New in Our Poker Room, TV Recording This Week, Concert This Thursday, Much More

New Happenings in Our Poker Room: There's lots new in our spacious 4-table Poker Room featuring five TVs for sports viewing, height-adjustable chairs, complimentary beverages including self-serve draft beer and a variety of tournaments, games and promotions. The room opens Monday thru Saturday at noon and Sundays at 9 a.m. and we have a pretty friendly and diverse following who are always welcoming to everyone - whether you're a "I know how to play this game from watching WSOP on TV" type or a timid yet willing beginner!  Poker Tournaments include a noon Shootout Hold'em Tournament every Monday thru Saturday, a  Tuesday Night Bounty Tournament (new), Texas Hold'em Tournaments Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at Noon (new), Friday Night Drawings (new) thru August 1, Double Points every Tuesday and Friday (new),  a Wheel Spin Promo with every four-of-a-kind in a Hold'em game, Nine Progressive Jackpots, a British Open Poker Room Putting Challenge July 17 – 20 and much more. Also new: Free Poker Lessons every Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. so that the timid yet willing beginners can become . . .  well, what you become is up to you but we can easily help you understand what's happening on those WSOP TV shows (it's really not that complicated)! Want more CVI Poker Room info? Call the Poker Room directly at 775-783-7763.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is one of those "classic" movies and certainly one of the most memorable scenes featured Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) and Etta Place (Katharine Ross) enjoying a bicycle ride with an apple, playful stunt riding, a giddy young lady, a curious bull and - well check out the video above! The song was written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach and sung by B.J. Thomas who will perform that tune and his many other hits at his concert in TJ's Corral this Thursday. Tickets are still available for the B. J. Thomas Concert and they start at a most-reasonable $22!

Congratulations to Karen Firman of Anaheim, Ca who won the B.J. Thomas Giveaway promotion on Matt McKay's The Elevated Tee golf radio show which airs on Sunday mornings on KSPI 920AM  in Palm Springs. Matt visits our area regularly and has run various promotions featuring the Carson Valley Inn. Karen is here now enjoying 2 nights at the CVI,  2 tickets to the B.J. Thomas Concert, Golf for 2 at Genoa Lakes and Foot Golf at Carson Valley Golf Course.

More  Concert News:

• Tickets are selling faster than we expected for both the Chris Young Concert on Saturday, August 2 and the Charlie Daniels Band Concert on Friday, August 29 - Thank You!! Both concerts are trending toward certain sellouts and thus this gentle nudge (feel our elbow just lightly poke your ribs?) to get your tickets soon.
• The Austinpalooza to benefit Austin’s House on Saturday, August 16 features Lee Rocker, formerly of The Stray Cats, as we mentioned last week. Preceding Lee on stage in this all-day music fest are local area bands The Engineered Disaster, Seymour's Trick Bag, Bootleggers, Metal Echo and Lavish Green. All-Day tickets with in-and-out access are $25 for adults and $15 for children age 12 and under . . . and all proceeds from ticket sales go directly to Austin’s House. 

As Always, Interesting and/or Helpful Tidbits and News:

• Mike's Horses: Turned out that Doctor Dempsey didn't run as planned at Belmont last weekend. However, Mike's horse Brannaman won the 6th race at Los Alamitos Race Course last Friday in the opening weekend of the Orange County track’s debut Thoroughbred racing season. 
• This Week's Game-On Fridays special in CV Steak is a repeat of the popular Braised Wild Boar Shanks: two boar shanks braised and slow cooked with a Bourbon boar 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 $26,00!
• Is This Name Still Politically Correct? The Death Ride - Tour of the California Alps is this Saturday in nearby Markleeville and we're expecting the usual influx of some serious and some recreational  bicycle rider/athletes. There are a couple of temporary mountain road closures (no, not highways 88 or 395) on Saturday and there will be thousands of riders across the border in California over various passes. Your caution and diligence while driving will certainly be appreciated.
• Were you at the Carson Valley Inn on August 10, 1984? If so, get in touch with us and tell us your story!

