24 Days of Christmas Giveaways, Winter Kickoff Weekend, Much More from the Carson Valley inn

Part of the 24 Days of Christmas Gifts Precariously Balanced

24 Days of Christmas Daily thru December 24

There’s activity and excitement every night at the CVI as our 24 Days of Christmas drawings continue through December 24. Since the first of the month, all Inn Club members using their cards while playing in the casino are accumulating one virtual entry for every five points earned. And as you know, it doesn’t take long to build up 5 points! 

On Sundays through Fridays Drawings are between 6:30 and 7:30 PM with five winners picked from the virtual entries and through our Hot Seat selection program. The winners will be sharing in the evening’s prizes which include cash, free play, and a special holiday gift like those pictured above. On Saturday nights we up the ante: 16 Drawings are held between 6 and 8 PM and we guarantee a $2000 winner every week. 

Use your Inn Club card, watch your points and entries build up, and be here for the 24 Days of Christmas drawings nightly through December 24!

Minden Park Gazebo

Winter Kickoff Weekend
Thursday thru Sunday

• Carson Valley Christmas Kickoff: Thursday, 4 – 9 PM at Heritage Park Pavilion in Gardnerville across Hwy 395 from Sharkey’s’ with Carriage Rides, Caroling, Tree Lighting, Treats, Fireworks (weather permitting) and more.
• Christmas in Genoa: Friday, 5:30 - 8:30 PM at the Genoa Community Church with Christmas Caroling, Tree Lighting and Hot Cocoa and Cookies.
• Minden Park Gazebo Tree Lighting Event: Friday, 5 – 8 PM at the Minden Park Gazebo with music from the DHS Jazz Band & Fire Pits with S’mores and more.
• 24^th Annual Parade of Lights: Saturday, 5 – 8 PM starting on Eddy street just a block from Sharkey’s Casino and coming down US Hwy 395 to the end on Esmeralda at Minden Park, just two blocks from the CVI! Watch for the CVI Red Ryder Float and let’s hope Flick doesn’t get his tongue stuck to the pole!
• Genoa's Cowboy Country Christmas: Saturday, 5:30 – 8:30 PM at the Genoa Town Hall.

Food Drive Almost Here

As is normally the case, many of the last minute details are flying into place this week for the Carson Valley location (here at CVI to be exact) of the  KTVN Share Your Christmas Community Food Drive to benefit the Carson Valley Food Closet. The event is Friday, December 13 from 6 AM to 6 PM and we’ll have the schedule and much more info in next Wednesday’s blog!

Photo Credit Dan Flynn

Visit-Our-Valley Gifts
for Out-of-Town Relatives & Friends

Over the next few weeks we’ll be covering a different Carson Valley Adventure you can package with a room at the CVI for a unique and memorable holiday gift for an out-of-town (or even local) friend, relative or business associate. This week we focus on the various scenic flights available through Soaring NV as you see the valley, Lake Tahoe and surrounding beauty from the quiet ride of a glider. Our friends at Soaring NV offer a variety of different rides with incredible views of the many lakes, valleys, peaks, crevices, and other unexpected beauty that can only be seen from high up over the valley floor. Combine a ride certificate from Soaring NV with a gift certificate for a night or two at the CVI and you’ll be providing an experience that is much more meaningful and memorable than something that will eventually wear out or otherwise be consumed. For more information on Soaring NV, check this link. And for information on Carson Valley Inn gift certificates, check the details at this link and call (775-783-6606) or stop by the hotel front desk.  

Our Military/Patriotic Themed Christmas Tree

It would be difficult to even count the number of people who have had their pictures, or their kids pictures, taken in front of one or more of the Christmas trees at the CVI over the years. Many people have asked about the cleverly decorated themed trees and so we pinned down Eileen Knox, our Executive Office Manager and Chief Decorations Elf, to tell us about each of the trees. This week, we’re featuring the Military/Patriotic Themed Tree that greets visitors as they walk into the hotel lobby. But first, we’ll answer one of the most common questions, “how did all of this detailed decorating get started?”

Eileen has been a life-long Christmas decorating fanatic. She got the idea for the themed tree approach while working as an intern for Ronald and Nancy Reagan “a number of years ago.” Nancy told Eileen that whenever they traveled during the Reagan presidency, foreign dignitaries would always want to give her gifts. To keep the logistics manageable, Nancy would suggest Christmas ornaments. The concept “took,” she soon had many . . . and that’s when she decided to do themed trees which were on display in the Reagan library after his presidency.  When Eileen got involved in decorating at the CVI, she brought the themed tree concept to us! How did she get involved? More on that next week, let’s get back to the Military/Patriotic tree:

Originally started with a patriotic theme, the tree has representation of many branches of the military including Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force. Last Christmas, Eileen expanded the concept and added first responders so you’ll see ornaments or makeshift ornaments from Police, Sheriff and Fire/EMS New items this year include direct from Colonial Williamsburg a replica revolutionary drum, snare drum, Eagle, and, if you look closely, even the traditional mouse playing one of the drums. In the next two weeks we’ll share the “backstories” on the “Frozen” and “Disney” trees.

