Mike Tice Charity Golf Details, Food in Every Direction, More

First TJ’s Corral Concert Getting Close! Granger Smith kicks off our 2016 Concert Schedule in TJ’s Corral on Saturday, May 28 and Frankie Ballard follows 5 days later on Thursday, June 2!  We hope you’re getting as excited as us to get the outdoor concert season started!  Granger’s new lyric video (above) for "If the Boot Fits" from his “Remington” album will get you in the mood and give you a taste of his drivin’ country sound! And for a quick tease of our Eli Young Band Concert on August 14, check out the 20-second clip below from their April performance at the two-day Off The Rails Festival in Texas.

Mike Tice Charity Golf Tournament Opportunities: What started off as a private event five years ago has slowly developed a local almost “cult” following which has created more and more requests to join in this “quite energetic” gathering of Coach Tice’s extended circle of friends. In response, Coach Tice – in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada – has opened the doors this year to even more local participation. Tickets and information are now available for the Decades Concert on Saturday, June 18 in TJ’s Corral (you had to be there last year to understand this was one of the highlights of the summer!), an optional Spaghetti Dinner before the concert, and various packages for participating in the Charity Golf Tournament and Awards Dinner on Sunday, June 19. This event has raised in excess of $400,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada Carson Valley Branch over the last few years with the total topping $100,000 the last two years. Buying tickets for the concert or getting involved in the golf tournament is easy at this link. If you have questions or want to donate or participate in a manner not covered, please call Katie Leao at (775) 882-8820.

The Penny Progressive is inching closer to $50,000!

Catching Flights in Reno Just Got Easier

New Schedule – Early Departures for Early Flights: The Carson ValleyAirporter has revised their schedules to provide early morning departures from the Carson Valley Inn so that passengers can catch the early bank of flights heading east. They have also instituted a late departure for those catching the 11:59 p.m. Jet Blue flight to JFK which is perfect for a long spring weekend in New York City . . . but not on one of our concert weekends, please! Here is a link to departures from CVI to the Reno Airport and another link to departures from the Reno Airport to the CVI.

Food – In Every Direction and Plenty of Choices!  

• Today is Eat What You Want Day and we offer a full realm of possibilities starting here at the Carson Valley Inn with the 24-hour convenience of Katie's, nightly dinner in CV Steak and a variety of snacks and other offerings in Job's Perk. A mile south,  The Jackpot Café in Sharkey's Casino is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And 12 minutes to the north from here, the Bodines Casino Restaurant offers yet another variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner choices including cooked-to-order pizza in a special pizza oven . . . the perfect segue into National Pizza Party Day! Celebrated on the third Friday in May each year (this Friday!) National Pizza Party Day is a perfect reason to stop by Bodines and enjoy a fresh-made pizza in Bodines Restaurant or at the casino bar!
• Seems a week doesn't go by that we don't mention something about all the fresh bakery products and make at the Carson Valley Inn. We'll start with this Friday which is National Apple Pie Day - one of our specialties serve either by the slice and Katie's or by the whole pie at the Katie's bakery counter. Sunday is Chocolate Chip Day and we sell a pretty hefty size chocolate chip cookie at the bakery counter – 6 for $5! And to wrap up the whole subject of baked goods and put a bow on it: Tuesday is World Baking Day.

Would you fly this to 90,000 feet?

Local Soaring Again Garners a National Spotlight: Tucked away in a private hangar at the nearby Minden-Tahoe Tahoe Airport is a project that, if all goes as planned, will soon blossom into international headlines. The Perlan Project hopes to break the world altitude record set by the Lockheed SR-71 “Blackbird” when it flew 85,069 feet above the surface of the earth. Unlike the high powered SR-71, the Perlan II is . . . a pressurized glider! Last weekend a group of dignitaries from major sponsor Airbus were in town along with national and international media to review the progress. Here are just a couple of the international postings in the Daily Mail in the UK and the Bangkok Post. The Perlan Project is just one example of some of the many interesting projects and businesses headquartered at the Minden-TahoeAirport.

