Editor:

   I want to share a story with you. In August 2004, 22 of my sister’s closest friends and relatives (me included) went to Las Vegas for a bachelorette party weekend. We booked 15 rooms at the popular Palms hotel for a Friday to Sunday stay. Twenty-two girls ate breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks for one and a half days. We hit many of the live entertainment venues; some of us got tattoos, some went to shows, some just stayed poolside and did some celebrity sighting.  We all bought souvenirs.

 The reason we chose Vegas was because it was a destination. It was somewhere to go to have fun, which we did, and we still share stories today. Between the hotel rooms, transportation, meals, drinks and entertainment, we averaged about $1,700 per person, which we budgeted for, for a total of nearly $37,500 for 22 girls. One weekend.  And we were just one group of many. Gambling was a tiny part of the story; for some of us it didn’t even factor into the weekend. We did more eating than gambling. And no one thought badly of us as human beings for going to Vegas. In fact, everyone said, ‘that sounds like fun!’

 Now, what if Scarborough Downs was the destination? With restaurants, live music, horse racing, fun? And what if a bachelorette from say, South Portland, decided to invite her 22 friends for a weekend at Scarborough Village? And what if such a celebration happened like that once a week, or even once a month? And what if bachelor parties, retirement celebrations, birthday parties, office parties were added to the mix?  All I see is dollar signs for all businesses involved, from the restaurants to the hotels to gas stations to coffee shops.

 I think part of the problem is that people can’t visualize what we’re talking about. They hear the word “slots” and see an imaginary boogey man and are unable to get beyond that, despite the fact that it’s only part of the story. I invite anyone to take a virtual tour online of one of my favorite harness tracks and slots facilities at www.woodbineentertainment.com (click on Woodbine) and ask yourself if this is something to be feared or can you possibly see that it’s not ‘stomach-turning” after all, but rather, pure entertainment?

Susan Higgins

Director of Marketing

Scarborough Downs