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Thousands of extraterrestrial enthusiasts are expected to descend on the desert for the 'Storm Area 51' event.

The iconic Sahara Las Vegas hotel-casino has reappeared on the Strip as a new owner hopes turn the fortunes around for the once Moroccan-themed property that opened in 1952 and hosted a long list of legendary entertainers from Frank Sinatra to Dean Martin.

In late August, India-based budget lodging brand Oyo announced that it had acquired the Hooters Casino Hotel, unveiling plans to relaunch it as the Oyo Hotel & Casino, its first flagship U.S. property.

On Thursday, SLS officially reverted to The Sahara Las Vegas, the iconic brand that evokes Rat Pack-era hipness. The north Strip property is in the midst of a $150 million rebranding that will allow it to reconnect with its past — as well as with a Las Vegas audience for whom the name “SLS” didn’t really evoke anything at all.

The SLS Las Vegas is returning to the hotel-casino’s roots. After operating under the name SLS for five years, the property is circling back to the iconic Sahara name, starting Thursday.

First, a little civics lesson, and we’ll keep it simple.

Las Vegas has been known, unfairly, for blowing up its past. We’ve lost some buildings we wish could have been preserved. But most of the more recent losses have been confined to the resort corridor. One of the hotels to topple was the Landmark. Tearing it down was quick. Building it was a story unto itself, as was its opening, fifty years ago this past July.

We’ll be marking a couple of centennials this year, but one of them is looking back at how Nevada reacted in 1919 to things that happened in 1917 and 1918. You heard that right.