Free Cabaret Lounge Entertainment: George Pickard entertains tonight, Melissa Dru takes the stage Thursday Friday and Saturday and Bill Wharton performs Sunday through Wednesday.  Singer and songwriter Melissa Dru has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York and at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Melissa and her band cover a wide mix including classic rock, R&B and a bit of country; everything from Pink Floyd to Patsy Cline. A natural performer and entertainer, Melissa will delight you with her unique vocal style and sense of fun. Don't miss this popular songbird in action!

Interesting & Helpful Tidbits and News

• Casino Extras: Our $100,000 Guaranteed Giveaways Promotion continues through June 30 – be sure to get in on the giveaways and other casino promotions.
• Sports and Race Book: This week you can bet Major League Baseball, US Open Golf Futures, Horseracing, the NBA Playoffs, the NHL Playoffs and Sunday's NASCAR AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway.
• Ladies’ Night Tonight: The first 150 ladies who sign up for Ladies’ Night tonight receive another Logo Flower Pen to add to the Pen Planter that 150 of you got last week!  Also tonight: a ladies-only drink special, raffle, games and hot seat drawings for Bath and Body Works Baskets.
• Game Friday, Prime Rib Saturday, King Crab Sunday in CV Steak:  Our Friday special in CV Steak is Grilled Game Brochette with marinated Buffalo and Elk tenderloin, Wild Boar and Alligator Sausage finished with a red wine demi for $28.  Sunday's special is one pound of King Crab Legs for $32. All three specials are served with fresh vegetable, choice of rice or potato (au gratin, baked, or a one-pound, twice-baked), tableside tossed salad and warm demi-loaf of bread.

Comments? Have questions or comments about the CVI? Use the comments section below, shoot us an email or 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!

Lee Brice Friday, Wine Walk Thursday, More

Lee Brice Concert Sold Out! Should be one heckuva party this Friday night at the Jagermeister Presents Lee Brice concert with a sold-out crowd, great weather predicted, and Lee’s Nevada Notoriety skyrocketing since he was announced as part of the Daytime Village lineup at the iHeartRadio Music Festival this Saturday in Las Vegas! Since many of you attending the concert also read our blog, we hope you take a minute to look through the following so that you can be ready to enjoy the concert in the most comfortable manner:

• If you have tickets to pick up at Will-Call (opens at 4 p.m. at TJ’s Corral entrance), please make sure you have a driver’s license or other valid picture ID (nothing homemade, please). We want to make sure that the correct tickets get to the correct people so we’re going to be quite diligent!
• There will be no re-entry this Friday so please bring your jackets, sweaters, medicine, sunscreen, cash, credit card, cigarettes (only in the designated area, please), blankets for the grass area, etc. when you first enter.
• Please do not bring any pets, chairs, glassware, bottles, or drones (yep, happened once last year and the artist was ready to shut down the concert).
• We 're starting earlier than previous concerts: The doors open at 6 p.m. and the concert starts at 7 p.m..
• We'll see you Friday rain or shine . . . although that should not be a problem because the weather forecast is quite good for this Friday!
• Please bring cash or use the ATM machine in the casino prior to entering TJ’s Corral. We will be equipped to accept credit cards at the TJ’s Corral bars, but there will be a surcharge for each transaction. So, our advice is go back to Plan A and bring cash. 
• Lee Brice . . .
• Attended Clemson University on a football scholarship and played on some special teams as the long snapper.
• Wrote Eli Young Band’s hit song “Crazy Girl,” the Billboard year-end top country song of 2011.
• Wrote Garth Brooks’ “More Than a Memory,” the first single in the history of the Billboard Hot Country Songs to debut at #1.

View of Hawaii from Sharkey's Roof (Just Kidding)

Last 2015 Thirsty Third Thursday Wine Walk this Week! Sharkey’s Casino will again participate in the Thirsty Third Thursday Wine Walk from 4 to 7 PM this Thursday. Hawaiian is the theme for the finale of this summer series of monthly community social gatherings sponsored by Main Street Gardnerville. Be sure to register for the Wine Walk starting at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at either Big Daddy's Bicycle Shop near the Minden-Gardnerville line or at the Town of Gardnerville office across the street and two blocks south of Sharkey's. Come dressed in your version of Hawaiian apparel and stop by Sharkey's Jackpot Café before or after the wine walk for Thursday's $7.99 Hawaiian Beef Stroganoff Special! (What? I guess we got a little overzealous – it’s really just regular Beef Stroganoff!) As for the Hawaii picture, it  was taken by one of our vacationing employees on Maui earlier this week!

