On this week’s show, we announced our Las Vegas poetry contest. Here are the rules and guidelines:

• Write an original poem about Las Vegas. Any type of poetry is welcome. Haiku, iambic pentameter, sonnet, whatever. Make it rhyme or don’t.
• Keep it short. You should be able to read it in less than a minute.
• Be creative. Amuse and entertain us.
• Bonus points for mentioning Viator, Five Hundy by Midnight and/or familiar Five Hundy references.
• One entry per person.
• To submit your poem, recite it on our voice mail line (702-866-9494); record it to an audio file and e-mail it to us at fivehundy@gmail.com; or e-mail us the written text.
• If calling, include your name and e-mail address. Don’t worry. I won’t play your e-mail address on the show.
• If e-mailing, the subject line needs to be “Poetry Contest.”
• All poems need to be submitted by 3 p.m. CST on Friday, Feb. 3.
• We will choose our favorites. It’s entirely subjective and it’s entirely up to us. Finalists will be read/played on the Feb. 5 podcast.
• First and second place winners will be announced on the Feb. 12 podcast.
• The first place winner will receive a $100 Viator gift certificate. Thanks, Viator!
• The second place winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift certificate.

We’ve known for years how much Five Hundy listeners rock, but now it’s official. Our beloved Facebook group has received the 2012 Trippies Award for Best Community. Congratulations to the 1,200 listeners who use the group as a place to ask and answer questions and chat about their favorite city.

We would like to extend a special thank-you to Pete and Ellen, who started the group several years ago, and to the VegasTripping crew (especially Chuckmonster) for their work on the Trippies and all-around general fantasticalness.

With the podcast now retired into the Trippies Hall of Fame, this is icing on the sweet, sweet Vegasy cake.

Congratulations to all of the Trippies winners, especially our friends at the Vegas Gang Podcast and, of course, our frequent sponsor, Vegas Mate (it’s really great).

We plan to provide our annual Trippies analysis on next weekend’s podcast.

Join us on Sunday, Jan. 1, at 7 p.m. CST for a live, streaming show and post-show chat. We’ll be using Stickam as we have in the past, so make sure to sign up for an account if you’d like to participate in the chat.

Hear the stream and chat here.

We look forward to starting the new year with a little live Five Hundy fun.

When Five Hundy by Midnight was retired to the Trippies Hall of Fame for Best Vegas Podcast, it never really dawned on us that Five Hundy would pop up in another category.

We were pleasantly surprised this morning to find the Five Hundy Facebook Group nominated in the Best Community category. This nomination is a testament to the great information shared by our listeners and the overall positive vibe on the Facebook Group. Congratulations to everyone who participates on the Facebook group on the nomination. You guys deserve it. Now go vote!

* I was also nominated in the Best Tweeter. I’m honored but completely undeserving.

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the live show and chat. We had a great time. Cheers.

A few days ago on the Five Hundy by Midnight Facebook fan page and earlier today on the podcast, I announced a new website, Fremont Street Bars.

While preparing for our most recent Las Vegas trip, we found it moderately challenging to gather information on the Fremont East (and nearby) bars. So, I decided to do something about it.

I plan to add additional information and features in the coming weeks, and the site will be continually updated with Fremont Street bar news. If you’re looking for information about the bars of Fremont Street, give it a look. If you’re so inclined, please leave a bar review or two as well. I hope you dig it.

Thanks to everyone who voted for Five Hundy by Midnight in the Best Las Vegas Podcast category for the 2010 Trippies this year, we won for the fifth consecutive year. I’ve said it before and it holds true today: We’re surprised anyone listens to this rambling mess, much less cares about it enough to vote for it to win an award. We are honored. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

We would like to congratulate Admiral Hunter H. Hillegas III for winning a shitload of Trippies this year as well. His posts on Twitter and his work on RateVegas.com, Two Way Hard Three and, of course, Vegas Mate (it’s really great) earned him several well-deserved honors. We’re privileged to be your friends. Cheers.

Can’t make it to Vegas Podcast-a-Palooza on Oct. 30? Fear not! You can still enjoy all of the weak jokes, awkward silences and uncomfortable moments of Five Hundy by Midnight live thanks to the magic of The Internet™.

Check out the live stream here.

Tentative Schedule (subject to change without notice)

• Vegas Gang with special guest Tom McCartney (Tropicana president): 4 p.m. PDT
• The Strip with special guest Rita Rudner (“comedian”): 5 p.m. PDT
• Five Hundy by Midnight: 5:50 p.m. PDT

We recommend you start drinking around noon so you’re in the same condition we’ll be in by the time we hit the stage. See you Saturday!

With Vegas Podcast-a-Palooza 2010 details coming together, Chief Vegas Tripper Chuckmonster put together a bitchin’ website where all of the info will be posted as it is finalized.

Once again this year, we’ll be doing a live version of Five Hundy by Midnight in all of its drunken glory. Our comrades on The Strip and Vegas Gang will be conducting themselves in a much more professional manner, no doubt.

We hope to see you at Flamingo on Oct. 30.

Thanks for joining us for our fifth anniversary show. We’ll be posting it on Sunday.