Thunder Valley building new entertainment venue

&emsp;&emsp; Construction at Thunder Valley Casino Resort is now underway for The Venue at Thunder Valley. The United Auburn Indian Community Tribal Council, Thunder Valley executives and local elected officials, chambers and community groups gathered Tuesday for a groundbreaking ceremony to commemorate the 150,000-square-foot state-of the art entertainment venue. "Today marks a momentous milestone for the United Auburn Indian Community and Thunder Valley Casino Resort," said Dawn Clayton, Thunder Valley general manager. "The Venue at Thunder Valley will allow us to expand our entertainment footprint in a big way as we continue to provide unparalleled experiences for our guests." The Venue will have 4,500 seats and host musical acts, comedic performances and sporting events, and will provide large event space for conferences and banquets. The Venue's facilities have been designed with a vision that is both modern and sophisticated and will include multi-level spaces and amenities, abundant concessions offering food, beer and wine, and cutting-edge sound and video systems. "The United Auburn Indian Community is proud to have the ability to continue to position Thunder Valley as Northern California's premier entertainment destination," said Gene Whitehouse, the United Auburn Indian Community chairman. "The Venue is the future of entertainment at Thunder Valley and we look forward to attracting big-name performers year-round." The Venue will cost $100 million to build and is anticipated to be completed by early 2023. The project's general contractor is McCarthy Building Companies, and the architectural design firm is OTJ Architects. In total, the project will create more than 200 construction jobs. "Since opening in 2003, Thunder Valley has experienced tremendous growth and monumental success," said Clayton. "The accomplishments of our award-winning property are a true testament to our loyal guests and the hard work and dedication of our phenomenal team members. We plan to announce our opening acts soon and cannot wait to welcome you to The Venue at Thunder Valley." Thunder Valley Casino Resort has been in the elite ranks of AAA Four Diamond award-winning resort destinations since 2011. The casino offers 270,000 square feet of gaming space, including 3,500 slot and video machines, 100 table games, a live poker room with space for tournaments of up to 500 players, and a Bingo Room with a capacity of up to 800 players. Thunder Valley has 18 restaurants and bars, including High Steaks Steakhouse, Red Lantern and a 500-seat Buffet as well as Illusions, Lobby Bar, Thunder Bar and High Steaks Bar. Thunder Valley Casino Resort is also home to a luxury, 17-story hotel with 408 rooms, including 40 suites and an outdoor pool with private cabanas and a poolside bar. For more information on Thunder Valley, visit www. thundervalleyresort.com.