| Bossier City, LA � July
2002 � The rockets' red glare boomed over the northwestern Louisiana sky
on Saturday, July 13, 2002 as Boomtown
Casino & Hotel presented Louisiana's largest fireworks display
ever. The multi-media extravaganza, engineered by world-famous Fireworks
by Grucci and Light America, was just one of the attractions that made
Boomtown's Grand Opening weekend an unforgettable event.
A three-day outdoor festival was held on the grounds of the Shreveport/Bossier City region's newest and most exciting casino property. It featured special entertainment and fifty-five hourly $1,000 prize drawings. Mother Nature put only a minor damper on the event, after a line of thunderstorms prompted the cancellation of Friday performances by Joe Stampley & The Uniques and country performer Ricky Lynn Gregg. Other entertainment for the event included country legend Ronnie Milsap, who performed to a crowd estimated to be almost 4,000 strong. Classic groups The Drifters and The Coasters were the headliners for Sunday night. Other entertainers taking the stage during the three-day gala included local band 8-Track, honky-tonk pianist B.B. Secrist and award-winning Elvis impersonator Brandon Bennett. Grucci, �America's First Family of Fireworks,� employed state-of-the-art electronics controlled by six laptop computers for the massive pyrotechnical/laser light show on Saturday. Members of the Grucci family were the first Americans to win the Gold Medal for the United States at the annual Monte Carlo International Fireworks Competition, the world's most prestigious pyrotechnic competition. Founded in 1850, the Grucci firm has created displays for such historic occasions as the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial, Olympic competitions, World's Fairs, centennials of the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty, and for six consecutive presidential inaugurations. Calling the three-day festival �a celebration of our $23.5 million investment in the community,� Boomtown (linked here) General Manager Dale Darrough said, �The new look and branding of the casino and hotel reflects our belief, which we share with Pinnacle Entertainment, that this market has the potential to be one of the most dynamic casino gaming regions in the United States.� Pinnacle Entertainment, based in Glendale, CA, is the NYSE-traded parent company of Boomtown. After operating nearly six years as Casino Magic, Boomtown Casino and Hotel officially opened July 1 with the dedication and lighting of a landmark, 165-foot-tall entrance sign featuring a massive video screen and changeable reader board. The property has undergone extensive renovations and has been re-themed to evoke the old Southwest. Boomtown boasts three new restaurants � Sundance Cantina, Boomer's Cafe, and Cattleman's Buffet � with a fourth on the way. Circle B Ranch Steak House is scheduled to open in September. Sundance Cantina, which first opened in May, has already won gaming industry recognition as the �Best Mexican Restaurant� affiliated with a casino. Boomtown has been a three-year title sponsor of the Boomtown Indy 500 IRL auto race (known in previous years as 'The Casino Magic Indy 500'), held annually in June at Texas Motor Speedway. Later this month, Boomtown will be the featured sponsor of the Copenhagen Tough Co., PBR Bayou Classic Bull Riding Challenge on July 20, 2002 at the new Ike Hamilton Expo Center in West Monroe, LA. The casino is also a major event sponsor of the Century Tel Arena in Bossier City. Boomtown's upcoming promotions include giving away a brand new recreational vehicle valued at almost $100,000 in September. A supporter of numerous charitable and civic organizations, Boomtown continues a long-standing tradition of being a good corporate citizen within the Northwest Louisiana market and beyond. About
Pinnacle Entertainment
Pinnacle Entertainment is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker PNK. For
further information, please contact Gene Haynes, 318-841-2188, 866-GO-2-TOWN,
Contact:
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Small Business Hospitality Association (SBHA) |