Reno Airport Shuttle Service Extended! Good news from our friends at Amador Stage Lines who run the Carson Valley Airporter – the contract for this scheduled shuttle service between the Carson Valley and Reno Tahoe International Airport has been extended for at least one more year! The Carson Valley Airporter is an excellent way to bypass the expense of parking your car while you’re gone for more than a few days . . . and a convenient way to get to the CVI after flying into Reno!  

Cabaret Lounge Entertainment – No Cover, No Minimum – Free! George Pickard performs tonight, the Josh Budro Band entertains Thursday, the John Dawson Band rocks the Cabaret stage on Friday and Saturday nights, NFL Football takes control on Sunday and Monday Nights and John Palmore appears next Tuesday and Wednesday. Vocalist, song writer and guitarist Josh Budro started singing and writing songs about life experiences when he was in high school. While maintaining a love for the old country music he grew up on (Waylon, Willie, Hank, Merle) Josh and his band are definitely true country rock and roll. The John Dawson Band is a Reno based group of five fun-lovin' guys who just like to play music and entertain with a variety of modern country and classic rock. John Palmore is an accomplished singer and keyboardist who has worked with Jackie Wilson, Mary Wells, ZZ Hill, Wilson Pickett, Joe Simon, Percy Sledge, The Platters and other artists.

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

• Wednesday Ladies' Night 5:30 to 8:30 PM: The first 150 ladies to sign up tonight receive a free gift and coupon for tonight's ladies-only drink special.  There are also ladies-only raffles and hot seat drawings for World Market Gift Baskets.
• Penny Progressive Jackpot: Seems like just a few weeks ago we announced the big $99,000  Penny Progressive winner. After the jackpot reset to $500 it has quietly climbed up to almost $12,000!
• Chef's Choice Friday, Prime Rib Saturday, King Crab Sunday in CV Steak:  Our Friday Special this week is Chef's Choice, Saturday night its Garlic Studded Prime Rib for $26 and Sunday's special is one pound of King Crab Legs for $32. All these specials are served with fresh vegetable, choice of rice or potato (au gratin, baked, or a one-pound, twice-baked), tableside tossed salad and warm demi-loaf of bread.
• Race and Sports Book:
• This week you can watch and bet Horseracing, Major League Baseball games, NFL and College Football, and Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup myafibrisk.com 400.
• As for the opening week NFL games, the crew in our sports book put it very succinctly, “there were a lot of surprises!” A few popularly bet teams not only didn’t cover but lost (Seahawks, Colts and Eagles for example) and one particular underdog (Forty Niners!) not only won but played surprisingly well. With so many surprises,the PRO PK’EM jackpot went unclaimed and it climbs to $2,665 on this week’s Progressive Parlay Card.
• Because We Feel Like Mentioning It:  
• This Thursday is International Country Music Day and we're definitely in the spirit with country groups Josh Budro Band (Thursday) and the John Dawson Band (Friday and Saturday) in the Cabaret Lounge and country star Lee Brice in TJ's Corral Friday night.  
• Here's a good one: this Friday is Cheeseburger Day (we serve them in Katie's at the CVI, the Jackpot Café in Sharkey's Casino and the restaurant at Bodines Casino)  followed by just what the doctor ordered to cure the cheeseburger binge, International Eat an Apple Day on Saturday! 
• Sunday is Wife Appreciation Day - ironic since Sunday is also the day many men direct their attention to their wives only when she stands between themselves and the TV with the football games. 

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!

Airport Shuttle Closer, Late Nite Catechism Selling Fast, Poker Room Extras, More

Carson Valley Airporter Getting Very Close: the start of the Carson Valley Airporter shuttle service between the Carson Valley and Reno airport is still a week or two away. However, we know it's getting closer because one of the buses was here a few days ago as it ran the orientation route with all of the drivers. Our Bell Captain (Mark) and one of our Hotel Supervisors (Clarissa) couldn't resist the "Wheel of Fortune" pose next to one of the two specially marked buses that will be running the service. The rates and schedules will be on the Carson Valley Airporter website which now has preliminary information. The folks at The Amador Stage Lines folks will be back in town early next week to deliver the schedule cards which will be then available at our hotel front desk.

