Hoppertunity Wins, Snow Dance Needed, BLM Wants Your Opinion, Savor the Flavor, More

Hoppertunity Wins San Pasqual Stakes!   Mike's horse Hoppertunity, ridden by Martin Garcia, gave Hall of Fame trainer and Mike's good friend Bob Baffert his fifth crown in last Saturday's $200,000 San Pasqual Stakes at Santa Anita. Bob is one of the three finalists for the Trainer of the Year at this Saturday's Eclipse Awards ceremonies at Gulfstream Park in Florida. You may remember that Hoppertunity was scratched from the Kentucky Derby just days before the race last May with a small hoof crack. The colt has now won half of his eight career starts with two seconds.

Anyone Know a Good Snow Dance?  Actually, it really doesn't have to be "good" or even entertaining – just effective! The nearby Sierra skiing is good now, but the slopes will need a refreshed white coating in the next couple of weeks . . . Thus the request for a snow dance! And of course we have an ulterior motive: We have a specially priced ski weekend package for arrival on Friday, February 6! There's two nights in the hotel, two days of skiing (one each at Kirkwood and Heavenly), dining credits for CV Steak or Katie's, and a warm CVI Logo sweatshirt for après ski lounging! How does it all work? What is the cost? Click here and check it out!

A Hawk and an Eagle Decide to Race - Who Wins?  Different birds fly and dive at different speeds. You'll learn about all about it - and much more - at the annual Eagles and Agriculture event on February 20 – 22 with most of the indoor events right here at the Carson Valley Inn. There are also ranch tours, owl prowls, photography seminars, and, if everything goes like it usually does, plenty of opportunity to see and photograph the eagles and other raptors that visit the Carson Valley every February during the calving season. Get all the information from the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce by clicking here or calling them at 775-782-8144. And please don't wait too long . . . The most popular Eagles and Agriculture events usually sell out in advance.

BLM Wants Your Opinion – Here at the CVI: The Bureau of Land Management is asking for comments about its Carson City District Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The plan addresses areas of critical environmental concern, lands and realty, utility corridors, wind energy, travel management, recreation, fish and wildlife, minerals, wild and scenic rivers, public health and safety, and visual resource management. Three public meetings to review comments are coming up including one here in our Valley Ballroom from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 22. Copies of the documents are available in the Carson City District Office or at this link. How big is the Carson City District?  Try approximately 4.8 million acres (bigger than the size of New Jersey) of public land in 11 counties within two states!

Soroptimist Savor the Flavor: We mentioned this event in last week's blog and a few people asked us what it's all about. Pretty simple . . . It's an evening of fine wines, microbrews and spirits! Enjoy all you want of food samplings from almost a dozen area restaurants and wash it down with a variety of wines and microbrews – it's all included in the $50 ticket price! The 19th Annual Savor the Flavor is here in our Valley Ballroom on Saturday, January 24 and it's produced proudly by Soroptimist International of Carson Valley to raise funds for the many community organizations they support. More information is available by calling Jeri at 775-771-6432.

Winter Weekend for Two Still Up for Grabs: Great response so far to the note we had in last week's blog about this giveaway!! As a reminder, you can win a Deluxe room for two for Friday and Saturday nights, February 4 and 5 plus $100 in Dining Credit for use during your stay in any of our restaurants.  To enter to win this complimentary weekend visit, simply click here and send us an email with your name. We'll choose a winner this coming Tuesday and announce the winner in our blog on Wednesday, January 20. One entry per email address, please.

As Always, Interesting, Helpful and Even Useful Tidbits and News

• Monthly Blackjack Tournament Winners: David Myers captured first place and won $590 in our first monthly blackjack tournament of 2015 last night. The remainder of the pot went $350for second to Teresa Sexton and  $235 for third to Diana Plavala. The next tournament is Tuesday, February 10 and the entry is just $25.
• Free Entertainment in the Cabaret: Greg Austin tonight, Decades Thursday – Saturday night, NFL Divisional Championship Games daytime Sunday, Dale Poune Sunday through Wednesday nights. Decades presents a vibrant and diverse act from Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" to Katy Perry’s “California Girls."  The energetic young group's harmonies and energized rhythm section truly shine when playing hits from the 1950's to today.
• Roasted Stuffed Quail Friday in CV Steak: with prosciutto, wild rice and plum port glaze, served with tableside-tossed salad, vegetable all for $28.00.
  
• Wednesday Ladies' Night 5:30 to 8:30 PM: Tonight and every Wednesday in January we're giving away a different collectible mug to the first 150 ladies who sign up. We also have ladies-only drink specials, a ladies-only slot tournament, hot seat prizes and more.
• Pro PK'em Progressive Jackpot Update: Another week without a winner so the pot goes up to $4684 and we try again with this weekend's two NFL Conference Championship. It's just $5 per parlay card - pick all 15 propositions and you win progressive jackpot.
• Super Weekend Kickoff: We're working on the final details for a Tailgate Party on Saturday, January 31 from 1 to 4 PM in TJ's Corral with entertainment by The Blues Monsters, food and drinks for sale, former NFL players on hand and more . . . watch for details in next week's blog.

Comments? Have questions or comments about the CVI? Use the comments section below, shoot us an email or just pick up the phone and call us @ 775-782-9711. Hit "0" when the automated voice comes on and you'll go right to the hotel operator who can get you to the correct person or department.  We have a lot more coming up at the Carson Valley Inn so check our Blog posting every Wednesday morning!