BRAMAN, OK – Legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame KISS members, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, made their way from the Ponca City Airport to the small community of Braman, Oklahoma on a blustery and cold Thursday afternoon. Organizers of the event had a heated tent constructed next to the Southwind Casino Kanza just off of I-35. A Rock & Brews catering van welcomed invitees as they entered the venue.
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Enid Buzz Media made its way up I-35 to cover the announcement of the Casino Resort that will be located only 70 miles from Enid. A casino, hotel and destination resort with an event center that close could be a big draw for local residents but could also pull sales tax and entertainment away from the Enid community.
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Media members received media passes, free food catered by Rock & Brews and drinks. The event began with Kaw tribal members getting a quick meet and greet that kicked off as soon as the rockers arrived in Braman. Next there were introductions of Kaw Nation dignitaries including Kaw Nation Chairwoman Jacque Secondine Hensley and several others.
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Hensley spoke to the crowd of about 200 and said, “Can you believe this is happening here in Braman?” She stated that it was scary but the casino resort would spark economic growth and provide more than 1,000 construction and permanent jobs.
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Other partners in the development were introduced and then Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley entered the stage to the KISS anthem, "Rock'n Roll All Night." Stanley spoke first and said, "We'll be pulling people from Tulsa, from Wichita, from Oklahoma City, points beyond, there is no place that we'd rather be for this first KISS Rock & Brews Kaw Nation Casino and Resort than right here. We're going to shake things up, we're going to do it our way, we're going to do it a way you're going to be proud of, and we're all going to have a big celebration in a year."
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Simmons then took to the microphone and reminded the audience, "We are proud to be in a band that is America's number one gold record award winning group of all time, in all categories." He also stressed, "Rock & Brews really ain't about us, it really is about right here, right now about the Kaw Nation, about Kaw Gaming, Inc."
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After a bit of ceremony the development partners stepped outside for the groundbreaking in front of a large visual of the Rock & Brews Casino Resort. Simmons said, "People are going to come here from all over the world.”
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Simmons and Stanley then took questions and conducted interviews with the media. Asked about locating in Braman, Simmons answered, “You don’t know how big … this is going to become. You’ve got to remember, Las Vegas was desert once upon a time. Now 44 million people come into Las Vegas every year. If we get 1/100th of that coming here, it’s going to be an explosion.”
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I asked about how the partnership began. Simmons explained to me that the Kaw Nation had been guests at the San Manuel casino, where there was a Rock & Brews restaurant and saw the way that everyone was treated. This led to a meeting between the two entities.
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Simmons told me, "We just connected as people first. First you connect as people, great business has to do with great people wanting to be with each other then the business takes care of itself. So it started with people and it should. It'll always begin and end with people."
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The fact sheet for the Casino Resort includes a 250 room high rise Hotel with coffee shop, lobby bar, fitness center and 6,000 sq. ft. spa. The Casino will house 1,500 slot machines, 40 table games, 12 poker tables, off track betting and 4 bars. The facility will also contain a 750 seat Bingo Hall.
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Aside from the hotel and casino there will be a 12,000 sq. ft Conference Center with a ballroom and meeting rooms. Shoppers will find 4 luxury retail stores, a Travel Plaza and Truck Stop. A 38,000 sq. ft. Events Center will seat 1,500 and the entire complex will include 2,565 parking spaces and a parking garage.
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For food lovers there will be a Rock & Brews restaurant, a Find Dining restaurant that will seat 100, 2 quick/casual eateries, a World Tour Cafe, and a Start Me Up Coffee and Bakery.
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Braman, Oklahoma is located northwest of Ponca City about 15 miles south of the Kansas state line on Interstate 35. It is located in Kay County and had a population of 217 in 2010.
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Rock & Brews is a one-of-a-kind restaurant and entertainment concept designed to engage people of all ages with quality comfort food, a broad selection of international and craft beers and an energized, family friendly, concert environment.
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What happen to this project. I hear it is dead, is that true?
We were talking about this today. I’m guessing it is dead because it should already be well underway according to what they said at the press conference. We don’t have any reason as to why at this point.