Watch Us Make Not-Quite-Live TV This Thursday: If you live in northern Nevada - or visit regularly and have the TV on - you've certainly watched or flipped through The Dining Show, produced and hosted by Sam Shad.  We've been featured on this show a few times and we know you watch because many people have mentioned to Joey Whitacre that you saw him on TV. As with all video and written promo - and just about anything these days - it seems that something is out of date before the ink is even dry (ink on a video? Well, you get the point).  That's definitely the case for us on The Dining Show so Sam Shad and his new host Randi Thompson will be here this Thursday to record an updated show with Joey. You'll see the lights, camera, food and action in CV Steak and, last we heard, also out at TJ's Corral for whatever antics the feisty trio manages to improvise. The food is seldom the cause of a re-take, but sometimes the camera catches Joey doing a side-glance at his cell phone and the scene has to start over. 

Free Entertainment in the Cabaret Lounge: Jonathan "JB" Barton performs tonight, Midnight Express appears Thursday through Saturday and Steve Lord takes the stage Sunday through next Wednesday.  We've had some people ask us to include a little more about the weekend bands, so here's the scoop on Midnight Express: The group plays a variety of classic rock and country with a generous blending of three and four part harmonies. Bass player and vocalist Garry Pranin formed the group and he is accompanied by Phil Prunier (guitar, mandolin and harmonica) who is a previous member of Steele Breeze, John Palmore (keyboards) who formerly played with (and was also music director for) The Drifters and Dusty Slabaugh (drums) who does and excellent Johnny Cash. We try to keep at least a month ahead at this link on our web site.

Mary, Dave, Cara & Butch

Blackjack Tournament Winners: Our July Blackjack Tournament was last night and the prize fund of all entry fees and re-buys came to $1,125.00 which, as always, was paid entirely to the last three standing. David Myers captured the first place prize of $565, the second place share of $340 was won by Butch Moyle and the remaining $220 went to Mary Woods  for third (OK, admit it if you went back to see if these three added up!). Our next Blackjack Tournament is Tuesday evening, August 12.

On the Ropes at Heavenly: As most of our skiing guests know, the Carson Valley Inn partners with Heavenly Tahoe every winter to offer some great ski packages. This year Heavenly made major investments in  ramping up the summer activities "on the mountain" and included in the new offerings are the ropes courses highlighted in this video.

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!

Charlie Daniels Band Tickets, Fun Weekend Activities, 2 Motorcycle Events Coming, More

Motorcycles Coming to the CVI!

Motorcycle Riding Enthusiasts August 21 – 23:  The Carson/Tahoe Moto will be headquartered at the CVI August 21 – 24. What's a "Moto?"  It's a gathering of motorcycle riders . . . a rally, with an emphasis on discovering great roads— pavement or dirt—and meeting new people who love motorcycling. This page on their web site explains it much better! The reason we bring it up this week: The organizers just announced Streetmasters Skills Training Workshops that will certainly be of interest to many motorcycle riders.   And speaking of the organizers – we're working with four professional and successful businessmen who have grown this class-event over the past few years. Let us know how we can partner with your group, association or organization to bring your event to the Carson Valley Inn!

Motocross Acrobats on August 24th! We've partnered up with Livfast (an FMX Action Sports company) to help celebrate our 30th Birthday at a Party in and near TJ's Corral on Sunday, August 24!  Livfast motorcycle riders will be performing huge aerial stunts including 30' high jumps and backflips!  X-Games Gold Medalist Lance Coury will be one of the riders performing tricks during the show.  Lance got his first motorcycle when he was 4 years old, has been competitively riding since 1995 and he is known for pushing the limits!! Mark your calendar now for this very exciting event and watch our Blog and website for more information very soon!

Free Giveaways and More July Promotions: Some interesting twists to our casino promotions this month include "Keep Calm" Duck Dynasty Mug Giveaways, 2X and 4X Points Tuesdays, Ladies' Night on Wednesdays and more - such as Food Vouchers for each week based on your play the previous Friday and Saturday and some attractive cash giveaways. It's all pretty simple and you can get the details on this page on our website. If you're a "what's in it for me this week" type, our Independence Days promotion includes the opportunity to earn a Free USA T-Shirt today, a Free Apple Pie tomorrow and 4X points all day Friday. Pictured at the right - the solar patriotic lights our hosts are giving out to the first 150 ladies at tonight's Ladies' Night.

