Defeat of casino amendment still stings in Missouri town
Defeat of casino amendment still stings in Missouri townDefeat of casino amendment still stings in Missouri townIt was Casino Night in this little southwest Missouri town, but this year`s edition of the annual civic fund-raiser was tinged with bitter irony.Las Vegas, NV August 11, 2004 -- It was Casino Night in this little southwest Missouri town, but this year`s edition of the annual civic fund-raiser was tinged with bitter irony.
Four nights earlier, residents had seen their dream of a glittering casino on the waterfront die. By a wide margin, Missouri voters rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution authorizing a gambling boat on the White River -- the key, residents believed, to reviving Rockaway Beach as a flourishing resort.
The defeat of Amendment 1 hung heavily in the community center Saturday night as about two dozen people tried their luck at blackjack and poker, gambling with play money for stuffed animals and other donated prizes.
"We`re all mad," said retiree Beverly Petrovic, seated at a folding table where a hand of blackjack was dealt on a green felt game board. "The whole town is mad."
Lo Flint, who coordinated Casino Night for the Chamber of Commerce, said the event has been held for at least a decade. About 35 people turned out last year, she said, and the games usually yield about $1,000 to $1,200.
That`s more than enough to pay for the annual Fourth of July fireworks show, but a pittance compared to what was at stake in the statewide vote -- and what was spent by those who campaigned for and against it.
Southwest Casino and Hotel Corp. had pledged to build the $100 million casino complex. The casino corporation and Springfield businessman Robert Low raised about $12 million for statewide mailings and TV commercials in which Rockaway Beach residents asked their fellow Missourians to vote for the amendment.
Opponents, led by businessman Peter Herschend of nearby Branson, raised about $1.4 million for a campaign that questioned supporters` claims of the jobs and revenue a casino would yield for Rockaway Beach.
Amendment 1 was approved in just seven of Missouri`s 114 counties. But the anger in Rockaway Beach is concentrated at Herschend, co-founder of Branson`s Silver Dollar City theme park and other attractions that have helped mold that town`s family-friendly image.
A boycott of just about anything Branson-related was declared Thursday in Rockaway Beach. Racks of brochures for Branson`s live shows and for Silver Dollar City and its affiliates -- Celebration City, White Water and Dixie Stampede -- were pulled from storefronts.
"All businesses have removed their racks," Chamber President Bill Briggs said.
There are exceptions, such as for entertainer Moe Bandy, who performed July 31 at a pro-Amendment 1 rally in Rockaway Beach and told the crowd, "When folks come to Rockaway Beach, send them to my show."
But Branson hasn`t heard the last from Rockaway Beach residents. Joyce Halcomb, co-owner of the Taneycomo Market, said pickets are planned soon at the Herschend family`s Branson attractions.
"I just felt like we had to do something," Halcomb said.
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