The Inside Joke Comedy at the Loony saloon is no gamble
tribal talk NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2017
Event
Progress
Indulge
Area boxing
Growth on display at Indigo Sky Casino
Inside Twin Bridges Restaurant
The The Perfect Perfect Place Place to to
Celebrate The Holidays! There is no better place to celebrate the holiday season than in the comfort and style of River Bend Casino & Hotel! Enjoy an exciting night of gaming, delicious dining and entertainment, then kick back and relax in one of our beautiful King or Queen deluxe rooms!
Call 918.678.4946 or visit us at riverbendcasino.com to book your room today!
100 JACKPOT PLACE | WYANDOTTE, OK 74370 | 866.447.4946 | WWW.RIVERBENDCASINO.COM Must be 18 years of age or older. Rules and restrictions apply.
5
1. BUFFALO RUN CASINO
918-542-7140 1000 Buffalo Run Blvd. • Miami, OK
2. CHEROKEE CASINO
918-422-6300 2416 U.S. 412 • West Siloam Springs, OK
3. DOWNSTREAM CASINO 918-919-6000 69300 E Nee Rd • Quapaw, OK
4. GRAND LAKE CASINO
918-786-8528 24701 S. 655 Rd. (Hwy. 10) • Grove, OK
5. HIGH WINDS CASINO
918-541-9463 61475 East 100 Road • Miami, OK
6. INDIGO SKY CASINO * 918-666-8702 70220 Hwy. 60 • Wyandotte. OK
7. KANSAS CROSSING
620-240-4400 1275 S. Highway 69 • Pittsburg, KS
8. OUTPOST CASINO
918-666-6770 69701 East 100 Road • Wyandotte, OK
9. LUCKY TURTLE CASINO
918-678-2877 64499 E Highway 60 • Wyandotte, OK
✓✓✓✓
Entertainment
Event Facilities
Concerts
Dinner Buffet or AYCE
Off-Track Betting
Blackjack
Poker
Lodging
Dining
CASINOS
3
✓ ✓ ✓
✓✓✓✓✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ***
✓✓✓✓ ✓✓
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
**
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ 3
✓ ✓✓✓✓✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
11
**
✓✓✓✓
✓ ✓
13
10
5
8 9 14
✓
6 15
✓ 16
10. PRAIRIE MOON CASINO 918-542-8670 202 S Eight Tribes Trl • Miami, OK
12 1
✓
4
11. PRAIRIE SUN CASINO 918-541-2150 3411 P Street NW • Miami, OK
12. QUAPAW CASINO 918-540-9100 58100 E 64 Rd • Miami, OK
13. STABLES CASINO
918-542-7884 530 H Street Southeast • Miami, OK
14. RIVER BEND CASINO (ForMerly Wyandotte Casino)
918-678-4946 2 Turtle Drive • Wyandotte, OK
✓ ✓
✓✓
✓
✓
✓ ✓ ✓
✓
**
✓✓✓✓
✓ ✓ ✓
15. BORDERTOWN CASINO 918-666-9401 129 Oneida St, Wyandotte, OK
✓
16. CHEROKEE CASINO GROVE
✓
✓
✓ 2
✓
918-786-1300
E 250 Rd • Grove, OK * Bingo ** Tuesday all you can eat crab legs *** Wednesday all you can eat crab legs **** Sunday all you can eat crab legs
COURTESY OF GOOGLE MAPS
3
table of contents
November -December Volume 5 • Issue 3
Casino Connection is a bimonthly publication of Gatehouse Media dba The Miami News-Record, 14 1st Ave, NW. Miami, OK 74354.
28 event
9 FUNDRAISING Casino chefs shine at Taste of Grand
10 FEATURE
The Inside: Joke Comedy at the Loony Saloon is no gamble
13 PROGRESS
Growth on display at Indigo Sky Casino
14 COMING TOGETHER
Casino commissioners gather for annual OTGRA conference
16 TRIBAL TALK 20 -21 FACES & PLACES
6
24-25 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 26 THE PERKS
INDULGE
WELCOME
Whether you are glad that fall is here or you long for hot summer days, there’s always something hot going on at area casinos. The new hotel is Indigo Sky is something to see, for sure. Twin Bridges Restaurant has kicked it up 4
You say it’s your birthday?
a notch, if you haven’t eaten there lately you are missing out. And, of course, the Stables’ Looney Saloon will give you something to laugh about as they bring the funniest talent to the stage. The promotions and entertainment are
getting bigger and better so check out what’s going on inside this issue and tell them you saw it in the Casino Connection Magazine. Find us on Facebook and share our page to win prizes. nd parties are scheduled.
Casino Connection Staff
All content copyright Gatehouse Media 2017. PUBLISHER Cheryl Franklin ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Cheryl Franklin 417-629-8901 DESIGN DIRECTOR Bob Markham ART DIRECTOR/DESIGN Edgar Lavinder Jr. EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS Cheryl Franklin Jim Ellis Melinda Stotts Dorothy Ballard Kaylea M. Hutson-Miller Alicia Buffer DISTRIBUTION Linda Heatherly To advertise or submit content advertising@miaminewsrecord.com
TAKE AN ADVENTURE. YOU’VE EARNED IT. If you’re looking to add a little excitement to your daily to-do list, then Cherokee Casino Grove is the place for you. Stop by and get your fill of the best gaming by the lake, sample our incredible dining, and dance the night away with live entertainment. And the game gets better than ever when you play with a One Star Rewards® card. Sign up to start earning rewards like complimentary dining, rewards play, hotel stays and more. Hwy 59 and East 250 Rd., Grove, OK CherokeeCasino.com
See One Star Rewards® Club for full rules and details. Winner is responsible for all taxes and other fees. Employees of Cherokee Nation Entertainment are not eligible. Casino reserves the right to delete or modify any promotion at any time and without notice. Know your limits. Gambling problem? Call 800.522.4700.
