An Innovative Ceremony to Launch Casino’s Multimillion Expansion

The Angel of the Winds Casino, with Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians as its owner, will begin work on a massive 300,000-square-foot, $64 million addition to the property’s north side. Tuesday morning saw an avant-garde ceremony with a crew dropping the official construction banner onto the building’s side. It had a slogan reading “A Change is in the Winds”. The ceremony had a few hundred people in the audience. The dropping of the banner was followed by the workers handing out shovels.

 

The casino’s associate general manager, Jeff Wheatley, announced that they wouldn’t be standing there without the support of their employees, the entire community, the vendors and the tribal employees. He requested all those who wanted to participate to pick up a shovel.

 

With the expansion, there will be room for nearly 300 additional slot machines, a two-hundred-seat buffet, sixteen extra table games as well as a steakhouse named ‘Whiskey Prime’. In addition to this, there would be a special concert venue with seating for up to 700 people. This place could also be used as a meeting ground. And there’s more-a bowling alley with 12 lanes is also on the charts.

 

Carie van Eyk, a tribal member, spoke about how she could have never imagined this kind of a casino developing thirty years ago, at a time when she was still a youthful worker at the tribal office. She added that the casino meant a great deal to the community. Eyk informed that the area used to be called ‘Promised Land’. The workers used to joke about how there was a little sadness and plenty of alcoholism associated with the place. But things had changed dramatically and the community was happier and healthier now, experiencing several good times.

 

Shawn Yanity, Tribal Chairman, informs that when they were looking at the gaming option for assisting the tribe, the idea wasn’t received that well, both within the membership and the community. She says that a lot of work went into bridging that gap through all these years. Yanity explains that the casino, with its future expansion plans, would allow the tribe to stay economically healthy.

 

The general manager of Angel of the Winds, Travis O’ Neil, says that they looked at Las Vegas’ Brooklyn Bowl which has an entertainment-centric venue, but with bowling as the main offering. He says that they want to create that cool energy and vibe for the casino as well.