EAST CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI 289 SILVER STAR AND GOLDEN MOON The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians—a tribe of about 10,000 people of Native American descent—established two casinos as part of the Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia: the Golden Moon Casino and the Silver Star Casino. The Golden Moon facility features a twenty-eight-floor tower with more than 700 slot machines. The entire Pearl River Resort houses two hotels, two golf courses, a water park, multiple restaurants, and a spa. The resort, which contains 90,000 square feet of gaming facilities and employs more than 2,000 people, is ranked the number one casino in Mississippi by the Mississippi Business Journal. In 2016, the Pearl River Resort generated revenue of $170,100,000. CHOCTAW PRINCESS As part of the annual Choctaw Indian Fair, young women from the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians compete to become the next Choctaw Princess. The Choctaw Princess reigns for a year as a goodwill ambassador for the tribe. Outgoing princess Kursten Watkins crowns her 2012 successor, Shaye MacKinzie Scott. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NESHOBA COUNTY DEMOCRAT