CNENT_48932_GRO_2017_NEOConnection_PrintAd_1715301.indd 1
6/15/17 8:50 AM
indulge
Chef Chris Kicking It Up A Notch at Tw i n B r i d g e s Restaurant
6
indulge INTERVIEW BY ChERYl fRaNklIN | Casino ConneCtion
S
ome say that if you do what you love you will never work a day in your life. That is how Executive Chef Chris Cizek at Twin Bridges Restaurant inside River Bend Casino says he feels. Cizek introduced a new menu in October and has put a lot of thought and preparation into kicking it up a notch. “Every year from when I got here we’ve kind of gone up in class, up in quality, up a little bit in price just because everything is going up. And, so I feel like we’re almost skipping a step with this menu (the old menu) to where this one is going to be,” he said during an interview before the release of the new menu. The new menu features new appetizers, new salads, and new entrees. “We’ve added some lamb, we’ve added some duck, we’ve also added some different selections steak wise – we have the bison, we have the sirloin where we are changing up some of the toppings,” he said. Cizek knows his restaurant guests and was careful to retain the popular, local favorites on the menu including the Chicken Fried Steak. “Some things are set in stone, people come in that want them and they will always be there,” he said. Local favorites include Chicken Fried Steak with mashed potatoes, or the Bourbon Barbequed Glazed Grilled Meatloaf, or the Fish and Chips among others. Some of the new menu items show off Cizek’s culinary talents. “I try, to best of my ability, to be creative with the simplest of ingredients and products that people are comfortable with so that when they come in here they know that know matter what it’s going to be food that they are comfortable with eating,” he said. “Even if there might be some words or some verbiage they are not familiar with that over time, especially over the last 5 or 6 years my hope is that have started to develop a trust –that even if there’s something they don’t know what it is they are going to know that it’s going to be good.” Whether he is at work or at home, Cizek likes to cook. “If I’m going to do something at home for enjoyment it’s going to be bread or barbeque,” he said. Charcuterie portion of culinary arts is one of Cuziks hobbies so bringing his hobby to work with him has been a great opportunity and satisfying. “We buy the pork belly, already trimmed and squared up,” he said. “We usually cure it for four to five days, depending how thick it is and then we smoke it.” The bacon that is cured and smoked is served with the entrée’s at the restaurant and some of it is made into bacon jam, a bacon/onion sugar-maple concoction that can be served on top of beef filets, burgers and more. Cizek was raised in Branson, earned his associates culinary arts from Ozark Tech Center in Springfield and did an internship in Port Aransas Texas restaurant called Roosevelts. After he moved back to Branson he went back to school and got his bachelors in culinary arts and food services management. He is currently working on his masters business administration with a hospitality concentration. About three years ago he left Twin Bridges and opened a BBQ restaurant with some friends then a couple of years ago manager Gary Johnson reached out to him and he was glad to jump at the opportunity to come back to Twin Bridges, he said.
“The opportunity for me here is great, for me to learn, to express my creativity, to be able to use my education and my experience to help others grow in the back house,” he said. He said there have been a number of people that have started at dishwasher level and now one is his sous chef and one is his lead. “So, I get to develop people here and they are able to grow,” he said. Recently, Chef Chris and his team won a culinary excellence award at Taste of Grand, a top chef cook-off of sorts in Grove hosted by Integris Grove Hospital Foundation. Cizek says the casino staff ’s vision with upgrading the menu includes getting people talking about the restaurant. “We are tucked away, 20 miles from Miami, 30 miles from Joplin and you have to pass a lot of stuff to get here,” he said. “I think over time, especially since we continue to step it up, each time we come out with a new menu, my ultimate goal INsIde Continues on PAGe 8 7
indulge New MeNU CheF’s FAVORITes: GRILLED RACK OF LAMB WITHWILD MUSHROOM AND TOMATO RAGOUT 10 oz. Frenched rack of lamb Grilled and served with hearty Mushrooms and tomatoes over herb Whipped Potatoes with Garlic roasted haricot Verts
CITRUS GRILLED GROUPER Grilled Fresh Gulf Grouper served over Parmesan asparagus risotto and topped with smoked Pepper relish and an over-easy Poached egg
BACON WRAPPED MAPLE GLAZED SHRIMP sTAGe Continued FroM PAGe 7
for the restaurant is to have some kind of statewide recognition.” He says there is not a reason Twin Bridges Restaurant at River Bend Casino cannot be a destination place. “A lot of the reviews we do get on Trip Advisor or Yelp or Facebook say they were just driving through and they stopped and ‘holy cow we stopped into this restaurant it’s in the very back of the casino and ‘wow, can’t believe this is here’” he said. While getting people to come to Wyandotte, Oklahoma to discover the great food is sometimes a challenge, Cuzik doesn’t want to be the best kept secret. “We don’t want to be a secret, we want to be well-known to get the recognition that we all work so hard for,” he said. The whole experience is part of the package, he said. “Even if their main goal when they come here is to go play on the floor they know when they come here they are going to get incredible service, an incredible meal, the entire experience is from the restaurant to the gaming floor,” he said. 8
