"So maybe you're not an avid gambler, and you don't too much care about fancy food or live entertainment. There still is an eye-catching reason to visit FireKeepers Casino.

The glitzy, neon-filled decor has left quite an impression in the first week of operation at the 107,000-square-foot casino just east of Battle Creek. The flashy, flaming, lights-to-the-sky interior creates a circus atmosphere and jaw-dropping surroundings.

"Can you believe this place?" said Debbie Sutton, 56, of Kalamazoo, during her visit there Wednesday, the casino's opening day. "It's so lit up. It's like you're on another planet."

Ironically, the decor at FireKeepers is based around a quite down-to-earth set of elements. As "keepers of the fire," the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Indians envisioned a design that would remind visitors of the tribe's origin -- even amid the glitz."

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Jeff Barr : FireKeepers Casino decor combines glitz, earthy elements (The Kalamazoo Gazette 8/13)