Halloween Meets Late Night Catechism: we know this seems like a deliberate set up, but honestly it was a coincidence. Deanna, Stephanie and Julie (l-r in picture) from our Marketing Department dressed up as Nice, Naughty and Mean Nuns for Halloween. In addition to winning the first place day-shift prize, they also gave us a great segue into the Late Night Catechism show coming up on Saturday, November 15 in our Valley Ballroom. This based-on-how-it-really-was comedy show/play is certain to bring tears of laughter and twinges of nostalgia to anyone who was taught by nuns in school, had friends who were taught by nuns in school, or has ever heard any of the "stories" involving having your hands slapped by a ruler. Hurry - tickets are selling faster than we thought! As for the rest of the employee Halloween Costume Contest Winners: Second place on day-shift went to Unique in Katie's who dressed as a Unique-a-Corn. The swing-shift costume winners: First place (tie) went to Jenny at CV Steak Bar (Oktoberfest Gal) and Bonnie in Slots (Dracula) and second place went to Jessica in Slots (Little Bo Peep)! Back to the Nice, Naughty and Mean Nuns for a second - that combination only begins to describe Sister Nonee who will be "teaching"  Late Night Catechism on November 15. More on this show in the "Interesting Tidbits" section below.

Christmas Kickoff Weekend December 4 - 6: As promised in last week's blog, we now have all the information on our website for the Christmas Kickoff Weekend, a three-night package for December 4, 5, and 6. In addition to three nights in the hotel and $100 in dining credit for our restaurants, you'll have access to a number of free Christmas Kickoff activities in Minden, Gardnerville and Genoa that weekend. From Christmas tree lightings to fireworks to Santa arrivals to the parade of lights, you'll have something to do every day and night. This is one of our best weekend values of the year and we suggest you check it out by clicking here.

Secret Circle, California Chrome Come up Short: If you follow horse racing at all you know that Mike's horse Secret Circle ran a close second in the Breeders' Cup Sprint to Work All Week and California Chrome ran well but finished third, half a length behind winner Bayern in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Two good showings last Saturday from horses with local ownership but, unfortunately no trip to the Winner's Circle. The local crowd was solidly behind California Chrome as shown in the above video of rising hope and eventual disappointment  in our Cabaret Lounge during the Breeders' Cup Classic. Mike did have a winner on Sunday at Santa Anita when Global Hottie won the 8^th race.

Poker Room Extras: the zany crew in our poker room has put together a couple of enticing extras over the next few weeks. On Tuesday and Thursday nights, a $50 cash drawing is being held for all participants in that night's tournament. All the names go into a hat (or something similar but with the tight security of a hat) and a winner is drawn 30 minutes after the end of the tournament. If you're playing in a live game at the time of the drawing, the 50 bucks is yours. If the winner is not present, the $50 rolls to the next tournament night. Here's the other extra: on Saturdays from 2 to 6 PM, whoever has the high hand of each hour (full house or better) gets a chance to spin the wheel. Regulars know that wheel prizes include 1,000 to 2,000 free INN Club points, dinners in CV Steak, and even a stop on the wheel for a cash progressive jackpot. These two extras are in addition to a whole bunch of other things going on regularly in our poker room. Click here for all the information including what's happening for our 10 Year Poker Room Anniversary on December 19!

Thanksgiving Dinner to Go: It was a big hit last year, so we're bringing it back – Thanksgiving Dinner to Go for up to 10 People is available again! We start with a sizable & plump turkey, add in all the trimmings, and pack it up in a way that makes it easy for you to pick up on Wednesday and heat it all up for Thanksgiving Day. Advance orders are a must and all the details are at this link.

Carrie Nicolaisen – Employee of the Year! This Saturday the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce and The Record Courier host the Annual Community Recognition Awards . . . and our own Events, Conventions and Catering Manager Carrie Nicolaisen will be honored as the Carson Valley's Employee of the Year! Carrie has earned the respect of many people and organizations through her work in the community and on the hundreds of functions that are held at the CVI each year! 

Veteran's Day is Tuesday, November 11 and we invite all Veterans and Active Military – plus one guest – to our 4th Annual CVI Veteran's Day Spaghetti Feed in the Valley Ballroom from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.   There will be a Veteran's Day colors presentation, the National Anthem and an invocation at 11 a.m. and then lunch is served until 3 p.m.