4 Jumbo Grilled Bacon Wrapped shrimp Glazed with a sweet and spicy Maple syrup reduction. served over Parmesan Potato Cakes and Flash-Fried spinach and onions tossed with Bacon Vinaigrette
CRISPY ROASTED DUCK BREAST skin-on duck Breast roasted on high heat topped with Cherry demiGlace and served over roasted Cauliflower Purée and Garlic roasted haricot Verts (served Medium)
BACON WRAPPED SCALLOPS served on Parmesan Potato Cakes with dijon Mustard Crème and Chives
seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. dinner 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mon – thursday Friday, saturday 5- 10 sunday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
fundraising
Casino chefs shine at Taste of Grand INTERVIEW BY kaYlEa M. hUTSON-MIllER | Casino ConneCtion
A record crowd gathered on the parking lot of INTEGRIS Grove Hospital on Saturday, Sept. 23, as the annual Taste of Grand event brought together culinary artists from around the region. The event, a fundraiser for the INTEGRIS Grove Hospital Foundation, featured more than two dozen restaurants, bakeries, and catering firms, in a tasting competition to see who would walk away with the coveted Supreme Cuisine and People’s Choice awards. Bruce Lawrence, president and The team from Indigo sky Casino won a culinary award of excellence on saturday, during the annual Taste CEO of the INTEGRIS Health of Grand, for INTeGRIs Grove hospital Foundation. System, introduced the INTEGRIS Grove Hospital newest president, Rob Rupp, during a brief program. Rupp, and his wife Alieta, will officially move to Grove to assume the leadership of the hospital at the end of October. Lawrence commended those taking part in the Taste of Grand, saying the event showed the “real strength behind community health.”
tHe WINNerS
Supreme Cuisine Arrowhead/Cherokee Yacht Club People’s Choice First Place: Jim Sellers / The Artichoke Restaurant Runner Up: The Summit/Doc’s Grill/Eddy’s Lakeside Bar Culinary awards River Bend Casino / Twin Bridges Restaurant The Summit/Doc’s Grill/Eddy’s Lakeside Bar Blind Swine Downstream Casino — Red Oak Steakhouse Chickanellas Mulligans at Patricia Island Country Club Okie Smokie’s BBQ Indigo Sky Casino
kaylea M. hutson-Miller / GroVe sun
The crew from River Bend Casino’s Twin Bridges Restaurant won a culinary award of excellence on saturday, during the annual Taste of Grand, for INTeGRIs Grove hospital Foundation.
The team from downstream Casino’s Red Oak steakhouse, won a culinary award of excellence on saturday, during the annual Taste of Grand, for INTeGRIs Grove hospital Foundation. 9
feature
The Inside Joke Comedy at the Loony Saloon is no gamble
INTERVIEW BY DOROThY BallaRD | Casino ConneCtion As the lights go low, the faces light up at the Loony Saloon comedy club on the second floor of The Stables Casino in Miami. Since its debut in 2014, the club has been serving up some of the best touring comics weekly along with amateur nights and heavy hitter competitions like the “Gauntlet” and “Comedy Cup.” As the only comedy club serving the region, the Loony Saloon gets it right by keeping shows fresh and varied, making it possible for everyone from a road-weary trucker to a skeptical drop-in city slicker to find a night guaranteed to leave them smiling. Like good ol’ boy comedy? Come on down. Want some urban flair, done. Think comedy doesn’t need to be dirty to be funny? Then you’ll enjoy “Clean Weekends” packed with wholesome laughs that are anything but routine. Maybe something with an edge is more your style or you like comedy that pushes every boundary, check and check. The Saloon’s impressive line-up has you covered. Stepping into the lounge-like club on the upper level, the atmosphere feels immediately familiar to any fan of stand-up. The space pulls together all the great elements of some of the best-known comedy venues swathed in dark tones, drink specials flowing and tables intimately arranged, some only inches from the small stage. It is a tried and true formula that provides serious entertainment 10
with a relaxed vibe that often yields some of the best interactive moments to be experienced. And with a standard ticket rate of $10 for shows, it makes for an evening that quickly pays for itself several times over. The power of laughter has been attested to millions of times, but what every comedian ever having their turn at stand-up will tell you is there nothing else like it. Stand-up stands alone because both the audience and the performer have skin in the game. Neither gets the opportunity to check out of the experience or predict how a set will unfold. Everything about stand-up comedy is personal, and the Saloon provides a venue wholly embracing that. It’s all open and within reach of the audience, the pre-show jitters, sweating it out under the spotlight, and raising the roof or hitting that dreaded wall of silence. It’s all raw and engaging, and wonderfully human in the best of ways. It is this demand for presence on both sides of the stage that makes the acid test for most comedy clubs how they handle their open mic nights. While featured headliners can at least give you an outline of what to expect, open nights are mixed, last minute bag. At the extremes, you could have over a dozen rising stars hit the stage for a powerhouse night or a house uncomfortably shifting as JOKe Continues on PAGe 30