In the Area this Weekend:

• Always a lot going on over Independence Day – especially when it falls on a Friday creating a long weekend. Let's start by not losing sight of the origins of Independence Day which celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Click for some Interesting Facts About July 4^th  from the U.S. Census Bureau.
• The area festivities on Friday the 4^th start at 7 a.m. with the Freedom 5K Fun Run & Walk & Yankee Doodle Chalk Artfest (nope, we didn't make this up!) at Heritage Park in Gardnerville. The scene then shifts to Minden Park from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. when the CVI (that's us) is teaming up with the Town of Minden for a Complimentary BBQ and Other Fun Stuff. 
• Lot's more going on over the weekend but two caught our eye: the Cowboy Fast Draw – Nevada State Championships in Genoa Friday through Sunday and the Big Boy Toy Show on Saturday in Lampe Park.

Concert News:

• The B. J. Thomas Concert on Thursday, July 10 will feature many of his hits including "(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," "I Just Can’t Help Believing," "Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head," "I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry," "Hooked on a Feeling (check out the video)," "Eyes of a New York Woman" and more.
• The Chris Young Concert on Saturday August 2 is selling fast - $49 for reserved seating, $59 for VIP seating.  Chris's current hit Who I Am With You is now in the top ten on the Billboard Top Country Songs chart.
• The Austinpalooza to benefit Austin’s House on Saturday, August 16 should also be on your calendar.  Five local bands plus Lee Rocker, formerly of The Stray Cats, as the headliner. All-Day tickets with in-and-out access are $25 for adults and $15 for children age 12 and under . . . and all proceeds from ticket sales go directly to Austin’s House. 

• As for the Charlie Daniels Band Concert on August Friday, 29  (and we know that many of you have been waiting for this news): tickets are on sale through our website. Prices are $35 and $45 and you can click here to buy tickets (after 8 a.m.).    

As Always, Interesting and/or Helpful Tidbits and News:

• This Friday's Game-On Fridays special in CV Steak is Mesquite Smoked Buffalo Prime Rib: a carving of American Bison Prime Rib seasoned with a rock salt mixture of herbs, cold smoked and slow roasted to retain juices - served with creamed horseradish for $32.  Also, every Sunday in CV Steak we feature one pound of King Crab Legs for $32. And, yes, of course both of these specials include tableside-tossed salad, vegetable and your choice of potato - au gratin, baked, or a one-pound, twice-baked potato!
• Doctor Dempsey, one of Mike Pegram's horses, is scheduled to run this weekend at Belmont Park in New York. As we have mentioned more than once, things change up to post time, so check our blog next Wednesday to see how the Doctor did. Update: Scratched.
• July 4th in TJ's Corral: If you see some people in TJ's Corral Friday night, and hear some music from the stage .  . . don't worry, you did't miss a concert announcement - it's a private party. Have a large reunion, convention, reception, party or other event you'd like to consider holding in TJ's Corral? Call Carrie at 775-783-6673 to find out how it might work for your group.
• Free Entertainment in the Cabaret Lounge: Phil Prunier performs tonight, The Blues Monsters appear Thursday through Saturday and Jonathan "JB" Barton takes the stage Sunday through next Wednesday. Here is a link to the schedule for the next couple of months.
• Blackjack Tournament: This coming Tuesday evening  is our monthly Blackjack Tournament in the Pit area. It's just $25 to enter and ALL the entry fees and any re-buys go to the prize fund: 50% to first, 30% to second and 20% to third. Check at the Pit for more information. 

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!

The Oak Ridge Boys are SRO, B. J. Thomas Concert tickets on sale, Minden-Tahoe Airport, more!

In this week's blog posting: The Oak Ridge Boys are Standing Room Only for Thursday, B. J. Thomas Concert tickets are now on sale, Minden-Tahoe Airport in our spotlight, more!

