Smoke Signals 5
JUNE 1,2009
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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
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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
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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.