feature
11
progress
12
progress
Growth on display at Indigo Sky Casino INTERVIEW BY ChERYl fRaNklIN | Casino ConneCtion
G
rowth was on display Friday, Sept. 29, as officials with the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma celebrated the completion of the newest hotel tower at Indigo Sky Casino. The event, five years after the facility first opened, marked the end of the $34 million project, which added 127 rooms to the property, including two executive suites, and a grand ballroom. “It’s a significant day for the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma,” Melanie Chase, Indigo Sky Assistant General Manager said. “We are proud we are creating opportunities for employment and commerce due to our expansion. “This not only helps Ottawa County in Oklahoma, but Newton County in Missouri as well.” Indigo Sky, which sits near Seneca, Missouri on Highway 60, boasts 247 hotel rooms, a pool, fitness center, 1275 gaming machines, poker, off-track betting, table games, bingo, three food venues, two bars, as well as banquet and conference spaces. Eastern Shawnee Chief Glenna Wallace reminded those attending of the history of the tribe and the
struggles they endured to get where they are now. “The Eastern Shawnee didn’t arrive here with bags of money,” Wallace said referring to the removal of the tribe from Ohio in 1832 to Indian Territory. The new tower, named Sycamore tower, also features the tribe’s seal and ribbon work on the outside of the building, as envisioned by Wallace who said she wanted it to have an obvious Native American look. “I look at these buildings behind me and I look at this courtyard and it is beyond my imagination,” Wallace said. “It is something that I never as a child or young adult could have fathomed.” Like the first hotel tower, known as the Red Bud, the new Sycamore tower showcases works by local artist Doug Hall, who is internationally known for his paintings of Native Americans. A ceiling high tile mural of one of Hall’s paintings is featured in the atrium between the two towers. GROwTh Continues on PAGe 30
13
coming together
The Lords Prayer being performed during the opening ceremonies of the Oklahoma Tribal Gaming Regulator Association
Cheryl Franklin / MNR
Casino commissioners gather for annual OTGRA conference INTERVIEW BY Cheryl franklin | Casino Connection WYANDOTTE – The Oklahoma Tribal Gaming Regulators Association converged in Ottawa County at Indigo Sky Casino in October for their fall conference with more than 200 attendees. The convention, which began Monday with a Golf Scramble at Patricia Island in Grove, gave casino commissioners an opportunity to network and learn alongside regulators from other casinos around the state, according to OTGRA Secretary Traci Atkinson. After a welcome address Tuesday morning from OTGRA Chairperson Kelly Myers, members heard and attended training sessions on things such as non-compliance, responsible gaming, cybersecurity, surveillance technology, audit planning and more. “Regulations change all the time,” Atkinson
14
said. “Keeping up with all of the updates is a team effort.” The organization was formed in 2016 and initially included the Quapaw, Ottawa, Miami and Peoria tribes, Atkinson said. “The commissioners from those tribes were accustomed to going to events around the country to learn more about tribal gaming and wanted something that the Oklahoma tribes could relate to more,” Atkinson said. In Oklahoma, all of the casinos have a commissioner, unlike casinos in Las Vegas where there are just a few commissioners that regulate the whole city. Atkinson said the membership in OTGRA has more than doubled since it began in 2006. “We provide reasonable rates for training and are all volunteers,” she said. “We have a
lot of companies come in to help with training.” CPA’s, Gaming Laboratories and companies such as AmericanChecked presented some of the sessions. Commissioners are faced with keeping casinos in compliance with state and federal regulations which sometimes has its challenges, Atkinson said. “Just because someone has an idea and wants to do a certain thing or bring in a new machine doesn’t mean that we can,” she said. “It all has to be looked at.” Atkinson said that while all of the casinos are technically competitors, they all help each other learn. “We want every tribe to prosper, to keep it safe and keep it protected.”
T tribA L K
Courtesy Photo
Quapaw Tribe Fire/eMs joined the Oklahoma Task Force to rescue more than 200 residents of flooded Katy, Texas in the aftermath of hurricane harvey.
Hurricane heroes Quapaw Tribe first responders help rescue hundreds Melinda stotts
mstotts@miaminewsrecord.com
QUAPAW – Hurricane Harvey blew through Texas on Aug. 25 with fast fury leaving thousands in peril. The effects of Harvey were devastating and heartbreaking. In some areas the hurricane dumped more than 50 inches of rain, breaking records in the U.S. In total an estimated whopping 15 to 20 trillion gallons of water flooded across Texas. Members of the Quapaw Tribe Fire/ EMT didn’t hesitate to rush into Texas to help. The agency is all too familiar with natural disaster, being on scene immediately after tornadoes that hit Picher, Quapaw and Joplin, and numerous area flooding events. “It was a great experience and a terrible tragedy,” Quapaw Tribe Fire/EMS Chief Jeff Reeves said. “It’s a tough situation when you’re dealing with people who have been through this, we know. Many of them lost everything they had.”
