Fountain plans return to Mississippi casino
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. - Pete Fountain will return to performing at a casino on the Mississippi Gulf Coast this fall.
The casino, known as Casino Magic before it was battered by Hurricane Katrina, is reopening as the Hollywood Casino. Fountain had packed the casino’s Oak Royale room every Tuesday and Thursday before the storm.
John Jagunich, the casino’s general manager, said “everybody went wild” when Fountain’s return was announced at the pre-opening party Wednesday night.
The 76-year-old jazz clarinetist, a New Orleans native, lost his $1.5 million house in Bay St. Louis, as well as his gold records, memorabilia and 10 musical instruments when Katrina hit the Gulf Coast last year. His New Orleans home also was damaged but has been repaired.
His wife, Beverly, told The Sun Herald newspaper that Fountain, who underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery in March, has suffered with a lingering bout of shingles, a painful skin infection, throughout the summer.
“The bypass was a breather,” she said.
On Thursday, Fountain said he was pleased to be back at the casino and, “I don’t even feel the shingles.”
He will perform at the Hollywood Casino starting in mid-October.
Penn National Gaming Inc., the casino’s parent company, renamed the property as “Hollywood” to bring it in line with one of its brands. The “Magic” name was acquired when the company bought the Bay St. Louis property from Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.
The casino has 20 table games, just over 900 slot machines and a six-table poker room. It is located temporarily on the ground floor of the casino’s hotel. Penn National Gaming has plans to build a new casino. Its gambling barge was heavily damaged and will be dismantled.
Source: AP