Snoqualmie Casino Opening Ceremony
On November 5th, 2008, Snoqualmie Tribe celebrated the opening of their brand new casino. The casino marks a new beginning for the tribe, as they have finally received recognition, a means for a new life, and a way to participate within their local community.
In the ceremonial speeches, I have picked out a few good highlights of the tribe’s vision. They hope to provide their people with a hospital, schools, and a good income. They also want to return profits back towards the local community to develop inter-cultural programs and etc.
As we have seen with previous openings of casinos, the tribes have been able to recover from their destitute poverty and provide their people with the basic needs of life and to move on towards re-establishing their identity and culture.
The Snoqualmie people have gone through a long struggle. Beginning with colonialism, poverty, alcoholism, no recognition, and now through generations of efforts, the tribe has pulled together and pushed for the making of the casino. Tonight has been a fairly emotional night for the tribe elders.
I spoke to some of the employees there to validate the good will they have towards their local employees. Apparently the word is that their starting wage is 10.50 an hour, all employees receive full health insurance, as well as money towards tuition.
The entertainment of their ceremony included Frankie Avalon, Whiskey Falls, and a cover band playing boogie songs. The guests received free drinks, complimentary Pendleton blankets, good food, and were treated to things like free valet & coat check.
Inside the casino, they have very trendy looking clubs, restaurants, and high-tech concert stages. They also offers a large selection of wine and hard alcohol (although their beer selection was rather lacking). Guests are allowed to smoke indoors and carry their drinks in and out of the bars.
The real opening night happens tomorrow, November 6th at 10 pm. They are expecting to have 30,000 guests on opening night.
Leave a Reply