Called “The Convention Center” in the “60s, it has returned to its original name, “The Oakdale Casino.” The Oakdale Casino is 5800 sq ft of historical entertainment. Built for the “Roaring ’20s,” the Oakdale Casino had the most extensive bar in the town, making up the dance hall’s entire east side. However, it was dead set in the middle of Prohibition, the Federal Law that prohibited the selling, making, or consuming alcohol. Glen Rose was then known as “The Moonshine Capital of Texas,” and plenty of it was finished at Oakdale Park.
Many dances took place in the Casino, and bands from far and wide played there, including the famous Tommy Dorsey Band.
In the 1940s, the Casino was a Roller Rink, where kids and families came from all over the region to roller skate on newly installed maple flooring. Still today, there are markings on the flooring showing the outline of the rink. Recently a hidden wall in the Casino revealed hundreds of roller skates that date back to the ’40s and ’50s.
The Casino has two “state of the art” kitchens with pass-through buffet windows and two ADA-compliant bathrooms. Between the kitchens is a gorgeous 400 Sq Ft. fireplace decorated with gemstones, petrified wood, and fossils that remind us that we are in the Dinosaur Capital of Texas. The room has tables and chairs for 400 people, and a divider allows smaller groups to rent only one half of the hall.
The Casino will continue to serve family reunions, weddings, quinceañeras, RV Rallies, music concerts, and dances. Plans are in the works for regularly scheduled dances and an occasional roller-skating return to celebrate the park’s 100th anniversary.
Nearing its 100 years of existence, the Oakdale Casino is now a proud member of the Texas Dance Hall Preservation Inc.
