Hollywood-style glitz in store VIP party to mark Bangor slots facility’s grand opening

BANGOR – The city will see some Hollywood-style glitz and glamour next week when Penn National Gaming Inc. opens its interim slots facility on Main Street.

A red carpet, searchlights and celebrity look-alikes are among the touches people can expect to see during the Nov. 4 grand opening of Hollywood Slots at Bangor, according to Amy Kenney, manager for marketing and public relations.

The facility, located in the former Miller’s Restaurant, will house 475 slot machines on two levels, the only slots now authorized in Maine.

During an interview Wednesday at the slots facility, where last-minute preparations were in full swing, Kenney said that “Marilyn Monroe” and “James Dean,” or actually actors who impersonate the two movie legends, will be among those who turn out.

The grand opening will be preceded by a private, invitation-only VIP party on Nov. 2, with all after-tax proceeds to be donated to United Way of Eastern Maine.

Kenney said Hollywood Slots has asked that the funds be distributed among five charities, namely the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, Community Health and Counseling Services, Eastern Agency on Aging, Spruce Run Association and United Cerebral Palsy of Maine.

About 600 invitations have been sent out to state and local officials and others who helped get the project off the ground. Kenney said as many as 600 to 700 are expected to attend the private affair.

As for the public grand opening, “It’s come one, come all,” she said.

Finding celebrity look-alikes to make appearances at both events proved challenging, said Kenney, who came to Bangor from Casino Nova Scotia in Halifax.

After checking with the Penobscot Theatre Company and University of Maine theater department and coming up empty, she eventually found her Marilyn Monroe in Boston and James Dean elsewhere in Maine. The searchlights, not available locally, are being rented from a company in Portland, she said.

A visit to the facility this week found the Hollywood theme taking shape. Framed movie posters, many of them vintage, line the walls, ready to be hung. Signs for various parts of the facility have been installed.

After going through the security station, where identifications will be checked, patrons will find on the main level some obvious Hollywood-Beverly Hills references, with Lancaster Lane, which includes Burt’s Bar, on the left and Rodeo Drive, which houses the Players Club and cashiers cage, on the right.

Downstairs is Frank’s Hideaway, which houses a small restaurant called Chairman’s.

Even the restrooms are themed, with “Fred” for men and “Ginger” for women.

All of the slot machines in the Bangor slots facility, which have names such as Lucky Larry’s Lobstermania and Pompeii and come in denominations ranging from 2 cents to $5, were purchased new from three vendors.

“They’re the hottest and latest games that are on the market,” she said, on the same par as those seen at Foxwoods or the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

Unlike in Las Vegas, Hollywood Slots at Bangor won’t be serving free drinks. That is against state law. Also in accordance with state law, the inside will be smoke-free, though smokers can indulge in a small enclosed outside room just off the main entrance.

Because parking is limited at the interim facility, Kenney said, Hollywood Slots is offering overflow parking at its off-track betting facility at Bass Park and will run shuttles between its two locations, located a few blocks away from each other.

As part of its opening festivities, Hollywood Slots will give away $20,000 in cash prizes during a 10-day “premiere” for those who sign up for its Players Club, Kenney said. Drawings for $100 each will be held hourly, and those winners will advance to a drawing for a $10,000 grand prize.

For more information, visit the facilities Web site at www.hollywoodslots.com.