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

• Free Entertainment in the Cabaret: Paul Covarelli appears tonight, Steppen Stonz takes the stage Thursday – Saturday nights, NFL Football has the spotlight Sunday and Monday nights and Greg Austin entertains Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Ladies Night: Tonight's Hot Seat winners will receive a Gift Basket from Fresh Ideas and the first 150 ladies to check in tonight will receive a Fall Candy Dish!  To have your business featured on one of our Ladies' Nights (we do pay you for the prizes); call Stephanie at 775-783-7711.
• Jackpot Update: The Penny Progressive Jackpot was over $39,500 when we checked late yesterday afternoont and the Pro PK'em Progressive is $3,686 for this weekend's NFL games.
• This Week's Game-On Fridays special in CV Steak is Braised Buffalo Short Ribs: one and a half pounds of American Bison short ribs braised and slow-cooked, finished with natural pan sauce and served with  tableside-tossed salad, vegetable and your choice of potato - au gratin, baked, or a one-pound, twice-baked potato . . . all for $29.00! 
• Tuesday is our Monthly Blackjack Tournament – just a $25 buy-in and you're in the hunt for the cash prizes - 50% of all entry and buy-back fees to the winner, 30% to 2^nd and 20% to 3^rd.  Check at the table games area (aka "The Pit") for all the details.
• We now have more information available on the annual KTVN Channel 2 Share Your Christmas Community Food Drive on Friday, December 12 at the RV Park entrance from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 
• Nevada Football Coach Brian Polian was his humble yet driven self in his Blitz Luncheon presentation to over 100 alumni and fans in our Valley Ballroom on Monday. With many young players developing fast, the rest of this year and 2015 are looking good! 
• Not that we'd ever tell on anyone, especially with Sister Nonee and the Late Night Catechism show so close . . . but Father Paul at St. Gall's thinks the stories about the nuns and the rulers and embarrassing discipline measures have been embellished over time. Those of us who know better, and dodged an eraser or two ourselves in class, will have the chance to set him straight on Tuesday when he does the invocation at our Veteran's Day Free Spaghetti Lunch! 
• And one final thought for the week: After months of nightly nuisance, when your home phone rings today it won't be a political robo-call!

Sound Off! 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!

Late Nite Catechism, Airport Shuttle, Interactive Map, More

Slap Your Knuckles with a Ruler!!  We've brought you comedy shows before, but never one quite like this: Late Nite Catechism is an uproarious piece of Comedy Theater that takes audience members back - sometimes nostalgically, sometimes fearfully - to their childhood days. Best way to describe it . . .   The evening is basically an adult catechism class being taught to a roomful of "students" (the audience).  Over the course of the play, Sister Nonie goes from benevolent instructor, rewarding the "students" for correct answers with glow-in-the-dark rosaries and laminated saint cards, to authoritative drill sergeant.  These abrupt mood swings are bound to strike a resonant chord with everyone who survived the ups and downs of going to school with an omniscient authoritarian at the helm: Catholics and non-Catholics alike!  It's all happening on Saturday evening, November 15 in our Valley Ballroom and we'll be posting all the details on our website in the next few days.

Events to Put on Your Calendar:

• The Celebrity DAWG Pound, Dinner & Comedy Show is Saturday in our Valley ballroom. The Douglas Animal Welfare Group (DAWG)  is the beneficiary as "local celebrities" try to avoid being thrown in the DAWG Pound by making their "bail" through donations.  Also on tap: dinner, the hilarious comedy antics of Kat Simmons and a raffle.
• "A Touch of Class" - An Elegant Craft Fair will be held in our Valley ballroom on Thursday through Saturday, October 23 – 25 from 10am to 8pm each day. Admission is free and more information is available from Sue Bennett at 775-265-1097. 

Carson Valley Airporter Closer: The Scheduled Bus Service between Reno Airport and Carson Valley is expected to start the first week in November. The folks at Amador Stage Lines are shooting to have their web site up with all the details, and taking reservations, within a week.

How did our Our French Disaster do? Remember the Burger Wars poll being conducted by the Carson Valley Times we mentioned last week? Well, CV Steak's French Disaster Gourmet Burger made the finals! Watch for more details soon on the final voting.

