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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2009)
Smoke Signals 5 JUNE 1,2009 CasnDD penis miew imOglhidiLalb, sjponrtis Ibacr Memorial Day weekend packed at Spirit Mountain By Dean Rhodes Smoke Signals editor Spirit Mountain Casino opened its two latest entertainment venues over Memorial Day weekend, mak ing it the hippest place to socialize, listen to music and dance between Portland and Lincoln City. "It was a true entertainment weekend," said Spirit Mountain Casino Marketing Manager Greg Fritz. "People had four places to go for entertainment." The 3,884-square-foot, 381-seat Mountain View sports bar and 2,900-square-foot, 287-capacity Raindrops nightclub opened Saturday and brought standing-room-only crowds to the casino over the weekend. Tribal member and casino Mar keting Coordinator Angela Sears said the new venues required the casino to hire 30 new employees in the wait, bar and kitchen staffs. Raindrops, located in the former arcade area, features a centerpiece dance floor surrounded by intimate couches and tables, a water feature behind the honey-combed metallic bar and an industrial feel remi niscent of big city clubs located in high-ceilinged lofts. Mountain View features 17 large high-definition flat screen TVs, a circular bar and a no-smoking sec tion in the back. Opening weekend required the casino to ask its employees to park at the Tribal campus off Grand Ronde Road. Shuttles ferried casino employees to and from work Fritz said moving the casino's RV parking because of the dilapidated car museum prompted asking ca sino employees to park at the Tribal campus. The weekend was very successful as far as turnout," Fritz said, add ing that the combination of the new entertainment venues, concerts '8 o o u 9 o Above, people stand on the exterior of Mountain View Sports Bar and check out the new restaurant at Spirit Mountain Casino on Saturday, May 23. Randy Roll, a bartender at Spirit Mountain Casino, pours a glass of wine for a customer on grand opening day of Mountain View Sports Bar. Photos by Michelle Alalmo (Kool & the Gang and Spirit of Asia in the Events Center on Saturday and Sunday, respectively), Memo rial Day weekend and drawing for a Mercedes created a perfect storm for the casino. At) UiV' "We had a high for coin in this year," Fritz said, "and the best day of the year for table games. On Sun day, we had lines for the sports bar, Summit View and Raindrops." Both new venues will offer regu- - cry 0 o O o O r lar entertainment. The sports bar is scheduled to feature live music, comedy acts and karaoke on weekends. The new nightclub will feature live music and disc jockeys Thurs day through Sunday. During the opening weekend, Melody Butchers performed in the sports bar, Hit Explosion headlined the nightclub and Concrete Cow boys played in Summit View on Saturday, May 23. On Sunday, May 24, The Mam mals performed in Raindrops, Terry Robb was in Summit View and karaoke was featured in Moun tain View. Spirit of Asia sold out the Events Center on Sunday while Kool & the Gang had a few seats remaining on Saturday, Fritz said. And one other goal of the new entertainment venues was accom plished. "We had less of a maa exodus af ter the concerts," Fritz said. "People were sticking around." D Ctub-goeri dance as they listen to the band Hit Explosion during the grand opening of Raindrops Nightclub at Spirit Mountain Casino on Saturday, May 23.