The year is winding down and so is the decade. With this year’s turn of the clock, we’ll get another chance to experience the Roaring 20s. And although many of us may not be Fox-Trotting, Lindy Hopping or doing the Charleston when the clock strikes midnight, at least we know the alcohol we might be drinking is legal and the party is legitimate.

Let’s Party!

One of the best parties in the region happens at Quinault Beach Resort and Casino, and in fact, it’s a party that’s been taking place for nearly two decades! The Casino has it perfected, with performers in both the Ocean Lounge and the Great Hall. There’s a balloon drop at midnight, a pre-funk shindig in the lobby of the Great Hall and in proper celebration of the new era we’re entering, the Casino will be giving away a total of $20,020 in cash and free play. (See what they did there?)

The prizes will be dropping almost as swiftly as the balloons since winners will be selected every half-hour beginning at 7:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. The cash and free play prizes equal $1,000 per winner, and to make it your lucky night, all you have to do is attend the fantastic and free party. Well, and one more thing… you have to be a Q-Club member to win, but that’s an easy, and free, sign up at the front desk.

Quinault Beach Resort and Casino Buffet
A gorgeous buffet with a gorgeous array of delectable dishes awaits at the Quinault Beach Resort and Casino. Photo courtesy: Quinault Beach Resort and Casino

Let’s Eat!

The menu for the evening is an all-out feast – buffet style – and the Nawitln Buffet will be serving up delectable, mouth-watering fare from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., and yes, you can use your Club discounts!

At the carving station an elevated surf and turf of prime rib and poached lobster tail are the main fare, along with eight other hot entrée options to choose from in every variety of protein imaginable. Choose from Cajun roast pork loin, broiled salmon, teriyaki chicken wings, and more. Seafood gets its own section on the menu, (it’s an ocean-front resort after all), and the salads, charcuterie, and nine different side dishes make deciding what to eat an exciting part of the evening.

Did you know that “desserts” is “stressed” spelled backwards? Well, there will be none of that at the buffet when you dive in to rum banana tartlets, New York cake and French macaroons. The spread you’ll find at Nawitln is a culinary tour of deliciousness.

Quinault Beach Resort and Casino-Buffet and Slots
Bet your bottom dollar you’re a winner at Quinault Beach Resort and Casino. Photo courtesy: Quinault Beach Resort and Casino

Stay for More New Year’s Day

If that doesn’t whet your palate, perhaps the New Year’s Day Brunch Buffet will with prime rib and citrus brined pork loin at the carving station will? Starting at 9:00 a.m. and until 2:00 p.m. (with the last seating at 1:30 p.m.), choose from hot selections ranging from omelets made-to order at the omelet station, biscuits and gravy, chicken cordon bleu, baked salmon, and all of the bacon, potatoes, and danishes one could ever hope for on the first day of a new year.

The New Year’s Eve buffet will set you back $54.99 at the most, and the New Year’s Day Brunch buffet a modest $32.99, but I’m willing to ante-up on the fact that you’ll already have made that money on slots and table gaming. But if all bets are off, know that your Q-Club membership will get you 10 percent off at the buffet.

The Olson Band
The Olson Band will be playing in the Great Hall starting at 9:00 p.m. on NYE. Photo courtesy: The Olson Band

Let’s Dance!

If you are hip to the local country music scene, you’ve probably heard of the up-and-coming, The Olson Band who burst onto the country music scene in 2013 when they won a national songwriting contest for their hit son, “Sunrise,” winning them a trip to Nashville. They’ve got deep Pacific Northwest roots and celebrate them in their song, “I Bleed Evergreen.” The Olson Band is playing in the Great Hall from 9:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m., and that is also where the balloon drop at midnight will be held.

Or perhaps you’d like to mix it up a bit with DJ Abel in the Ocean Lounge. James Mitchell deejay’s all over the region mixing up and throwing down music in ways that are fresh, hip and relevant. He’ll have you dancing in no time, and if it’s not the Jitterbug, then maybe it’s the Thotiana, the Milly Rock, or the Shiggy? (Those are actual dances nowadays. Ask your kids…)

DJ Abel
DJ Abel will be playing in the Ocean Lounge starting at 9:00 p.m. on NYE. Photo courtesy: W. Baker

The New Year Foretold

What NYE celebration would be complete without forecasting for the upcoming year? You can vow to be resolute, but it may already be in the cards, friends, and if the table games won’t tell you, perhaps one of the three intuitives that evening will? Andrea Green, Lacey Dawn Jackson, and Lisa Holm will be part of the prefunction (pre-funk party) taking place in the lobby of the Great Hall. Their psychic abilities will be put to the test – the test of time that is – and they’ll be around to give you insight on how to usher in the new year, and decade, from 8:00 p.m. to midnight on NYE.

The party will be vibrant, the food – delicious, and the entertainment, yep – you guessed it – entertaining! Ringing, or roaring, into the new year of 2020 is really something to celebrate. We’ve moved from illegal alcohol to legal cannabis, from talking pictures to virtual reality. A lot can happen in 100 years, and Quinault Beach Resort and Casino happens to offer up the very best of it!

And one more thing, if you drink – don’t drive. The resort has really sweet suites. Plan to stay the night at Quinault Beach Resort and Casino or their sister hotel, the Quinault Sweetgrass Hotel in Ocean Shores and let the free shuttle do the driving!

Quinault Beach Resort and Casino

78 WA-115, Ocean Shores

360-289-9466

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