ON DOWN THE ROAD

Below are several quotes from David Zamarin, vice president for corporate marketing for Penn National Gaming from a recent Associated Press story.
“A casino tries to provide an environment you don’t encounter every day. It’s a little bit magical and a little bit fantasy,” Zamarin told AP Writer Carl Manning.
“Helping attract people is what those in the casino trade call the “Wow Factor” — something unique that’s only at that location, something that creates an aura of excitement. That is part of the theme. There is nothing else around here like this; that is part of that fantasy thing. Any new casino is going to try to get as much of that as they can for the budget.”
Bill Friedman, a Las Vegas casino consultant, added the following comments in the same story.
“Once inside, there’s a lot of eye candy. But the idea is to keep the focus on the slots and table games. The machines and the tables are the points of sale and you have to slam that in their face,” Friedman said.
“Anything that is thematic that doesn’t draw you back to the machines is a negative. Getting people inside is one thing. Getting them to come back is another. That’s where creating luxury for the masses takes over.”
Finally, David Schwartz, coordinator of the Gaming Studies Research Center at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas added this gem.
“In the end, the quality of customer service is what will make the difference. The theme will attract people initially, but they’ll get bored of it,” Schwartz said. “Part of the attraction is treating everybody like they are special.”
Three different people from the gaming industry …
Three different opinions …
And one glaring overlooked factor …
What is the key to continue to bring people back into a casino?
As long as they keep on winning.

Dalton Defenders Days
Last Saturday, I watched four men carrying guns walk through downtown Coffeyville.
Two of the men entered the Condon National Bank, the other two entered the First National Bank.
None of them made it out of Coffeyville alive.
When I was growing up in Coffeyville, the annual Dalton Defenders Days festival was an event I attended on a regular basis, especially growing up only a few blocks from the historic downtown and watching the reenactment of the bank robbery attempt time, time and time again.
Perhaps the last time I watched was in middle school, by that time, the story and history of the event had become entrenched in my memory.
After taking in the reenactment for the first time in almost 20 years last weekend, I found a reenactment that had added a few features and new twists from the old fashioned shoot’em up bang-bang reenactment that had been Dalton Defenders Days.
Now, the event starts off with a basic safety lesson on the weapons (shotguns, rifles and pistols) of the era and the use of the blanks in the reenactment.
After that, a narrator set the scene for that fateful telling the story in third-person through the eyes of a child who had wandered innocently into Coffeyville on Oct. 5, 1892.
From there, dozens of extras playing the part of townspeople mill around as the day was described. Although several of the townspeople had recognized a couple of the Dalton boys, it wasn’t until an innocent bystander realized the Condon was being robbed before alerting the other citizens of Coffeyville who proceeded to arm themselves inside the nearby Isham Hardware Store (still standing) and defend the town.
When the gunfire broke out, the citizens of Coffeyville traded shots with the Daltons coming out of the Condon National Bank. It wasn’t until the Daltons tried to make an unsuccessful break from the First National Bank that the citizen defenders realized they were caught between two lines of fire.
After 10 minutes of exchanging fire, it was over.
In all, four Coffeyville defenders were killed in the attempted robbery, and four members of the Dalton Gang were shot dead. A fifth member survived being shot.
Another new feature came near the end of the reenactment, where characters playing the roles of the family members of the citizens who lost their lives gave a brief story about those who had perished and provided an educational conclusion.
Although it had been a long time since taking in my last Dalton Defenders Day festival, with the improvements made to the reenactment, I don’t plan to wait another 18 years for the next visit.

Upcoming events
The forecast calls for perfect weather, Truman State visits Pittsburg in a MIAA Conference football contest, Girard hosts its annual Fall Festival, agritourism attractions are in full swing, farmers market is loaded with local produce, it goes without saying there are still plenty of activities to enjoy this weekend in Crawford County, be sure to get out and about and enjoy these activities:
• Starting today and continuing through Saturday, the 55th annual Girard Fall Festival will take place in Girard and feature three days full of activities. Today a pep rally will be held on the City Square and a tailgate party prior to the football game. Events Saturday include arts and crafts, pancake feed, Mr. and Mrs. Girard Pageant, scarecrow contest, cake walk, street dance with music by “Area 51”, a variety of competitions including 5K run, 3-on-3 basketball, dodgeball, casting contest, metal pedal tractor pull and greased pig and other events for all ages. For more information, contact the Girard Chamber of Commerce at (620) 724-4715, girardchamber@ckt.net.
• Saturday and Sunday, the Heart and Heartlands Railroad Club will host its annual Carona Depot Jack-O-Lantern Train Ride. Parents and children will enjoy a fun ride on 1950’s era coaches pulled by a Watco Companies diesel engine from Carona Depot in rural Cherokee County to just outside Chicopee where a wagon ride takes you to the Wood Farms Pumpkin Patch where kids can pick out their favorite pumpkin. A train ride back to the Carona Depot completes the day. The train begins to load at 10:40 a.m., train departs at 11 a.m. and the train is not handicap accessible and does not have restrooms. Tickets are $8 per seat regardless of age and Saturday’s ride is sold out. For more information, contact the Heart of the Heartlands Railroad Historical Society after 5 p.m. at (620) 396-8594, or log onto www.geocities.com/htrainclub.
• Saturday, Albers Marine in Arma will host a Fall Marine and Tackle Garage Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring late model rods, reels, tackle and antique fishing equipment. All new tackle will be on sale and end of the year clearance on boats and motors as well. For more information, contact Albers Marine (620) 347-8853, e-mail albersmarine@ckt.net or log onto www.albersmarineinc.com.
• Saturday, the Southeast Kansas Old Time Gas Engine and Tractor Club Swap Meet will be held at the Crawford County Historical Museum featuring a free bean feed, free admission and no vendor fees. For more information, contact the Southeast Kansas Old Time Gas Engine & Tractor Club President Dean Harris at (620) 421-5342, Show Director Joe Winter at (417) 927-3254 or club vice-president Jamie Gull at (620) 724-6051.
• Sunday, the Girard Fire Department will conduct its 21st annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service, a memorial service for firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty, at 2 p.m. at the Girard Fire Department. For more information, contact the Girard Fire Department at (620) 724-6216.
• Next Thursday, the Franklin Community Council, Inc. will be sponsoring its final Lifelong Friends luncheon and program featuring Crawford County Clerk Don Pyle on “The Importance of Voting.” Lunch is served at noon followed by the program at 1 p.m. with socializing afterward. The event is free to the public but reservations are required for lunch. Please call the Franklin Community Center office for reservations, (620) 347-4220.
• Starting next Thursday and continuing through Sunday, Oct. 19, the Pittsburg Community Theatre will present the Pulitzer Prize winning play “Dinner with Friends.” The dinner theater performances will be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with dinner served at 6 p.m. The Sunday Oct. 19 performance will begin at 2 p.m. with a 12:30 p.m. lunch. For more information, contact Memorial Auditorium at (620) 231-7827 or www.memorialauditorium.org.

Craig Hull is the director of the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau. It is the purpose of the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote travel and tourism in Crawford County, Southeast Kansas and the Midwest. He can be reached at chull@pittsburgareachamber.com or at 1-800-879-1112.