Casino Night fundraiser seeks to raise money for local youth support

Risk it all without risking a thing at one of the most fun fundraisers of the year. And if that isn’t enough already, you can do it under the wing of “That’s All Brother,” the Douglas C-47 Skytrain airplane that was the lead aircraft during the D-Day invasion in 1944. The airplane is at the Commemorative Air Force CenTex Wing at the San Marcos Airport.

The San Marcos Rotary Club will host the annual Casino Night fundraiser on March 4 for the first time since 2020 with proceeds going back into the community supporting youth-focused nonprofits and scholarships.

“San Marcos is still a small town,” Jason Dixon, Rotary Club member, said. “I’ve been to all of the galas, and so many of them are the same. This one is different. Everyone knows you go to a fundraiser to raise money, but you get to have fun while you do it at Casino Night.”

Those in attendance will receive chips to play any of the multiple Vegas style games available at the event. There will be 10 black jack tables, one craps table, two roulette wheels and four full-sized slot machines providing three hours of game time with 13 professional dealers on hand to keep the night moving.

“No money changes hands,” Dixon said. “You get chips and you can cash in the chips for tickets. We’ll have a bunch of prizes with buckets in front of them. You can drop your tickets in for a chance to win that prize.”

There will also be food, beer, wine and a specialty mixed drink available at no additional cost.

This will all occur at the Central Texas Wing hangar of the Commemorative Air Force museum at the San Marcos Regional Airport.

The Central Texas Wing hangar houses six CAF aircraft for which the wing has maintenance and restoration responsibility: a very rare flying P-39Q Bell Airacobra, a rare flying P-63F Kingcobra now undergoing restoration, the B-25J Yellow Rose, a replica Kate #310 from the movies “Tora, Tora, Tora” and “Pearl Harbor”, a BT-13 Valiant undergoing a frame-up restoration and a U-3A Administrator. Other aircraft in the hangar are privately owned by CAF members. Among these are 4 AT-6 Texan types, a Japanese Zero replica, built for the movie “Tora, Tora, Tora,” a Chinese-built CJ-6A trainer, the Beech T-34A “Mentor”, and a Lockheed T-33 'Shooting Star' jet trainer.

All of the proceeds raised help Rotary fund two local nonprofits, the Greater San Marcos Youth Council, which operates the local residential children’s shelter, as well as the Youth Services Bureau, which provides mentoring, volunteer work, recreational activities and workshops for local youth.

The Rotary Club’s Casino Night is Saturday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at the Commemorative Air Force CenTex Wing. Tickets are $50 per person and $400 for a table of eight. Tickets can be purchased at the door or reserved by emailing smtxrotary@gmail.com. Sponsorships are also still available.