to tHe reSCue
Kyle Arnall, Zach Clark, Josh Chandler, Frank Close, Tim Reeves, Dan Cook, TJ Brewster, Phillip Suman, Ashley Davis, Ethon Martin, Zac Turley, Shane Moore, Kolton Lucas, and three K-9s and their K-9 Handlers Ray Lindholm, Chase Hampton, and Dustin Brown. “We were part of the Oklahoma Task Force through OEM (Oklahoma Emergency Management) under FEMA direction,” Reeves said. The Quapaw group left on Monday, Aug. 28 arrived in Dallas and were diverted to San Antonio. Initially, as in any major catastrophe, the mission is to rescue first, and it took some time to organize efforts. Much of Texas first responder and emergency resources were tied up in the hardest hit areas of the state making the outside state agencies a vital necessity in rescue and recovery. “We saw task forces from California, Nebraska, Kansas, New York, and Virginia, as far away as Pennsylvania,” Reeves said. “Something this size, you’ve got to have help.” The Oklahoma Task Force set up headquarters in Katy at the Memorial Mall and were sent to the Buffalo Bayou area. Reeves said the scope of
Nineteen first responder personnel left from Oklahoma to spend a week assisting with rescue missions in Katy, Texas. The group from here included Jeff Reeves, Leon Crow, Jodi Francisco, heROes Continues on PAGe 22
16
Eastern Shawnee awarded $800,000 grant for economic development staff Report
news@miaminewsrecord.com
WYANDOTTE – The Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma has received notification of award for a grant from the United States Housing and Urban Development’s Indian Community Development Block Grant (HUD ICDBG). The grant monies from the Block Grant will provide an opportunity for the creation of a Shooting Range and Training Center on 75 acres of triballyowned land and will include a 3,000 sq. ft. clubhouse, a 12 station sporting clays course, a pistol and rifle range with an earthen berm, a Five Stand, and skeet/trap stations. The tribe will be one of the only entities in the four-state area offering all of these features in one location. In fact, the nearest multi-discipline shooting range is nearly 45 miles away from our tribal community. The project is a step towards fulfilling the tribe’s strategic planning goals for not only developing a sustainable business AwARded Continues on PAGe 22
17
live
Let them
ENTERTAIN you Country music icon Billy Ray Cyrus to visit Cherokee Casino
Achy Breaky Heart artist to perform Nov. 16 in West Siloam INTERVIEW BY alICIa BUffER | Casino ConneCtion Mark your calendars for Nov. 16, when triple-platinum selling country music phenomenon Billy Ray Cyrus performs an intimate concert inside the Qualla Ballroom at Cherokee Casino & Hotel West Siloam Springs. Cyrus takes the stage at 8 p.m. and doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. The artist exploded onto the country music scene in 1992 with “Achy Breaky Heart,” which quickly reached triple-platinum RIAA status. The hit single about heartbreak became an international sensation, inspiring its own line dance. Other fan favorites include the singles “Could’ve Been Me,” “She’s Not Cryin’ Anymore,” “In the Heart of a Woman,” “Busy Man” and “Ready, Set, Don’t Go,” teaming up with his musical daughter, Miley Cyrus. Cyrus’ debut album, “Some Gave All,” was certified nine times platinum in the United States, selling more than 4,832,000 copies. The album earned the longest time spent by a debut artist at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was also the first debut album to enter No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Cyrus has released a total of 14 studio albums, including 1993’s “It Won’t Be the Last” and 1994’s “Storm in the Heartland,” earning US
Country music phenomenon Billy Ray Cyrus visits Cherokee Casino & hotel west siloam springs on Nov. 16 for an intimate performance. platinum and gold status, respectively. A total of 10 compilation albums have also been released in his name, with “The Best of Billy Ray Cyrus: Cover to Cover” reaching No. 23 on the US Country Charts. He has appeared on films such as “The Love Boat” and “Mulholland Drive.” He accepted the lead role for the medical drama “Doc” in 2001. The show ran until 2004. Cyrus’ newest album, “Set the Record Straight,” is set to be released on Nov. 10. For more information on Cyrus, visit www.billyraycyrus.com. Tickets can be found at WSStickets.showare.comWSStickets.showare.com. Cherokee Casino & Hotel West Siloam Springs is located off U.S. Highway 412 and State Highway 59 in West Siloam Springs. For more information, persons interested may visit www.cherokeecasino.com or call 800-754-4111. All guests must be at least 21 years of age to attend. 19
faces & places
Car show at Indigo Sky Casino
20
faces & places
Gordon hit it big on Golden Dolphin scoring a $28,175 JACKPOT at River Bend Casino
Congrats to Richard on his $1,333 jackpot at River Bend Casino
Maddie and Tae at Buffalo Run Casino Photo by Gary Crow
Trace Adkins at Buffalo Run Photo by Gary Crow Angela at River Bend Casino won $1440
At River Bend Casino Suzanne scored big! Suzanne was the winner of grand prize winner of $10,000 cash in the $10,000 Wall of Riches!
21
tribal talk the waters, alligators. Residents warned them alligators and cottonmouth snakes lived in the nearby flooded bayous and were swimming in the floodwaters. Before they learned of the danger from a concerned resident, the rescue team had been walking chest deep into the water in some areas using poles to touch the bottom as they moved along. “There were 62 people that we took out of one complex with four boats,” Reeves said. “Altogether that day we rescued 86 people. They’re not rescues in the sense that someone was trapped in moving water, but these people are stuck there. There’s no power, there’s no water, no sewage, nothing and they were running out of food.” Most residents in single story houses evacuated previously, but the 200 plus residents the Oklahoma Task Force rescued had been trapped for days in two story or multiple level homes and apartment complexes. “I don’t think they thought the water was going to come up and cut them completely off. Some of them thought they had enough to sustain them, but they didn’t realize that it was going to be such a long ordeal,” Reeves said. “ I think they thought the water would come up and go right back down and they could last a couple of days, and had enough food and water they could make it. Well, they told us before we left they were expecting the flooding to last up to three weeks in places, fluctuating as they released from the reservoir. They were on their third or fourth day, so they were ready to get out of there. Reality hit and they knew they had to get out of there to survive.” Reeves said they ran into language barriers at times due to the Houston area’s wide diversity, but used hand gestures to communicate. Once rescued, the team would take the residents to a designated area to be bussed to a shelter or waiting friends and family. The Quapaw group came back to Oklahoma on Sunday, Sept. 3.