Bently Heritage? Over the next two years we'll all be hearing a lot about the  extensive redevelopment work being done by Bently Enterprises to their various buildings just east of the Carson Valley Inn. Some of the work has already started on this project, referred to as Bently Heritage, and it's summarized in this article recently posted on carsonvalleytimes.com.  This amazing project is just a two minute walk from our casino entrance and we will continue to post updates.

How is this possible? We had lots of fun at the Aviation Roundup at Minden-Tahoe Airport last Saturday including the pumpkin drop, rocket launches, lots of air traffic, planes on display and more. The picture above has us perplexed. You can see the airplane and you can see the pumpkin that was just tossed out. The question: How does the pumpkin, with no propulsion, appear to be in front of the propeller-driven airplane?

As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the Carson Valley Visitors Authority has been working on their new Online Interactive Map and they now have it up and running! Want to preview this new feature? Click here, pick your area, and start experimenting with the various overlays for dining, lodging, attractions, entertainment, etc.  Have comments on this new tool? Contact the Visitors Authority at 775-782-8145 or click here to send them an email.

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

• Dinner On Us! Congratulations to Heather Paterson Lewis for winning the Dinner for Two in CV Steak we mentioned in last week's blog.
• Bunko for Breast Cancer was a raucous, ear-piercing, fun-filled blast last Saturday night.
  
  Kudos to our friends at GE who raised over $15,000 (exact figure to be released by them soon) for the services offered by the Carson-Tahoe Cancer Center. CVI was in for $1 per Bunco which we thought would be under 500 . . . turns out there were 722 during the night!
• Ladies' Night Wednesdays in October! Tonight's Hot Seat winners will receive a gift basket from Bath and Body Works and the first 150 ladies to check in tonight will receive a Halloween bobble head. To have your business featured on one of our Ladies' Nights (we do pay you for the prizes), call Stephanie at 775-783-7711.
• Free Entertainment in the Cabaret: Steve Lord appears tonight, The Blues Monsters take over Thursday – Saturday, NFL Football is in the forefront Sunday and Monday nights and George Pickard is on stage Tuesday and Wednesday. Did you know . . . Members of TheBlues Monsters have shared the stage with a "Monster Cast" of musicians: Journey's Neal Schon, the Drifters, David Coverdale of Whitesnake, Jimmy Page, Creedence Clearwater's Doug Clifford and Stu Cook, Stephen Stills, Lydia Pense and Cold Blood, Bo Diddley, Grateful Dead's Bob Wier, Booker T and the MGs, The Commitments, Kenny Logins, Kenny Neal, Tinsley Ellis, Pablo Cruise and more!
• This Week's Game-On Fridays special in CV Steak is Grilled Duck Breast -  Maple Leaf Farms duck breast marinated with fresh  herbs, grilled to medium rare - medium  doneness with natural duck jus and served with  tableside-tossed salad, vegetable and your choice of potato - au gratin, baked, or a one-pound, twice-baked potato . . . all for $28.00!
• Our Penny Progressive Jackpot was inching up on $32,000 when we checked last night!
• Blackjack Tourney Winners: Another trio of money winners in last night's monthly Blackjack Tournament. Jack Jordan won the $750 first place money, Richard Trott finished second for $450 and the $300 in third place money went to Lucas Huff. The next monthly tournament is Tuesday, November 11.

The Comments Section Below Does Work! Please give us some feedback or ask questions using the comments section below. You can also 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!

Reno Airport Shuttle Coming, A Message from Charlie Daniels, Exhibition Boxing in September, Skydiving and More

Lots of interesting information and news this week, thanks for reading!

Charlie Daniels Offers These Remarks: If you are one of the 1300+ people with tickets to the sold-out Charlie Daniels Band Concert on Friday, August 29, the message from Charlie in the video above is for you!

Our Carson Valley Inn 30^th Birthday Celebration this Sunday features Blues, Brews & Motocross plus much more! Outside, the free high-flying motocross aerial stunt shows are at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. next to TJ's Corral. We'll have free activities for kids plus free popcorn and free ice cream for kids of all ages. There's also free entertainment in TJ's Corral from 6:30 to 8:30 with the Blues Monsters. Inside the Carson Valley Inn we're serving free cake and champagne from 2 to 3 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. We'll also be giving away free birthday t-shirts at random times while they last. INN Club members earn triple points from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and drawings for up to $5,000 will happen at 3, 4, 9 & 10 p.m.

