Published: July 17, 2008 10:10 am      

Wild Rose Casino to host grand opening

CLINTON — Clinton’s Wild Rose Casino and Resort will be celebrating its grand opening this weekend.

The casino had a soft opening on June 27 and has a three-day grand opening event planned for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and performances by Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers.

According to Wild Rose Marketing Manager Maureen Roushar, attendance for the “soft opening” was much larger than anticipated.

Roushar said the decision to conduct a soft open with no set time was made because two outlets of the casino, the Coaches Corner Sports Bar & Grill and the Oakwood Grand Ballroom, were still under construction.

The casino features 600 slot machines and 14 table games, as well as the 60-room Wild Rose Hotel.

The Wild Rose will open Saturday at 8 a.m., and guests will have the opportunity to visit the Sawmill Buffet for breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m., and for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Dinner will be served from 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 4 until 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

The casino will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Wild Rose employs upwards of 350 people, and community leaders are hoping the casino’s location on the west end of town will lure visitors to the area and provide a benefit to the entire city through increased sales property tax dollars and hotel/motel tax revenue.

More than 67 percent of the casino’s patrons come from Illinois, and eight percent are from Wisconsin.