The floodwaters reached 10 to 20 feet at the deepest in the area where the Quapaw crew was working. Reeves said the drains and manholes created dangerous vortexes of water and submerged items such vehicles, fencing and fire hydrants created dangerous obstacles. “The last day we were there the water had come down about 8 or 10 inches from when we started, and we would go past a car that had been submerged, and you could see the propeller marks from the boat motors,” Reeves said. Raw sewage and other pollutants carried in the floodwaters created yet another health hazard. Crewmembers each received precautionary vaccines. The flooded areas were also pitch dark after sundown with no electric lighting to illuminate the way. “It was so dark and dangerous, no street lights, no anything. We were operating out there with headlamps. There was also the threat of looters. They wouldn’t let us go out without law enforcement,” Reeves said. “Two guys from Virginia going along with sticks got sucked into a drainage system and luckily got spit out 30 yards downstream. You have to Support Repeatedly the people of Houston thanked always be on alert.” the rescue crews, shook their hands and unafWith all the Quapaw crew’s experience with natural disasters, there was one potential fected residents opened their homes to the hazard they had never encountered lurking in rescuers for a place to rest and shower. Other
nights the crew slept in a mall. Quapaw Tribe Chairman John Berrey and the Tribe’s Business Committee had a second group of Quapaw Fire/EMS personnel with loaded trailers travel to Houston to bring supplies of towels, toiletries, bug spray, hand sanitizer, water, cots and other needed items to disperse to rescue crews. “Chairman Berrey was the first call I got. He said if they need us then we’re available. The towels and the toiletries were a huge hit with all the people in the task force,” Reeves said. “We showered three, four and five times a day to get the contaminated water off. It was nice to have such support.” While they were in Texas, the personnel remaining in Oklahoma worked extra hours to cover any emergency needs here. “The guys that stepped up and worked the extra shifts while we were gone made it possible,” Reeves said. “It’s real important that these guys went, but you know kudos to these guys that stayed here manning the stations – that’s important too. This is our home. This is our primary mission. We couldn’t have gone without them doing what they did here.” Reeves is proud of the team that didn’t hesitate to help the Texans. “They’re phenomenal,” he said. “Anything we asked of them or anything that was asked of us as a group, these guys jumped in and did it. They put themselves in harm’s way. They worked long, long hours; 16-hour days, and I never heard one complaint. A lot of times when operations were shut down our guys were saying, ‘But we can do one more.’ They worked endlessly and they were compassionate and patient.” Thousands took refuge in the Houston Convention Center with an estimate of 34,000 residents in need of temporary shelter, and 100,000 homes damaged. It’s estimated 450,000 Texas residents will seek FEMA assistance with 58 Texas counties declared disaster areas. Cities such as Houston and Beaumont saw destruction of epic proportion 3,400 water rescues of 13,000 people were made in Houston alone. 12,000 National Guard members were activated to help.
and Supportive Services, Children and Family Services, Community Health Services, Environbut providing a venue that will make our tribe a mental Services, Family Violence Prevention, destination location. The project will most likely Grants, Health and Social Services, Library, Meth and Suicide Prevention, Tribal Housing, be completed by March of 2019. Tribal Police, Vehicle Registration, Vital StatisThe Eastern Shawnee Tribe is dedicated to tics, and a Wellness and Education Center to excellence in our journey to build the tribe of name a few. Go online to learn more about the the future. The Tribe provides numerous serEastern Shawnee Tribe’s services, culture, and vices and programs, such as the Elder Nutrition history at www.estoo-nsn.gov/. To learn more
about this project, contact Chad Kelly at (918) 666-5151. The ICDBG Program provides eligible grantees with direct grants for use in developing viable Indian and Alaska Native Communities, including decent housing, a suitable living environment, and economic opportunities, primarily for low and moderate income persons. For more information about HUD, go online at https://www.hud.gov/.
heroes CONtinued from PAGE 16
the flooding in Texas was enormous. “It’s a huge area of water, and it’s hard even to fathom,” he said. “Our task force had 34 boats, so we had a good contingent. From that point, we lined up at a deployment area, and as missions came in, they would assign us a mission and send us out. We got in there about Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. and by 5 p.m. we were on assignment until 1 a.m. The first evening we were out in a neighborhood just starting to flood because they were releasing water from the reservoirs. That night we pulled 26 people out of that neighborhood that was totally surrounded by water, 12 were in an assisted living facility for Alzheimer’s patients we got out to safety.”
