Casinos provide refuge during fires
[...] during times of crisis, they can be places where people gather to take care of one another and offer support.
When flames subsided and the evacuation order was lifted, the casino’s event center became a Red Cross shelter.
After the Clayton Fire started, Twin Pine canceled all performances scheduled for the third week of August — including its biggest concert of the summer, headlined by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy — and again turned its event center into a Red Cross shelter.
Located on Highway 29 in Middletown, Twin Pine, owned and operated by the Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California, incurred some costs associated with the relief effort.
“But that was an afterthought,” Lewis said, adding that outside of the relief efforts, the casino’s business hasn’t been dramatically affected.
Running Creek Casino, operated by the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, just north of Clear Lake, made a $5,000 donation to the Lake County Fire Protection District, said marketing director Joe Denbo.
Running Creek Casino is like a “corner barbershop or diner” on the other side of Clear Lake from where the fires burned, Denbo said.
Hosted by Twin Pine Casino, the event includes food, music by two live bands and emergency service information.