Former Manitoban relishing Las Vegas ‘winter’

With the Winnipeg Jets rolling into town for a Friday night game, it seems fitting that U.S. hot spot Las Vegas is experiencing a rare snowfall.

At least one Las Vegan, however, is loving the unusual weather.

“If you talk to the local Las Vegas folk, it’s the ‘end of days’ out here,” said Dan Wowryk, a Manitoban who has been living in Nevada.

“They’re freaking out a little bit here. I just keep telling them they’re soft and to enjoy it.”

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Wowryk told 680 CJOB there’s so little precipitation in his adopted home that many Las Vegas drivers are baffled even when it rains – let alone dealing with an alien situation like three or four inches of snow.

“It was slow moving yesterday,” he said. “I think there was a bit of an uproar that they didn’t end up cancelling school for the kids. Yesterday would have been one of the most memorable days of their lives.

“It would’ve been a great snow day, are you kidding me?”

Wowryk’s moved to Vegas to work on the new stadium for the NFL’s soon-to-be-relocated Raiders franchise, but at this time of year, he’s equally focused on a more traditionally-Canadian sport.

He said his home – jokingly renamed “Dandelay Bay” after the famous Vegas hotel and casino – has become a bit of a crash pad for fellow Canadians in the area who want to see their teams on the road.

Current guests include a pal from Edmonton and two friends from Manitoba who came in for the Jets game.

Despite living in Vegas and sharing season tickets for the city’s Golden Knights, Wowryk said he’s a Jets fan for life.

“Number one is still the Jets, big time,” he said.  “You’ll never break that allegiance.”

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