Deep Water
awarded CONtinued from PAGE 16
22
S p o t l i ght
23
calendar of events BORdeRTOwN CAsINO & AReNA
CheROKee CAsINO GROVe
NOVEMBER 3rd - duke Mason 4th - southern Ground 10th - honkytonk renovators 11th - Brent Giddens 17th - Brandon Butler 18th - shawna russell 24th - Whiskey Poet society nov. 25 dirt road daisies
NOVEMBER 3rd - George Brothers 4th - the dirty saints 10th - Bobby d. Band 11th - the rosy hips 17th - the Band delorean 18th - rockFisch 24th - scott ellison 25th - night train
BUFFALO RUN CAsINO (The Trailer Park at Buffalo Run Live Music every Friday and Saturday nights)
NOVEMBER 12th - Gene Watson 18th - turnpike troubadours 26th - the John Conlee show
dOwNsTReAM CAsINO ResORT NOVEMBER 2nd - southern Fried reunion 3rd - uncrowned kings 4th - Mr. lucky 10th - 11th - the tribute kings 17th - lyle Parman & the slidebar Band 18th - stonehorse 18th - Marshall tucker Band stonehorse 24th - Brent Giddens & the V.C.r. Band 25th - Band delorean DECEMBER 16th - an evening with leeann Womack
24
DECEMBER 1st - reverse reaction 2nd - thomas Martinez 8th - eddie Valen 9th - another alibi 15th - Western Justice 16th - Pumpkin hollow Band 22nd - the dropouts 27th - Member’s only 23rd - runnin’ on empty 29th - Prince tribute 30th - dead Metal society 31st - reverse reaction 31st - Whiskey Poet society
calendar of events INdIGO sKY CAsINO
RIVeR BeNd CAsINO / CLUB 60 wesT
NOVEMBER
(Formerly Wyandotte Casino)
2nd - kevin upshaw 3rd - southern Ground 4th - orea Blue 9th - Chris hyde 10th - the George Brothers 11th - the rumor 16th - Brett and terry 17th - southern Green 23rd - rocked and loaded 24th - travis kidd 24th - Paralandra 30th - Georgia Coast
DECEMBER
1st - donnie ray stevens 2nd - sweet trouble 7th - dewayne Bowman 8th - Material Girl 9th - leah & the Mojo doctors 9th - Members only 14th - Brett and terri 15th - hi- Fidelics 16th - FM live 21st - alen Biffle 22nd - stonehorse 23rd - Big smitty 28th - lucas Gates 29th - Mayday by Midnight 30th - diversity Bank 31st - Chris hyde
NOVEMBER
3rd - the stonehorse Band 10th - lickitty split 17th - Big smitty Band 18th - double Vision: Foreigner tribute 24th - Bobby d Band
DECEMBER
1st – rendevoux 8th - lucas Gates 15th - uncrowned kings 22nd - the Band delorean 29th - another alibi 31st - the dropouts
The sTABLes (First Thursday of the Month Open Mic at Looney Saloon)
NOVEMBER
donna Carter is Back! with special guest Jerome dabney $10. 16th - open Mic night Competition-Free admission
25
You say it’s your birthday?
the perks
Our casinos offer many perks for you on your special day. Stop in and enjoy these extra benefits!
Bordertown Casino and arena $5 in free play the month of your birthday Bualo Run Casino Free play during the month of your birthday. Reward value based on the color of your card Cherokee Casino West Siloam Springs Win up to $500 rewards play when you play the Birthday game Downstream Casino Swipe your Q-Club card the month of our birthday and receive $10-50 free play Grand lake Casino $10 free play applied to your players club card (on the day of your birthday)
high Winds Casino $10 Free Play any one day during the month of your birthday after earning 1 point Indigo Sky Casino $7 in free play the month of your birthday kansas Crossing Birthday promo and party the month of your birthday lucky Turtle Casino $5 free play the day of your birthday Outpost Casino $7 in free play on your rewards card on your birthday Prairie Moon Casino $5 free play the month of your birthday Prairie Sun Casino $5 free play the month of your birthday Quapaw Casino $5 free play the day of your birthday River Bend Casino Prize based on players past 12 months of carded play New sign-ups receive $5 match play 3rd Tuesday Birthday Bash, RSVP Stables Casino $5 free play the day of your birthday *Promotions subject to change without notice. Please see players club for details. 26
industry
Downstream Casino benefits from in-house meat processing INTERVIEW BY MElINDa STOTTS | Casino ConneCtion QUAPAW- Beef and Bison served at Downstream Casino are now being processed by the Quapaw Tribe since they opened the doors to their new $5 million, 25,000 square-foot Quapaw Processing Plant recently. The progressive and impressive facility is the nation’s first USDA inspected processing plant owned and operated by a tribe. The plant is located on tribal land on East 66 Road in Quapaw. “It’s something that I’m super proud of,” said Quapaw Tribe Chairman John Berrey said at the grand opening event. The meat processing facility is part of the Quapaw Tribe’s agricultural programs aimed at community and economic development for the tribe and the surrounding communities. The new plant, equipment, and feed lot were funded through a combination of federal grants and tribal contributions. “It’s about building an economy that’s agriculture-based that will support local businesses and feed local people,” said Berrey. “It’s about maximizing the potential with all the agriculture that takes place in this region. It’s a business opportunity, and it gives us an outlet for our beef products. Berry said they will eventually be processing meat for other farms and ranches in the community The Quapaw Tribe’s meat processing plant is another initiative come to realization in the tribe’s forefront approach to developing agricultural programs. Tours of the plant revealed pristine processing equipment, smokers, a test kitchen, packaging rooms, coolers that hold 200 head, a quality control office, a USDA inspector’s office, a training area and more. The tribe’s development of herds of top genetic registered Black Angus cattle and bison led to the logical, but cutting edge move to build the plant
to process meat from tribal herds and others. The tribe uses most of the meat in their restaurants at the Downstream Casino but also distributes and sells beef and bison products through the tribe’s Quapaw Cattle Company, their Q Store and at a store located in the town of Quapaw. Not only will the processing facility serve the tribe, but also serve in collaboration with the University of Arkansas, Oklahoma State University, PROCessING Continues on PAGe 30 27
