21! Everyone wins during the Pilot Club’s Casino Night Saturday.
The inside of the Shrine Club on San Carlos Boulevard was transformed into a Las Vegas gambling mecca Saturday evening, as the Fort Myers Beach Pilot Club hosted its first Casino Night benefit within the establishment.
Hundreds showed up to dance with Lady Luck on the Vegas-style game tables: rolling dice on the craps table, crossing their fingers on blackjack hands, putting on their poker face during the Texas hold ’em tournament, all put on by local entertainment agency Showbiz Productions (ShowbizProductions.com).
“It was excellent people were having a blast,” said Pilot Club co-chairman Cheryl Hohmann. “The event has gone far beyond my expectations. The casino company (Showbiz Productions) has been super.”
Former Beach mayor Bill Van Duzer, along with his lovely wife and Pilot Club committee member Carolyn, tended the cash bar with graciously donated liquors, courtesy of the Surf Club’s Bruce Cermak.
A decadent smorgasbord of food lined the buffet tables within the dining area, allowing guests to take a break from their gambling to enjoy yummy treats and take in the tunes of DJ Tom Maio.
From cookies, cakes and brownies to fresh fruit, chicken wings and pastry puffs, food was definitely aplenty, as gambling can work up quite an appetite.
Toward the end of the evening, gamblers turned in their chips for tickets to enter in the numerous raffles dontated by local establishments and hot spots.
“More than $5,000 worth of goods and services was donated from the community,” Cheryl said.
A whirlwind of prize packages were raffled off, worth hundreds of dollars each: wine wagons, fishing trips, spa packages, restaurant packages, sunset cruises, golf packages and so much more.
Brett Salerno ended up walking away with the grand prize of the evening, a 5,500-watt, 10 HP Briggs & Stratton generator.
With that, Cheryl and the rest of the Pilot Club members look forward to another successful event soon.
“It’s been fabulous,” she said. “Absolutely 100 percent of the proceeds are going to the charities we help with, and we’re so thankful to everyone who was a part of the event.”