Knievel, the 46-year-old son of the late daredevil Evel Knievel, will jump the refurbished volcano at The Mirage hotel-casino on a motorcycle as part of a television special.  Knievel said the stunt will likely be his last in the United States.
     Mirage officials unveiled a US$25 million facelift for the casino's iconic erupting volcano earlier in December. The five-minute fire and water spectacle has a custom soundtrack co-written by former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.
     “This volcano is our crowning jewel,'' said Scott Sibella, president and chief operating officer of The Mirage. ``It's the final piece of the puzzle.''
Sibella said the premiere eruption marked the end of more than three years the company has spent overhauling the 19-year-old megaresort. During that time, MGM Mirage Inc. has spent $110 million upgrading rooms and suites at the hotel.
     The Mirage was developed by casino mogul Steve Wynn and opened in November 1989. The city's first megaresort, it kicked off a wave of billion dollar projects on the Strip.
     Sibella said he believed the overhaul at The Mirage would be the last major improvements to a Strip resort for a few years, as casino companies struggle to get financing for capital projects.
     Mayor Oscar Goodman said the volcano was a reminder of how Las Vegas continually reinvents itself.
     ``We don't implode ourselves anymore. . . . We recreate ourselves,'' he said.