Emerald Island Casino co-owner Tim Brooks remembers where he was 20 years ago this week.

“We were running around like a chicken without a head getting ready to open,” he said.

Brooks and co-owner — and twin brother — Mike bought the Pot O’Gold Casino in 2001 and the pair spent the next year and a half, and about $2 million, renovating the closed casino in downtown Henderson’s Historic Water Street District.

The gaming establishment opened its doors on May 23, 2003, and celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday. What was once considered a sleepy downtown area has grown significantly — and Emerald Island Casino has grown along with it.

“Downtown Henderson has really come on strong in the last few years,” Brooks said. “We always thought that it could be what it is today. Fortunately for us, nobody else did at that time.”