event
How much does the Miami area love boxing? INTERVIEW BY JIM EllIS | Casino ConneCtion A Friday, Aug. 25, show that originated in downtown Miami drew a big and noisy crowd despite the fact that Kenzie Morrison and Charles Conwell were the only members of the 4 State Franchise featured. The card was shown nationwide as part of the Premier Boxing Champions series on FS1. A right to the temple decked Roberto White at 1:15 of the first round gave Morrison the win in his first fight since defeating Aaron Chavers at Buffalo Run Casino and Resort in April. Teammate Charles Conwell took a little longer, but had the same result: a TKO at the 32-second mark of the second round against Reynaldo Trujillo of Houston, Texas. Sergiy Derevyanchenko stunned Tureano Johnson with a knockout 40 seconds into the 12th round of the main event. “I am very happy … very happy,” Derevyanchenko said. “This was a consequential step.” Derevyanchenko (11-0 with nine knockouts), who went into the fight as the second-ranked contender behind Johnson, was to have gotten a title shot
28
against either current WBC/WBA/IBF/IBO champion Genady Golovkin, or Ring Magazine champ Canelo Alvarez, but those two battled to a 12-round draw on Sept. 18 in Las Vegas. Negotiations on a Canelo-GGG rematch are expected to begin in December. Derevyanchenko, ranked top five in the WBC and top 10 by most of boxing’s other governing bodies, used brutal combination of punches to the head, finally dropping Johnson. In other televised fights, middleweight Hugo Centeno Jr. (26-1, 14 KOs) pinned the first loss on Immanuwel Aleem (17-1-1) out at 2:27 of the third round and Austin Dulay of Nashville, Tennessee, improved to 11-0 with a TKO win when Carlos Padilla of Barranquilla, Columbia, retired at the end of the third round. “It was far from an easy fight,” Derevyanchenko said. “In the early rounds, I saw that after a couple punches I landed, he would be a little bit hurt, but not that hurt.” This was Derevyanchenko’s first 12-round fight.
event
29
continued GROwTh Continued FroM PAGe 13
Tribal officials presented both Hall, and his mother Rebecca Hall, with gifts of appreciation before the formal ribbon cutting and open house celebration. Indigo Sky, which opened on Sept. 5, 2012, is one of three gaming properties owned and operated by the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, which collectively employ approximately 700 people. The tribe also owns Bordertown Casino & Arena and the Outpost Casino. This year, the tribe will mark 33 years of gaming. The tribe’s last expansion project in 2015 saw a complete revamping of Boardertown, which sits along the Missouri/Oklahoma state line. The 18-month project, which began in June 2016, was a collaboration with Crossland Construction and ENCOMPASS Design and Development, with the architecture firm Thalden, Boyd and Emery providing the design.
30
lost while avoiding the pitfall of turning into an awkward parody they not so subtly check for exits. of the Gong Show with the The mastery is in the middle, guidance of seasoned MCs and keeping true to comedy tradiproducers. tions and giving every top or flop Officially established a little their time while keeping things over four years ago by Billy focused and most importantly, Bazar and Bill Rusk, the producfun. The Saloon has seemingly tion company is now operated by cracked this code to hit the jack- Bazar, Dave Short, and Michael pot almost every time. C. Hall providing platforms for Best of all, there is no admiscomics at every stage of their sion charge for open mic nights. careers. In the hands of Tulsa based Open mic competitions hosted comedy production company by Bazar Entertainment are held Bazar Entertainment, open mics at the Saloon the first Thursday and many of the other comedy evening of every month, with a competitions featured at the top prize of $250 for first place. Saloon are masterfully kept on The first 15 comics to register course. The spontaneity is never get a ten-minute turn on stage,
each hoping to win over an always unique crowd and guest judges to claim one of the four winning placements for cash prizes. Headline acts and special competitions fill out each month with shows featured on the Loony Saloon Facebook page. Additional show information and tickets are available at The Stables Casino website http:// the-stables.com or calling 918542-7884. The Stables Casino is located off Steve Owens Blvd. at 530 H St. SE in Miami and offers over 533 machines, Blackjack, the Clubhouse Restaurant and the Loony Saloon comedy club.
5,000 acres of cattle grazing land, by next year 2,000 acres of row crops. “This is about getting a healthy, safe, quality product into the food system, but it’s also about creating jobs, creating relationships, and making friends. You know really
it’s about how all of us someway or somehow interact with agriculture,” Berrey said. “This facility will do so much for the Quapaw Tribe, neighboring tribes and our employees, and tribe members,” he said.
JOKe Continued FroM PAGe 10
PROCessING Continued FroM PAGe 27
Missouri State University and Northeastern Oklahoma University as a training facility for their agricultural departments. The Quapaw now have over
HOME OF THE
LOOSEST SLOTS STAY & PLAY PACKAGES | SUNDAY – THURSDAY
Visiting Buffalo Run Casino, take advantage of our Stay & Play packages. Stay & Play packages include hotel accommodations, dining credits and free play.
ADVANTAGE – $139
$50 Buffalo Bucks, $40 Food & Beverage Credit, 1 Night Hotel Stay
GETAWAY – $199
$100 Buffalo Bucks, $75 Food & Beverage Credit, 1 Night Hotel Stay
ELITE – $299
$200 Buffalo Bucks, $100 Food & Beverage Credit, 1 Night Hotel Stay *Stay & Play Packages are available Sunday - Thursday only. Buffalo Bucks may be redeemed for slot play only. Alcohol and Gratuities are excluded.
1000 BUFFALO RUN BLVD | MIAMI, OK 74354
WWW.BUFFALORUN.COM | 918.542.7140 ext. 1 MANAGEMENT RESERVES ALL RIGHTS. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 800.522.4700