D'Iberville revels in its Scarlet Pearl

D'Iberville officials and residents have worked and waited for more than 20 years for the city's first casino, and will take part in the festivities when Scarlet Pearl Casino opens Wednesday.

The casino at 9380 Central Ave., just east of I-110, opens following a public ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. The casino management will salute D'Iberville with a fireworks display at 6 p.m.

"There's a lot going on," City Manager Bobby Eleuterius said Monday.

As South Mississippi's 12th casino, Scarlet Pearl has 300 hotel rooms, including 10 penthouse suites, 1,350 new slot machines and 45 table games. Reservations are being accepted for those who want to be among the first to stay at the 18-story casino with floor to ceiling views from the guest rooms overlooking the Back Bay and Mississippi Sound.

Among the amenities are a tropical swimming pool and Lava Links -- a 36-hole miniature golf course complete with an erupting volcano.

For those who go to the casinos for the food, two favorites of the four dining venues will be Scarlet Pearl's buffet and the Café Under the Oak, where tables under a realistic oak tree look out over the casino floor. A fine dining restaurant and grab-and-go noodle bar are the other options.

The community has been preparing for the opening of Scarlet Pearl, which is expected to contribute about $1.3 million a year to D'Iberville's general fund, $653,000 for city public safety and more than $1 million more combined for local education and public safety.

While the cranes and construction crews worked on Scarlet Pearl, the residents and merchants helped put out a welcome mat for new visitors to the city.

Eleuterius said the D'Iberville was awarded a $20,000 grant through Lowe's, which the city matched. It's part of the branding of the city, and he said the abutments under the I-110 bridge were painted, palm trees planted along Rodriguez Avenue and secured with candy cane supports for the holidays and landscaping completed at the exit ramps.

Adults and children came out to help with the landscaping and Eleuterius said, "We had a real nice turnout. We probably had about 60-70 people there."

Signs also are being installed near The Promenade and Sangani Boulevard stores thanking people for shopping in D'Iberville and more landscaping will be planted at the I-10/110 intersection when the Mississippi Department of Transportation is done with the project, he said. A household cleanup sponsored by the city and county is planned early next year.

"We want to do this throughout the city, not only for the casino but for our residents," Eleuterius said.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 9:35 PM with the headline "D'Iberville revels in its Scarlet Pearl ."