Atlantic City officials announced on Monday, May 20, that the 3rd annual Atlantic City Boardwalk Rodeo would be returning to Boardwalk Hall October 5 (7:30pm) & 6 (1pm), 2013.

Photo: Tom Briglia

Pre-sale tickets are available from May 20 to May 23 at 10pm (EST). By using the code RODEO here, you can save $5 off any ticket for either show.

Tickets go on sale Friday, May 24, at noon (EST) and fans who get their tix between May 24 and May 31 will receive a free cowboy hat with each ticket bought. Family four-pack packages are also available through October 4.

Tickets are $20, $30, $50 and $80.

Click here for a photo gallery from the Monday announcement in Atlantic City.

“We are very excited to be bringing the Atlantic City Boardwalk Rodeo back in 2013,” said Janet Markowitz, the rodeo’s event chair. “The event was a huge success the past two years and I believe that the spectator turnout for this year will be even greater since we have moved the show dates to October. Our hope is that the event will become more visible to both locals and visitors over the summer months and that it will entice them to return to Atlantic City in October for a fun family event.”

Click here for photos from the first Atlantic City Boardwalk Rodeo

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The ultimate car guy’s fantasy comes to life on the Atlantic City Boardwalk on May 15 and 16 as Harry’s Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant at Bally’s hosts the ‘Chance of a Lifetime Exotic Car Festival.’

The public is invited to check out a showcase of elite ‘exotic’ cars, and Premier Luxury Rentals  will be offering a once-in-a-lifetime deal to sit behind the wheel of some of the most expensive cars around.

For $500, you can forget about the cars’ large price tags and feed your thirst for speed by driving a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, Audi R8 Spider, Maserati GranTurismo, or a Ferrari California Convertible.

On Wednesday, May 15, the cars will cruise down the Atlantic City Boardwalk — from Showboat to Bally’s — starting at noon. The cars will then be parked on the boards for car lovers on a budget who would like to pose with and take pictures of the racing machines.

The festival will also feature live music and vendors. Harry’s will be featuring revved up specials as well.

Monday, reports the Associated Press, the parent company of PokerStars, The Rational Group, “went to court in New Jersey on Monday and got a temporary restraining order barring The Atlantic Club from selling itself to anyone else.”

This is the latest news related to the Rational Group’s desire to purchase the Atlantic City casino.

Just last week, it was reported that any kind of deal between the owners of the Atlantic Club and the Rational Group was dead.

The AP also reports that:

In its court papers, PokerStars also revealed for the first time just how cheaply it plans to acquire the casino: $15 million. That is $5 million less than the previous low price that a California company had offered for Trump Plaza before that deal fell apart last month, and would be — by far — the lowest price ever paid for a casino in Atlantic City.

Read full story here.

A preview of this week’s “Local Scene,” AC Weekly’s photo page on page 6 each issue:

Keyshia Cole at the Borgata (Photo: Donald Kravitz)

Stone Sour at the House of Blues at Showboat (Photo: Mike McHale)

Ciara at the Pool at Harrah's (Photo: Tom Briglia)

Mims at the Pool at Harrah's (Photo by Tom Briglia)

Click here for more photos and videos from the past week (and beyond).

A new documentary film on the late musician Levon Helm — who has extensive links to the Atlantic City area — will open in April in New York, with showings planned after in select cities. (Maybe Philly?)

Ain’t in It for My Health: A Film About Levon Helm follows the drummer-vocalist (The Band, Levon & the Hawks, Grammy-winning solo career) during the period in the late ’00s when Helm was hotter than ever, battling back from cancer, releasing his first solo album in a quarter-century (2007’s Dirt Farmer) and then going on to win a Grammy for it, as well as his subsequent release (2010’s Electric Dirt).

[Read Atlantic City Weekly's Jeff Schwachter's award-winning story on Levon from 2007.]

The following year’s live album Ramble at the Ryman was also well received, hitting several Billboard charts upon its release and into 2012.

The documentary, according to Rolling Stone, will debut on April 19, the first anniversary of Helm’s death at age 71 in Woodstock, New York, where he was based for decades.

In the summer of 1965, Helm and his band, Levon & The Hawks were booked in Somers Point at the nightclub Tony Mart’s, about 15 minutes from Atlantic City, when Bob Dylan stole the band from the Jersey shore, eventually taking the Hawks on the road with him for his historic worldwide electric tour in 1965-66 (for the most part minus Helm) and striking up a working relationship and friendships with the members of the Hawks (later to be rechristened The Band) that would last for decades.

In recent years, the Arkansas-born Helm did a lot of concerts and festivals, including the now legendary Midnight Ramble concerts he’d put on in his Woodstock barn, with a crack unit of musicians as well as special guests such as Elvis Costello and Steely Dan over the years.