Boxing in TJ's Corral on September 13: Collegiate and Amateur Boxing is "on the card" in TJ's Corral on Saturday, September 13^th starting at 4 p.m. The Collegiate bouts feature boxers from the Air Force Academy, University of Nevada, University of Washington and University of California, Berkeley. There will also be a few amateur bouts and all the usual fanfare that surrounds boxing events. Tickets are on sale now – just $10 for the whole card!

Scheduled Bus Service between Reno Airport and Carson Valley:  Great news for locals and visitors to our area . . . it looks like the long-anticipated Scheduled Bus Service between the Reno Airport and Carson Valley may finally be in place by this November if all goes well. We have been working with Amador Stage Lines for over 2 years as they have weaved through the process of obtaining a grant that will enable them to get this service started. At this point, they are looking at four scheduled round-trips every day (yes, 7 days a week) with the times based on the inbound and outbound flight patterns. Local stops will definitely include the Carson Valley Inn and the new Community Center. Amador Stage Lines also runs the South Tahoe Express which connects the Stateline area with Reno Airport. We've known these folks for 30 years and they don't do something unless they can do it right! They promised to keep us informed and we'll provide updates on start date, costs, schedules, etc. as we get the information.

Throwback Thirty: Our  version of Throwback Thursdays is Throwback Thirty - some pictures from 30ish years ago when the CVI was first born. The picture on the left was actually taken slightly  after 1984, but it shows the hotel and casino entrance (check-in was originally at the casino entrance on the main level) as it was when the CVI first opened. We had 150 slots and 99 rooms at the start . . . what a story since then!

Carson Valley Inn Goes International! Two dozen Rotary Youth Exchange students from around the Northern NV/CA Rotary District gathered at the Carson Valley Inn this past weekend for their start-of-year orientation session. Countries from all over the world were represented by these students who will be staying with host families until next summer. Our Thanks to Rotarian Jon Greene who posed the group and took this picture at our hotel entrance on Saturday.

How Would You Look in this '65 Mustang Coup? Darn good we'll bet! Someone will have the chance to find out because our sister property Bodines Casino is giving this car away soon. Bodines players are earning entries every time they play this month and Qualifying Drawings are every Friday and Saturday with the car giveaway on Saturday, August 30. Stop by Bodines on your next trip to Costco and check it out!

Jump? Are You Out of Your Mind?! If you are not of the "Why jump out of a perfectly functional airplane" persuasion, then this is for you! Another exciting outdoor activity is joining the plentiful list of Carson Valley area recreational opportunities: Skydiving!! Based at one of the finest General Aviation Airports in the west, Skydive Lake Tahoe opens for business this month at Minden-Tahoe Airport, just 5 minutes from the Carson Valley Inn. And if the song "Jump" popped into your mind when you read this (bet it just did now) hopefully it was the Van Halen version - the only single the group released in their career to reach number one in the U.S. Will you "jump?" 

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

• Free Entertainment in the Cabaret: Johnny Smokes appears tonight, Atomika entertains Thursday - Saturday, Dale Poune is in on Sunday & Monday and Greg Austin takes the stage Tuesday & Wednesday.
• This Week's Game-On Fridays special in CV Steak is Seared and Braised Antelope with Cranberry Port Glaze and Smoked Potato Croquettes; served with tableside-tossed salad, vegetable and your choice of potato - au gratin, baked, or a one-pound, twice-baked potato . . . all for $26.00!
• How Much is in Your Piggy Bank? You'll have to let us know after Ladies' Night tonight. Each of tonight's Hot Seat winners will receive a Piggy Bank pre-loaded with a surprise amount of cash.
• An Super Bowl Ultimate Tail Gate Package is just one of the many reasons to watch, win and enjoy during the 2014 football season at the Carson Valley Inn and Bodines Casino. Watch for all the details in next week's blog posting on Wednesday, September 27.
• Would You Fit in at the CVI? We posted some new job openings recently and again invite you to consider joining the CVI Team. You couldn't ask for a nicer property – with a great benefits program to boot!

Get In Touch With Us: 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!