I had heard a report that the Jai – AlaiFronton in Casselberry was going to close and it’s last day was to be December 27th, several days after Christmas. The facility has 75 full time employees. I decided to go and sketch on this final day of betting. When I arrived I bought the one dollar ticket and went through the turnstile. I was told I would have to have security check my bag of sketch supplies. The security guy was located on the far side of a fast food stand almost hidden from sight. I held the bag open and he lazily nodded his approval. I took the escalator to the second floor and I heard the sound of the Jai–Alai ball being tossed around. Three men were on the court and there wasn’t a soul in the stadium seating. I watched for a while but I don’t know the rules and they looked like they were just practicing. No lights were on but I noticed a men’s room so I decided to use it before I got to the third floor off track betting area. Then when I was leaving I discovered the bathroom door had locked behind me!
I tried turning the door knob in different ways figuring it might have a trick to it. I couldn’t believe it. I was locked in and the floor was deserted. I started trying other doors in the men’s room figuring there might be another way out. I opened the far back door and it looked like a broom closet for the janitors. The closet itself had a door and I tried it. That door lead out to a tight metal spiral staircase. I decided this was my only option so I stepped out onto it. Old candy wrappers and potato ship bags crunched under my feet. I had to wonder why there was so much garbage in a stairwell. I wound my way up to the third floor. At the top of the steps I found myself in the employees area behind the betting cages where they take money. A guard stood with his back to me at the swinging door which lead out to the betting floor. I said “Excuse me.” and squeezed past him.
Out on the betting floor I let out a sigh and immediately started sketching. When I was about half finished a security officer approached me and said “Can I help you”. My stomach tensed. He had no intention of helping me. He pointed out that I had been behind the betting counters and that I would have to leave. I explained the situation with the bathroom but his mind was stuck on only the one detail of my story, I had been behind the counter and that is State property. He seemed to feel that being back there is punishable by imprisonment or leaving the facility. He felt I had been acting strangely since I arrived in the Fronton. As he said this the men standing behind him were shouting “Common 4, common, go, go 4 go. You can do it! Ooooh mother f*#&^%$!” I thought it funny that he found my sketching to be strange behavior. I continued to reason with him but he returned again and again to the fact that I had been behind the counter.
Actually my talk with him turned into a bit of an interview in the form of an argument. I found out that the Fronton was NOT going to close since an unnamed buyer had come in and bought the facility. The new buyer is possibly going to bring card rooms to the now rundown facility. The security guard eventually decided I wasn’t worth the trouble and he left, or rather stood a short distance away watching my every move. A food vendor named Valerie walked over to see what I was up to. She was glad the place was going to stay open. She had worked here for years. The sale of the Fronton isn’t final yet, and if it falls through another date will be announced for its final day.
Kentucky Derby
I arrived at the Jai Lai Fronton at around 10:30AM to see what kind of crowd would show up for the Kentucky Derby. As I was walking in, a small group of ladies walked out with very exotic hats. I got excited figuring there must be a crowd inside all elegantly dressed and waiting for the race to start. When I got to the simulcast room filled with hundreds of TVs, I looked around and was disappointed to find that it looked like the usual crowd. Where were the men in suits and the women in flowing dresses? I decided to sketch the room anyway and half way through the sketch the race started up. Men were screaming and cheering. I never know where to look and honestly I have no idea what horse won the race.
Much later in the day I got home and Terry told me that the Kentucky Derby was going to start at 6:30PM! The race I had witnesses at the Fronton wasn’t even the Kentucky Derby. I did watch the race from the comfort of my living room and was thrilled that the underdog “Mine That Bird” won with 50 to 1 odds. I should have placed a bet at the Fronton, I could be rich right now. Would I ever have bet on a horse with 50 to 1 odds? I doubt it.
The Races Simulcast
Inside the Jai-Alai building on the third floor is a 340 seat Las Vegas style race book to accommodate the fronton’s loyal simulcast players. The simulcast facility feature 30 state of the art 65 inch big screen televisions and 340 individual workstations with 9 inch televisions. The racing schedule features simulcasts from the South Florida circuit of Gulfstream Park and Calder Race Course, the New York circuit plus race cards from Kentucky, Maryland and Southern California. Personally I was overwhelmed by all the information being broadcast all at once. I didn’t know what screen to look at let alone what horse to bet on. But for zero money down, I got to sketch a room full of very excited people.
When a race starts the excitement in the room becomes palpable. The guy standing next to me started screaming “Come on baby, you can do it. Go! Go! That’s it, yes! Go! Oh! No! No! Aw S%*t! I never get a break.” I only asked one person if they were ahead, he said “Do you know any gambler that is ahead.” He then started to lecture me that I shouldn’t waste my time sketching in the fronton. He also said “You need to follow the money, the money is in children’s books, no one wants to see people betting on the races.”
Jai-Alai Fronton
A friend of mine of mine named Louis has just gotten back home after spending 17 days in the hospital. He has been diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo chemo treatments. Apparently this form of cancer is very treatable so he has a good chance to beat it. My wife asked me to do a sketch for him. I know he loves to bet on the horse races so I decided to go to Jai-Alai Fronton a state of the art horse race enthusiasts dream. The Fronton wasn’t as crowded as it was the last time I was there with Louis, which was for the Kentucky Derby. There was a core group of die hard race fans however who looked like they live in the place. Admission is usually $1 but today it was free, thank god for the failing economy. I thought it important that the sign up front was flashing “Military Personnel Always Free”.