streaming of CCTV programming is available at https://www.youtube.com/user/ClarkCountyNV/live. CCTV is also available in Boulder City on Channel 4 and in Moapa Valley on Digital Channel 50.3. One may watch CCTV on streaming devices such as Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV via the YouTube app.
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Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability. With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 11th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to 2.3 million citizens and 45.6 million visitors a year (2019). Included are the nation’s 7th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The County also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to 1 million residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.