Concert Notes:

Video Image of Grassy Seating Area

• The Oak Ridge Boys Concert has sold out for the regular and VIP seating BUT – we have opened up a limited number of SRO (Standing Room Only with a seating option) tickets for what promises to be a truly electrifying Carson Valley Event this Thursday!! Bring a blanket, sit on the raised grass area along the back of TJ's Corral - or stand if you wish - and you'll have a pretty darn good view! The grassy area is over 4,000 sq. ft. (see the video above) and it's the same distance from the front of the stage as it is from home plate to first base on a baseball diamond. Did you know that professional baseball players cover that distance in about 4.5 seconds! But, before we digress further (wait- isn't digressing part of the idea behind a blog?), here's the important part: SRO tickets are $30 plus processing fee and they are only available by calling our Events Center Hotline at 775-783-7766.
• Tickets are now on Sale for the B.J. Thomas Concert on Thursday, July 10. Once again, our blog readers are getting this information first . . . so we suggest you check our blog posting every Wednesday morning for a heads up on the latest news from the CVI!
• Kudos to the folks at Getaway Reno Tahoe who were most gracious in letting CVI's Bill Henderson write a guest blog for them. He talks about the summer concert lineup, the new TJ's Corral and – well heck, just read it – fairly short!
• Dustin Lynch's (June 13) Where It's At and Chris Young's (August 2) Who I Am With You continue to trend up on the iTunes Top 100 Country Songs and Billboard Top 100 Country Hits. 
• Speaking of Dustin Lynch, we'll be running a contest on our Facebook Page starting this Friday to giveaway two tickets for the Dustin Lynch Concert including a hotel room for concert night. It's free to enter, so check it out!!

 Everyone Loves Airplanes . . . 

. . . and our local Minden-Tahoe Airport (KMEV in airplane jargon) has just about the best general aviation access and services a pilot could expect. Sure helps the tourism economy, too, providing guests for our hotel whether here on business or pleasure. In early June, the airport will be hosting a 3-day visit by the Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom Tour with the opportunity to tour or take a ride (for a fee, of course) in a B-17 (see the modern-day tail gunner at the left), B-24, B-25 or P-51. Later in June KMEV will be the site of the Minden 18 Meter Nationals Glider Competition – just one of the many national or international soaring events held locally.

As Always, Interesting Tidbits and News: 

• Mike's horses:  Fiftyshadesofhay rallied to take the one-mile Grade 2, $250,000 Ruffian Stakes at Belmont Park on Sunday. Last we heard, none of Mike's horses are running this weekend, but we'll all be rooting for California Chrome in Saturday's Preakness Stakes!
• Game On! Chef Patrick's Game-On Fridays special in CV Steak this Friday is a Rabbit Stifado – a flavorful, slow cooked rabbit stew served with Orzo pasta – just $25.00! As with all CV Steak entrees, the Game-On Friday special also includes tableside-tossed salad, vegetable and your choice of potato - au gratin, baked, or a one-pound, twice-baked potato.
• Free Entertainment in the Cabaret Lounge: George Pickard  performs tonight, The Vegas Road Show appears Thursday through Saturday and Brian Andrews takes the stage Sunday through next Wednesday. Here is a link to the schedule for the next couple of months.
• Pardon Our Dust: OK, so it's sealer and not dust. If you drive by this week and wonder what's going on in the west parking lot (between the CVI and the RV Park), we're having the lot re-sealed – half today and the other half on Sunday. This project will not affect the available parking for Thursday night's concert and we'll be sealing other sections of the lot next week.

I Turned $25 into $$650 in just 3 Hours! Sure sound like one of those too-good-to-be-true "come on" claims . .  but turns out someone really did exactly this last night here at the CVI. Richard L. finished first in our monthly blackjack tournament and turned his $25 entry fee into winnings equal to half the $1,300 prize pool. The rest of the money? 30% and $390 went to Rich R. for finishing 2^nd and 20% ($260) to David B for 3^rd. Pretty simple deal and you can take a shot for yourself in next month's Blackjack Tournament on Tuesday, June 10.

Let's Hear From You! To send us suggestions or comments, 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!

In this week's blog: Tickets now on Sale for Eddie Money Concert and Dustin Lynch Concert, B. J. Thomas Concert announced, Mother's Day and Father's Day Weekend hotel packages, a reminder about Easter Sunday dining and more.

Concert News:

• Tickets are available as of this morning for the Dustin Lynch Concert on Friday, June 13 and we are tipping off our blog readers before the word gets out later today. Both a songwriter and performer, Dustin toured as an opening act for Keith Urban's Light the Fuse Tour. His subsequent hits include "Cowboys and Angels" which was nominated for American Country Awards Single of the Year - New Artist and Music Video of the Year - New Artist and also for the CMT Music Awards Breakthrough Video of the Year.  Additional hits include "She Cranks My Tractor," "Wild in Your Smile" and the recently released "Where It's At."
  
