Connie Gilbert

My name is Connie Gilbert, and I live in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania. I was born and raised in Bethlehem. I only left town for five years when I lived in Philadelphia. I've traveled a lot now, and I am able to compare Bethlehem to other areas with more knowledge now. I think our music--We're steeped in a faith based community. There's a lot going on. We have a beautiful downtown. People come from all over to just walk the streets, especially at Christmas, being the Christmas City. The whole Moravian influence I think is very special. And then of course there's Lehigh and Moravian College, and I went to Moravian College.

I'm very active in my church. The Cathedral Church of the Nativity which is based on the South Side. We run a thrift shop, which I manage, and that services 00:01:00the community at large with low cost clothing. We're a place--we're really a mission. We're a place where people can come on a cold day and get warm, use the bathroom, shop for low cost clothing. I'm a painter, so I'm also involved in several art organizations.

I don't have the best memory of my youth. It was a safe community. You know you didn't have to worry. As a kid, I ran the streets with my friends. My mom probably didn't know where I was, you know, most of the time. There was a sense of freedom and a sense of safety. I didn't know a lot about poverty. We weren't 00:02:00wealthy, but I always had enough to eat. We lived in a nice house. I didn't see people living on the streets or sleeping on the streets as we do today. People were working. If you needed a job, you'd go to the Steel. Everybody seemed to get hired. It was a lucrative, thriving community. The benefits were terrific. People enjoyed each other. Again, people going to church. It was just a good community to live in.

It was like Big Daddy. You know, it was the community. There was a hierarchy in 00:03:00the community, in the steel company. And you knew who the important people were. There generally was a division between the management and the laborers. Saucon Valley Country Club was for the upper management people. The Steel Club was for the foremen and the workers at the Steel. But people worked. People had money. People were friendly. It was just a good community to live in.

My husband was one of the wounded. He was there for 15 years, and then in the mid 80s when it was beginning to close down, he was laid off. And we thought, 00:04:00'Oh my gosh. The Steel.' It's all we knew. It was kind of scary.

No way. I don't want it. I don't like it. There goes our sweet little community. No. I didn't want it at all. Not at all.

I was not in favor of the casino, and I was part of a contingent of people who fought it with writing letters and--I think we even marched around Bethlehem, as I recall. And that was because, I think, moral issues. Not necessarily religious, but on a moral ground. I saw it as something that hurt people. It was not good for people individually. My dad had a gambling problem and left my 00:05:00mother in some financial straits after his death because of his gambling addiction. So I had a very personal reason for not wanting a casino. Because I saw what it did to people who didn't have a lot of money, who hope that they're going to hit it big. And as we know the house always wins. So, on those grounds.I wasn't concerned so much about the kind of people that are going to come into the city. That didn't bother me. It was strictly I didn't like the idea of a casino.

I think we all felt it was a done deal. And like many things that come into a community, the people that fight it, you get to the point where you get, 'Oh. We're not going to win. It's a done deal.' I think the attraction of money that 00:06:00was going to come to the city. The bottom line is always money.

And then after it was a done deal that the casino was going to come here, I was part of a group of people who were trained by the casino to help counsel people with gambling addiction. So that was something the casino did do as sort of a, 'Here's something nice we're going to do for you, for the community.' I only was ever called one time after that to meet with someone. So I really don't know how the program is going now, if it's still being utilized, if people are still being called to help people who have an addiction. I don't know.

I was not aware of my dad's gambling addiction growing up. I mean he'd play the 00:07:00lottery or had a rub off; that's fine. But it's all seemed so some normalized. It wasn't until after my dad retired, and he and my mom began going to the horse races a lot. Or they would go down to Atlantic City. And that was a three hour drive to go. And it started out maybe once a week, and then it was twice a week. And then sometimes they were going three times a week. I was very naive about this, as was my mother. And what we didn't realize until after my dad died that he had run up thousands of dollars of debt. Because they had very genderdized roles. You know. He took care of the money. Mom took care of the house, so she didn't know. She had no idea how he had put a lot on credit cards. So that was a 00:08:00shock when my dad died. I was angry more than anything after I found that for my mom sake. Because then she struggled after he died.

Yes. Only because it hasn't impacted on my life. It's really tucked away down past the Steel Company. It doesn't interfere. I don't have to drive past it every day. I don't really see it unless I'm going to 78, or if it's destination to go to Steel Stacks to the movies, which I do. Or the concerts that are down there. Then I'm aware of it. No, it didn't impact on us and on me the way I 00:09:00thought. I thought the traffic would increase. Traffic is bad in Bethlehem, but I'm not sure it's because of the casino. I think it's just-- we're a service industry. More industries are moving in. Traffic is increasing. So, no.

Sands, do they try to buy goodwill in the community? I would hope so. I don't see anything wrong with that. You know, placate me. That's OK. Throw money at me. That's alright. I think they should do everything they possibly can. It's sort of like they've taken over the Steel's role. Because the Steel was very generous. You know when it was thriving. I think the Sands should do that. They 00:10:00should provide buses. They should provide food if they've got it. Absolutely.

I like--I love the Steel Stacks. I love seeing them. I love that they put in the trestle walk. I love what they've done down there. There are some beautiful buildings, but one stone building with the arches. I wish they would do something with that. It's my understanding now that the Sands is going to take over some of the more ragtag buildings and put in a water park and some other things. And as long as they keep the Steel Stacks there. No, I like it. I like that we have that history. It makes me feel proud. It makes you feel good. Would 00:11:00that have happened without the Sands? Probably not. And I hadn't thought of that before. I'm not sure what would have been done to the area. And maybe it would have gone to just ruin. So in that regard if that's true, then I'm glad. I'm glad we have that. Because I utilize that space a lot.

I have a neighbor who goes all the time, and recently she took me. Everything was comped. We went to Emeril's for dinner. We had a 300 dollar dinner, and it didn't cost us anything because she... And I liked it. It was very fun. I've gone to eat. I've gone to shop. I've gone to the Molten Lounge for a night with 00:12:00the girls, but that's about it. I'm not gambling.