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Country CrossingRonnie Gilley talks about Country CrossingMay 15, 2008dingramThe B-I-N-G-O word hardly came out of Ronnie Gilley’s mouth Thursday when he addressed the annual meeting of the Dothan Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Country Crossing, he said, was never ABOUT bingo. It is about entertainment. Country music entertainment, and creating a destination unlike any in the world. Where else could you pick any weekend of the year and find a top country act performing. This will happen, he says, on Highway 231 South at Smithville Road, the site of the development.
Click here to see a sketch of Country Crossing. Gilley hopes, once again, to break ground on the site within 90 days. The project has been delayed by boundary surveys and legislative, uh ... “issues.” Houston County records do not show where Gilley or his partners have purchased the land yet, but there is a conceptual drawing, based on the general layout of the land. That drawing is prone to change. And the clock is ticking. He hopes the second annual BamaJam Festival will coincide with the grand opening of Country Crossing. That would be early June 2009. For the first time, Gilley talked about the project’s residential component. That’s right. Your address could be Country Crossing, Alabama, and your new home could be a patio home, luxury condo or townhouse. Gilley is clear that his target market are the boomers. Their numbers are increasing, they have money and they are prone to move. They are also very interested in entertainment when it comes to vacations and relocating. Gilley took a question from someone who asked about the prospect of Dolly signing on as one of those top country entertainers at CC. Gilley response drew laughter. “I can’t get close enough to her.” In all likelihood, he said, Dolly would stick to her own developments/interests, which are many, and not be inclined to commit to Country Crossing. Gilley did tease the audience with a vague comment about a potential NFL and sports connection to the development, but said nothing is set in stone. He declined to speak further on it. Right now, those 600 or whatever acres of land about seven miles north of Enterprise are being prepared to host the first BamaJam Music and Arts Festival. Thirty entertainers have signed on to perform. There will be three stages and the 3-day festival is getting plenty of play in the music circles. A quick google search turns up the BamaJam name in various country music publications, radio station Web sites, blogs and on the sites of musicians. Word is getting around. The husband and I will for sure be there. With his camper and Harley and my laptop. I will be both blogging and filing stories from the festival and depending on when we can set up camp, we might even get there early. I’m shipping the 6 year old off to her grandparents’ in Georgia and will work hard to see that the teenager has a full work schedule that weekend at Chick fil A. Sometimes the best vacations are those right at home. $3.59 gas anyone? Legislative UpdateMay 05, 2008lgriffinRumors have been flying that Senate Democrats may attempt to resurrect Sen. Harri Anne Smith’s bingo bill—the one that would have reversed regulations allowing electronic bingo at Country Crossing. Shortly after introducing the bill, Smith asked that the bill not be considered. The rumor is that some Democrats whose own bingo bills were not considered, nor supported by Smith, may attempt to bring Smith’s bill to the Senate floor. Even if this happens, the bill must have unanimous consent to move forward, and that isn’t going to happen. We will know as early as Tuesday if the bill gets reported out of the Senate Tourism Committee onto the Senate floor. The committee is chaired by Sen. Bobby Singleton, who had hoped to get a bingo bill related to Greene County passed, but did not have the votes. Full Speed AheadMay 02, 2008lgriffinCountry Crossing developer Ronnie Gilley has posted on Wiregrasslive.com that the project is “Full Speed Ahead.” To read the rest of his post, Click Here Legislative Update: What’s next?April 30, 2008lgriffinThe recent break of the Senate filibuster regarding a Macon County gaming bill effectively signals an end to the current potential legislative challenges to Country Crossing’s electronic bingo. Although a House version of the Macon County bill is still alive, the chances of it coming up for a vote are extremely remote, and, with just four legislative days remaining before the end of the session, it appears no new gambling legislation will be passed. The Macon County bill and a similar bill involving Greene County could have provided a legal challenge to the proposed electronic bingo center at Country Crossing. Some in legislative circles said the bills were strictly local in nature and would have no affect on other counties. Others, however, said language in the bill could make electronic bingo illegal in other places where the machines do not already exist. Gov. Bob Riley may call the legislature into a special session during the summer. If he makes gaming one of the official subjects of the special session, then gaming bills can be introduced, but would still need a supermajority to be passed and placed on the ballot for a vote of the people. If gaming is not an official subject for the session, then gaming-related bills would need a 2/3 majority vote of the Legislature just to be introduced. North Alabama town sues Sheriff over bingoApril 23, 2008lgriffinThe Birmingham News reports in a story today that the small north Alabama town of Triana has sued its sheriff following raids on two electronic bingo halls that led to them being shut down. The residents claim lost tax revenue from bingo is making it difficult for the town to survive financially. The story is only loosely connected to Country Crossing in that it is simply another state story about electronic bingo. Meanwhile, an electronic bingo bill related to Macon County and Victoryland continues to clog the Alabama Senate. A philibuster is expected to continue tomorrow. Click here for the Birmingham News story. |
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