Buffalo Thunder Casino Has Soft Launch Near Sante Fe

NEW MEXICO -- As reported by the New Mexican: "Isabel Montoya got to Buffalo Thunder Casino an hour and a half before the 1 p.m. opening Tuesday so she could show Pojoaque Pueblo Gov. George Rivera
Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino will hold its grand opening in September.  the buffalo-motif shirt she had made for him.

"...Rivera arranged for Montoya, 78, to enter the casino early so she could leave the shirt for him to try on later. She said she was inside when the front doors opened, and 'everybody came in like a bunch of ants.'

"...Thousands of people showed up Tuesday afternoon for the 'soft opening' of the state's largest gaming complex, with a 395-room Hilton hotel, several bars and restaurants, 66,000 square feet of meeting space, 13,000 square feet of shops and a 36-hole golf course.

"...Grand-opening ceremonies will be Sept. 3-6, with a Sept. 3 performance by the Flying Elvi, a skydiving team of Elvis impersonators; and a performance by singer Gladys Knight on Sept. 5."