It would be great to hear Levon doing his beloved mandolin-based version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City” in the film.

To read about Levon Helm’s connections to South Jersey, click here and here.

This just in from the House of Blues at Showboat:

“With the recent exoneration of front man Randy Blythe from all charges in the Czech Republic, LAMB OF GOD announces today a tour of secondary markets May 16 through June 20.  The tour continues the support of the album Resolution and hits 30 markets not yet visited on the current album cycle.

“Support on all dates will be Decapitated with Terror appearing through June 10th and The Acacia Strain appearing on the remaining shows.”

Lamb of God is scheduled to appear at the House of Blues in Atlantic City on Friday, June 14. Tickets are slated to go on sale the weekend of March 29-30.

ATLANTIC CITY — Revel is gearing up for spring with an Eggcellent Egg Hunt Weekend. This fun event will take place Friday, March 29, through Sunday, March 31.

The Egg Hunt will have prizes ranging from an overnight stay at Revel to dining certificates and free slot play. During the property-wide Eggcellent Egg Hunt Weekend, participants are encouraged to visit various venues within Revel to receive stamps for eggs containing prizes. Each stamp collected will also earn participants an entry into the grand prize drawing.

The winner will receive the “Spring Renewal” package at Bask salon and spa valued at $1,000. Participants who visit all venues will be given an egg containing a prize of a minimum $50 value. These prizes include a Luke’s Kitchen & Marketplace gift basket, Bask day passes, restaurant dining certificates, reward dollars and more. To redeem Egg Hunt stamps, visit the Revel Card Center.

Participants must be 21 or older and be a Revel Card holder. Those interested in participating must register at the Revel Card Center and pick up their complete list of participating venues. Visit revelresorts.com for more.

— Christina Rodriguez

ATLANTIC CITY- The Seashore Gardens Living Center and MAPS Foundation Inc. will be hosting its third annual Enriching Lives 5K Run/Walk on the Atlantic City Boardwalk Sunday, April 14.

The 5K Walk/Run begins at 9am and registrations starts  7:15am on the Boardwalk just outside of Resorts Casino Hotel. All entrants will receive a commemorative event T-shirt. Awards will be given for the top-three overall male and female, and the top male and female finishing in the following age groups:   15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 and 80+. There will also be a category for wheelchair participants  and awards including the “Tortoise Award,” the Top Fundraising Team, and the Largest Team.

The honorary race director and runner will be Barbara Altman, a WOND 1400 AM radio personality, along with Michael Weinraub, the executive vice president of Seashore Gardens Living Center.

If you are interested in participating, pre-registration begins April 7 at Active.com and SeashoreGardens.org.  The cost for registration is $25.  Participants will also be able to register online up to the day of the event, as well as sign up on the day of the race for $30.  For more information, contact Sharon D’Angio at (609) 748-4614 or e-mail dangios@seashoregardens.org.

— Christina Rodriguez

ATLANTIC CITY — As part of Atlantic City Free Public Library’s (ACFPL) Meet the Author program, youth ages 11 to 17 are invited to meet urban fiction writer Torrey Maldonado on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 2pm.

Maldonado’s novel Secret Saturdays was selected in 2011 as an American Library Association Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and was also featured on ABC, NBC, and CNN. The book is inspired by his experiences growing up in the Red Hook projects in Brooklyn, where he now teaches in the public school system.

Maldonado will share how writing has impacted his life, and how the craft served as a pleasant distraction from some harsher realities of his youth.

The ACFPL is located at One North Tennessee Ave. in Atlantic City. For additional information, call (609) 345-2269, ext. 3050, or visit acfpl.org.
— Christina Migioia

Looking for something fun to do this President’s Day? Why not go swimming and enjoy a live performance.  Sean Anderson also known as Big Sean will be performing live at The Harrah’s Pool After Dark Sunday, Feb.17.

Big Sean is an American Rapper signed to Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music in 2007. He then signed to Island Def Jam Recordings a year later. He returns to Atlantic City for another amazing performance since his last concert at the House of Blues in Showboat. Along with his dynamic rhymes and beats, Sean gave a speech in the middle of his performance to talk to the audience about his life, his struggles, and how he became Big Sean.

Here is a short video on Big Sean’s Live  Performance at the House of Blues last year.

The fun begins at 9pm when the doors open. Must be 21 or older to attend. Dress to impress, dress code is strictly enforced. For bottle service, cabana and table reservations, call 441-5585.
The tickets are on pre sale online for $20, and $30 for general admission. To purchase tickets online visit wantickets.com

—–By Christina Rodriguez