• Eddie Money Concert Tickets went on sale earlier this week and all revenues from the concert and associated live auction benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Western Nevada Carson Valley Branch!  The doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the Live Auction at 7:00 p.m. will include items such as a VIP Trip for 2 to the 2015 Academy Of Country Music Awards in the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, a VIP Trip for 2 to Del Mar Race Track, a VIP Trip for 2 to an Atlanta Falcons game as a guest of Coach Mike Tice, a Purebred Lab Puppy and more. Back to Eddie Money . . . his hits included "Two Tickets To Paradise," "Baby Hold On," "Walk On Water," "Think I'm In Love," "Shakin," and more good ole'  rock and roll!
• Speaking of letting our blog readers know first: B.J. Thomas was signed yesterday for a concert in TJ's Corral on Thursday, July 10. We'll have more on our website soon . . . and we promise this is not "Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song!!"
• Tickets are also on sale through our web site for the Michael Martin Murphy Concert on Thursday, May 1 and the Oak Ridge Boys Concert on Thursday, May 15.
• Be sure to also check our full schedule of concerts page . . . and watch our Wednesday-morning blog postings for ticket release dates for the Chris Young Concert on August 2 and the Charlie Daniels Band Concert on August 29.

Mike's Horses:

• Sometimes the news is that there is no new news. Secret Circle was a last minute "scratch" in last week's Count Fleet Sprint Handicap at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas. 
• Midnight Hawk is a likely entrant in this Saturday's Grade 3, $500,000 Illinois Derby and Hoppertunity is still targeted to run in the Kentucky Derby on May 3. BUT, as Secret Circle will tell you and them – "ya never know" till the last minute! 

A Great Idea for Mother's Day or Father's Day:  Have a mother, father, son, daughter, grandma or grandpa who lives out of the area? How about an aunt, uncle, niece or nephew? Invite them to Minden for Mother's Day or Father's Day! We have special packages available for both of these weekends. Mother's Day includes two nights and a food credit. Father's Day includes two nights, food credit, golf and a sleeve of golf balls.

Just Gotta Remind You Department:

• Easter Sunday Dinner Specials and Reservations: CV Steak is offering two Easter Dinner Specials and all the regular menu items on Sunday, April 20.  We still have a few prime reservation times available for Easter Sunday. However, Easter reservations are no time to practice the "If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done" theory 'cause your family will not be happy with you. So, call CV Steak at 775-783-6650 today!
• Sous Chef Patrick Pierce's Game-On Fridays special in CV Steak this Friday is Grilled Eye of Lamb Chop with cabernet lamb jus for $28.00. As with all CV Steak entrees, the Game-On Friday special also includes tableside-tossed salad, vegetable and your choice of potato - au gratin, baked, or a one-pound, twice-baked potato.
• Want to Be Part of the Heartbeat of the Carson Valley? Been quite a few additions to our employment opportunities since a week ago . . . check our Employment Page or stop by our Human Resources office.

In the Casino this Week:

• New Slots: A new bank of huge Buffalo Stampede slots is located just inside the casino entrance to the right. We read up on all the bells and whistles and bonuses and came to the conclusion that, like always, it's best to come in, watch someone else play for a few minutes, and then dive in!
• Free Entertainment in the Cabaret Lounge: Brian Andrews performs tonight, The Blues Monsters – a red-hot rockin' blues band performing a powerfully unique combination of R&B, funk, jazz, and Chicago-style blues – handle the merriment Thursday through Saturday and George Pickard appears Sunday through next Wednesday. Here is a link to the schedule for the next couple of months.
• And Even More:
• Today: 3X points from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ladies Night 6 to 9 p.m.
• Thursday: $3 Craps starting at 5 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday: Four-Wheeler Promotion Giveaways at 5, 7 & 9 p.m.
• Monday:  Free 6-Pack of Pepsi or Diet Pepsi when earning 25 points (limit one).
• Tuesday: 2X Points all day. 

Lots More Coming Up: We have a lot more coming up at the Carson Valley Inn so check our Blog posting every Wednesday!

Have questions or comments? Post a comment below, shoot us an email using info @ carsonvalleyinn dot com 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. He or she will get you to the correct person or department!