Casino has extensive plans for big tent
LEWISTON – A year into the opening of a permanent building east of Lewiston, the Clearwater River Casino & Resort is still hoping to pack people in under the big tent.
The white, tentlike building that once housed all the casino’s operations has been renamed the Clearwater River Casino Event Center, since gambling machines were moved inside a newer, permanent facility last September.
The approximately 12,000-square-foot building continues to house bingo, and a growing list of concerts and other events.
The former Clearwater River Casino building had previously held such events, but Nez Perce Tribal Enterprises Executive Officer Yvonne Oberly said opening the new casino and hotel has allowed the entire building to serve as a somewhat permanent tribal event center.
The Nez Perce Tribe-owned event center is once again bringing in musical acts and hosting boxing. Oberly said they are still in the early stages of a permanent event center, but officials are continuously testing different ideas.
“It’s a learning experience – we’re experimenting with different kinds of events,” Oberly said.
Concert and boxing events originally began as early as 1997 at the building, when Freddy Fender reportedly performed in the former casino’s bingo hall. It didn’t take much to convert the building to a permanent event center, Oberly said, once gambling machines were moved to the new casino building.
Boxing matches earlier this year and concerts scheduled through November continue to fill the building. The event center hosted singer B.J. Thomas earlier this summer.
Country music singer Crystal Gayle is scheduled to play at the casino Nov. 18.
In September, tribal enterprise officials expect to host a different event each week to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the new Clearwater River Casino building. Officials are working with an entertainment broker to determine the acts, Oberly said.
Jonelle Whitman, the casino’s interim hotel manager and director of sales, said the tribe plans to host future events, such as dog shows and private weddings in the building.
“It’s going to be banquet facilities, meeting space, that’s what it’s turning into,” Whitman said.