8 a.m.:

Many years ago, when she was young, Vicki Haskett had a vision. She dreamed that the big open field across the road would become a horse track.

In October 1994, Haskett’s vision was fulfilled when Hoosier Park opened where the open field had been. And she was one of the first in line to enter the grandstand. She waited three hours on opening night to get in.

Monday, something happened that Haskett never dreamed of: A casino opened in Anderson, right next to the horse-racing track.

Spurred by excitement and a sense of nostalgia, Haskett, her cousin and a friend were first in line again Monday. They arrived at 5:45 a.m. and waited more than three hours for the ribbon to be cut and the doors thrown open.

Her cousin Maggie Jones took the day off from work at Heartland New Holland in Pendleton to come to the grand opening. Her appetite had been whetted by a two-hour stint at the slot machines on Hoosier Park’s test night four days before.

“It’s real classy,” she said of the casino, grinning broadly and noting that she wouldn’t have to travel to the riverboat casinos anymore.

The three women discussed their plans for which machines to play. Behind them, the line grew to about 450 people, dressed casually for the warm weather and day of gambling.

As officials from Hoosier Park addressed the crowd, a faint odor of horses wafted to the crowd from the nearby barns, calling to mind the history of Hoosier Park.

Meanwhile, a large passenger bus skirted the waiting line that snaked through the parking lot. As the doors opened at 9 a.m. and Haskett and her friends crossed the threshold of the new casino, the bus was on its way back to Indianapolis to get a fresh load of passengers.