Elders who came before today’s Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians leaders laid foundations for the success of Black Oak Casino Resort, Tribal Chairman Kevin Day told hundreds of people who gathered Thursday to celebrate the grand opening of the recently completed $70 million expansion of the Black Oak Casino Resort Hotel.
“My message today is I don’t want anybody to forget the things we had to go through way back when,” Day said in remarks before a ribbon-cutting that included multiple tribal elders and their family members.
Day also thanked Moorefield Construction and all their subcontractors, the Tuolumne Economic Development Authority, the TEDA board, the tribal council, and tribal officers past and present.
“This is our 24th year of moving things along, but this vision started long before that,” Day said. “When we first found out from the BIA that we were in debt to them for $116,000 based on stuff we didn’t know what the heck was happening.
“The tribe believed in a few of us to go out and solicit funding and attorneys and go through all the legal stuff you have to do to be successful. We worked with Washington, Sacramento, Tuolumne County and we’re at a level now where it’s all government-to-government. They understand where we come from, but it didn’t come without sacrifice.”
The expansion of the Black Oak Casino Resort Hotel added 48 new suites and a new lobby that now connects the hotel directly to the casino. The expansion added value to the worth of the entire casino resort hotel complex, which employs about 700 workers total, including the casino resort, the RV park, the gas station store, Elevate, tribal security, and tribal fire department.
Day and Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians tribal members Lori Severson, Zandra Bietz, Renee Wessel, Joy Stice, Gretchen Johnson, LeeAnn Allen, Joan Bailey, Vic Day, Ty Day Sr., Greg Day, Linda Martinez, Dennis Hendricks, Gino Mangaoang, Roxanne Fuentes, Darrell Hendricks, Rodney Lingo, Lester Lingo, and Anita Martinez take part in the ribbon-cutting.
“It’s sad the elders who helped lead the way aren’t here today,” Kevin Day said. “There are some that are still here. They sacrificed with their family, giving up careers, and that was huge because we needed people who were motivated and wanted to get it done. So please don’t forget. We’re celebrating 24 years here. I remember the first 22,000-square-foot metal building, and that was big. Now, you look and see what we have.
“So we’re celebrating yesterday and we’re celebrating today, and the tribe sticking together as we do, we’ll keep celebrating. We have to keep on moving, shaking, improving, making sure the people working with us are happy. They can see the tribe is doing pretty well, and they’ve got the opportunity to do anything they want. Thank you, everybody, and please don’t forget how we got here.”
He added later in an interview in the new Black Oak Casino Resort Hotel lobby, “You just can’t forget our elders who came before us. It’s who we are.”
Tribal elder Dennis Hendricks backed Kevin Day’s remarks and emphasized that progress and support from the tribal council over the years, as well as patience and planning, helped create the economic engine the Black Oak Casino Resort complex has become, making it one of Tuolumne County’s largest employers.
“We’ll be having more jobs for the community to serve this new facility, so it’s going to be a real boon to the county, and I’m just glad that we can still partner and do the things we do for the community,” Dennis Hendricks said. “And for all the employees and team members we have here who are dedicated to making this a success, we are grateful for them.”
Jason Czito, the Black Oak Casino Resort general manager and a Tuolumne-area resident since 1986, said he started working for the tribe in April 2001, before the tribe’s first gaming building was open.
The casino now offers 164,770 square feet of entertainment, including 1,100 slot machines, 22 table games, high-limit gaming and smoke-free gaming. Casual and upscale dining, full bars with craft beer and cocktails, live entertainment, and a 24-lane bowling alley are also among the attractions.
The hotel now offers 196 luxury rooms with a heated pool and spa, a 24-hour fitness center, and a brand-new kids’ water play area, while the RV park has 85 full-hookup sites and a clubhouse with a pool and spa.
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