It’s Happening at Chinook Winds in December ...
by Teresa Simmons
Chinook Winds Awards $1.7
Million Megabucks® Jackpot
A retiree from Portland, Ore., won $1,789,156 when she hit the Megabucks®
jackpot at Chinook Winds Casino in October.
The winner, who asked to remain anonymous, said she has played “the same
machine several times in the past.” She was visiting the casino on a “gambling
getaway” and was getting ready to meet some friends when the Megabucks®
jackpot hit. Her million-dollar win came as a surprise. “I didn’t realize it until
someone pointed it out to me,” she said.
This Megajackpot™ is the ninth to be awarded at Chinook Winds, bringing
the casino’s total Megajackpot™ payout to more than $5 million since 1996, with
approximately $3.5 million of this paid out this year. Of the nine Megajackpot™
to be awarded, this is the casino’s first on the Megabucks® system.
Four Megajackpots™ have been from the 25-cent Wheel of Fortune9 progressive
system, one from the $1 Wheel of Fortune9 progressive system, and three from
the Quartermania® progressive system. Chinook Winds is one of six tribal casinos
in Oregon that belongs to the nationwide Native American progressive gaming
network. The network includes more than 100 tribal casinos in 13 states.
Megabucks® is a dollar progressive system in which the player bets $2 to $3
at a time while attempting to line up the Megabucks® reel symbols that will trigger
the Megajackpot™. Each time a player inserts a coin into a linked machine anywhere
within the network, the jackpot grows. The Megabucks® progressive jackpot starts
at $1 million.
Tribal elder and much decorated veteran Eddy Collins (shown with his
daughter, Edie) was honored at the Veteran’s Day show held at Chinook Winds
Casino on Nov. 11. Approximately 400 people attended the free concert, which
was opened by the Siletz Honor Guard and the posting of the colors. Bill Ward,
veteran’s liaison for Congresswoman Darlene Hooley, presented the casino, the
Honor Guard, and the tribe each with a congressional flag and led the crowd
in the pledge of allegiance. The Lincoln Pops Band (a 16-piece big band)
played several selections from the ‘40s, followed by vocalists Mike Bartie, Bill
Montague and Jakki Ford, and the banjo stylings of Will Kiefer. The production
Comedy Night on the Coast
Chinook Winds Casino invites you
to become hysterical, laugh until your
sides ache, and giggle with uncontrolled
glee at Comedy Night on the Coast.
This night of fun features a trio of
comedians in a 90-minute show. Each
will do a 30-minute spot.
Henry Cho headlines this month,
with Gary Brightwell as the featured
act and Mike “Wally” Walter as
host.
A Tennessee boy
who also happens to
be of Korean descent,
Henry Cho has a
distinct
comic
presence.
Cho’s
idiosyncratic
charisma has helped
him succeed in stand
up comedy, which he
began performing
in 1986.
Since then, he has
appeared on The
Tonight Show and on MTV several times,
hosted Friday Night Videos, and taken part
in various comedy specials. Cho also has
played featured roles in sitcoms and films
such as McHale’s Navy and the Farrelly
brothers’ Say It Isn’t So.
Gary Brightwell has opened for
the biggest names in comedy, including
28
it
□ . Siletz News
o
it
ì
V< J
Jerry Seinfeld, Paul Reiser, Jim Carey,
Garry Shandling, Jay Leno, Jeff
Foxworthy, Tim Allen, and Dennis
Miller. Before plunging into stand-up
comedy full time, Brightwell earned
two degrees in aerospace engi-neering
and worked as an engineer at
McDonnell Douglas.
His keen wit and observational
humor have been featured on such
shows as NBC’s
Friday
Night,
A&E’s Comedy on
the Road, and on
Comedy Central.
Mike “Wally”
Walter has appeared
on
Showtime,
MTV, and Amer
ica’s
Funniest
People. He was a
two-time finalist in
the prestigious
Seattle Comedy
Competition and
has been nominated for an American
Comedy Award for “Nightclub Comic
of the Year.”
Doors open at 7 p.m.; show time is
8 p.m. A no-host bar will be available.
Tickets, priced at $10 in advance and
$ 12 on the day of the show, are available
at the box office.
□. December 2002.
«j
VW* T C u VVW m
concluded with a pipe and drum salute to fallen soldiers.
The Siletz Honor Guard, who opened and closed the veteran ’s show, included
Walt Klamath, Tom Downey, Josh Blacketer, Terry Fisher, Frank Simmons,
Kelly Mason, Dub Bellinger, and Ed Ben. Jerry Marzan and Forest Bahler
also participated but are not shown in the photo.