Entertainment: October 2008 Archives

Waukegan once again is setting itself up for disappointment, The Hound predicts. After entering a cheapskate bid of $225 million for a gaming palace and hotel at an easily accessible 31-acre site at Fountain Square, the city and its casino partners got trumped by a $435 million bid from the village of Rosemont, which really, really wants that 10th and last Illinois gaming license.

Don't get The Hound wrong. By all rights, Waukegan should have the casino. The state's original gaming law envisioned helping communities like Waukegan. The then-riverboat law certainly helped Aurora, Elgin and Joliet. A Waukegan casino would help the city and neighboring communities, too.

The Waukegan site is the best site because it will bring new money to the table and not take away from the existing casinos. The other sites, including Rosemont, are too close to the venues in Aurora, Elgin and Joliet. Gamblers would just switch sites. Waukegan can draw new players from southeast Wisconsin. And, it could be up and running sooner than the other bids.

Logically, the Waukegan site is perfect. But logic doesn't dictate the way things operate in Illinois, as we've seen the past few years.

The Hound is barking for the Waukegan site, but there's bad juju surrounding this remaining license. The Hound hopes the hex isn't on, but don't say you weren't warned.

At least the city rolled the bones and took the gamble. As the lottery folks remind us: If you don't play, you can't win.

The Hound is glad Six Flags Great America didn't back down under pressure from PETA and not serve a buffet of creepy crawly things during this year's edition of Fright Fest. Instead of Madagascar hissing cockroaches to dine on, those brave enough can munch on another assortment of sorts. The Hound is glad for kibble at this time of year.

Yes, you can save a cockroach, as PETA urged, and instead eat grasshoppers, silkworms, night crawlers, snails and superworms, the larvae of a specific black beetle. This lineup sounds just yummy. The Hound had snails once, but the doggie bag was from a French restaurant which called them escargot. Who knew they were snails?

If one has a strong stomach, large and small intestines and colon, feel free to dive in an pig out on this lucious dining experience. The feast takes place Friday nights at 7:30 in the park's Hometown Square through Nov. 1.