Rotary Bringing High-Rolling Casino Night To Newtown

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — The Newtown Rotary Club is bringing the excitement of the Atlantic City casinos to Newtown.

On Saturday, Feb. 3 from 7 to 11 p.m., the public is invited to experience the high-rolling glitz and glamor of Casino Night, a fundraising evening that will benefit the Chandler Hall Hospice and memory care unit.

“The experience is going to be outstanding,” promises Debra Porter, president-elect of the Newtown Rotary Club. “Drinks will readily be available. The food will be amazing. And you don’t have to get in your car and drive hours to experience the fun.

"The only thing, of course, we won't be playing for cash," adds Porter. "Everyone will receive chips and that's what you'll be playing with. It's a casino night experience."

From spinning the roulette wheel to playing craps, poker and blackjack, the event will bring 10 gaming tables manned by trained dealers from Tumbling Dice Entertainment to Wrights Hall on the Chandler Hall campus off of South Sycamore Street.

(Shutterstock)

For those who aren't familiar with the games, Porter said the dealers will offer lessons in each game so no one will be left out.

"It's going to be an exciting night," said Chandler Hall's Chief Executive Officer John Whitman adding that everyone at Chandler is looking forward to the event. "The Rotary has been absolutely great in helping to put this together."

Adding to the experience will be a menu of mouthwatering butlered hors d'oeuvres and desserts whipped up by Chandler Hall's own chef extraordinaire Trudy Bandmann.

“She is truly, shockingly talented," said Porter. "The food is going to be amazing from shrimp with a pasta sauce and scallops wrapped with bacon to a really nice steak with a sauce on top,” said Porter. "There's going to be a nice assortment of food."

Shrimp Arribata is one of the hors d'oeuvres that will be served.

More hors d'oeuvres on the menu at Casino Night.

In addition to the games of chance and the outstanding food, Porter said a number of items will be offered for sale at the event. Golf Outing Productions will be selling sports memorabilia and trips and the Rural Painter will be showcasing and selling works of art.

The cost is $100 per person or $175 per couple. Admission includes a fun-filled evening of casino games, live entertainment, playing chips, door prize tickets, butlered hors d'oeuvres, drinks and cocktails.

For those looking for a really cool and unusual Valentine's Day gift, Porter recommends a ticket to Casino Night, especially for those who are hard to buy for or who may not want chocolate or flowers, she said.

The idea was proposed by current Rotary Club President Mick Petrucci who wanted to help Chandler Hall, a nonprofit senior community in Newtown whose fundraising efforts were whipped out by the pandemic.

"When Mick learned about the hospice and memory care needs at Chandler he felt driven to do something about it in a personal way. He didn't just want to look the other way," said Porter.

Whitman said when the Rotary approached him about doing a Casino Night, he welcomed it with open arms. "I said, 'Absolutely.' They have been absolutely great putting this whole thing together," said Whitman.

Whitman said Chandler Hall will be using the proceeds from Casino Night to expend its home-based hospice program to more people and to enhance the services and programs it provides to its memory care patients, two of the many levels of care provided by the senior living community on South Sycamore Street.

"In the challenging climate that is healthcare, having groups like the Newtown Rotary Club that can help us do additional things that otherwise we couldn't do, that's pretty special. I really have a lot of respect for them," said Whitman, who encourages everyone to come out to Casino Night on Feb. 3.

"It's going to be a fun night," said Whitman. "We'd like to get a lot of people there because number one it will be a fun night and number two it's for a really good cause. The funds that we get from this will help us serve more people. It will allow us to buy additional materials and services - things that we can use to help our residents."

Tickets to Casino Night can be purchased online by CLICKING HERE