This Week’s Promotions Lineup

• 24 Days of Christmas Drawings Nightly: 6:30 – 7:30 Sunday thru Friday, 6 – 8 PM Saturday (see story above).
• Ladies’ Night Wednesday: The fun runs from 5:30 to 8:30 PM including a Free Grandma’s Meat Rub & Dips Gift for the first 150 ladies (over 100 include FreePlay), Tupperware Baskets as hot seat prizes, free Bingo Games, free Raffles and a weekly Drink Special!.
• Point Multiplier Friday: Earn 5 Points on slots and videos all day this Friday. 
• Point Party Sunday: You’ll be earning anywhere from 2X to 10X Points from noon to 7PM with the point multiplier changing every half hour. We guarantee the 10X Points will run for 30 minutes at least twice every Sunday in November. 

From the Sports & Race Book

• Sports Book Mike’s Musings:
• The NFL favorites went 7-9 against the spread this week.  Lots of dogs won – eight of them including two of our favorites: the Bengals and Dolphins.  Don't forget, they match up on December 22^nd!
• Speaking of the Dolphins, remember when the experts said they might be the worst team ever and had a good chance of going winless?  Would you believe they've won five games already?   Well, they haven't, but they have won three.
• Didn't take too much ribbing about Michigan football this week.  Ohio State was clearly better.
• The college season should once again set up a pretty good set of playoff games. I still think the current playoffs are ok; the top 3 teams are pretty straight forward. Teams at 5 and beyond could have won more of their games. Anyway, we’ll all know the final picture this Sunday evening!
• Our Pro Pick’em Progressive Jackpot is at $4,240 this week. Pick all 15 NFL winners on our weekly $5 Parlay Card and it’s yours. Each week it is not “hit,” the jackpot climbs based on the collective contest play at the CVI, Sharkey’s, Bodines and SlotWorld.
• Seasonal Wagers on board this week include NFL Football, NCAA Football Conference Championships, NBA and NCAA Basketball, NHL Hockey and Horse Racing.
• Futures Bets on the board include: 2020 NCAA Football Championship, 2020 Super Bowl, 2020 NCAA College Basketball, 2020 NBA Championship and 2020 Stanley Cup.
• Football Extras:
• $2 Coors Light draft at the Casino Bar or in the Cabaret Lounge during all televised NFL and College Games.
• A couple of Free NFL Hats given away for each of the teams playing every Monday Night Football Game.
• Bar Snacks Delivered to Your Seat while you watch or play. Get the full menu and pricing at this link!
• Three Yeti 45 Coolers will be given away on Monday, December 23 during the Packers/Vikings MNF Game. Ask the bartender for more information when ordering a Coors at our Casino Bar during any NFL game!
• Poker Room Squares Pool: Earn squares as you play in live poker games during the week. Each week we kick in $160 and the payout is on the Monday Night Football Game – $40 to the winners of the first three quarters and the final score. Any unclaimed prizes each Monday roll to the next week. Last week no one claimed any of the prizes again (one player would have won three of the four if he had been present) so it’s up to $160 a quarter for the December 9 Giants/Eagles game!

This Week in Our Restaurants

Katie’s Specials:

• Wednesday: CVI Smoked Chicken Legs (new special) served with jalapeno corn bread, mashed potatoes, bacon baked beans & BBQ from 11 AM to 10 PM for $6.99.
• Thursday: Spaghetti and A Giant Meatball (new day) with mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and parsley plus toasted garlic bread served from 11 AM to 10 PM for $7.99. 
• Friday and Saturday: Meat Lovers Platter (new special) including slow roasted brisket, pulled chicken & smoked sausage with choice of two sides from macaroni salad, baked beans, potato salad or coleslaw for $13.99 from 11 AM to 10 PM.
• Saturday & Sunday for Brunch from 7 AM to 2 PM: Brunch Skillet – a combination of home fried potatoes tossed with peppers, onions, bacon & sausage, scrambled eggs & tomato, topped with melted cheese all for $7.99.
• Sunday Dinner:  "The Chandler" Chicken Dinner is served from 2 to 10 PM for $7.99.If you haven’t had it lately, we recently enhanced the seasoning and ingredients to achieve improved crispiness and juiciness of this very popular special and encourage you to check out this hearty dinner of southern fried chicken with mashed potatoes and cole slaw.
• Monday: Katie’s Shepherd’s Pie is a one-dish serving of sautéed ground beef with grandma’s brown gravy, peas and carrots for $5.99 from 11 AM to 10 PM.
• Tuesday: Pork Chili Verde served with Spanish rice and black beans for $7.99 from 11 AM to 10 PM.

CV Steak Specials:
This Wednesday’s special is Pork Stroganoff, pork tenderloin and a cream sauce of mushroom, Dijon mustard and Sherry wine served with egg noodle pasta. This Friday’s special is Braised Beef “Tomahawk” Short Rib slow roasted with pan sauce. On Saturday night CV Steak features Garlic Studded Prime Rib. Sunday’s special is “Oscar Style” Fillet of Salmon with crab and Béarnaise sauce. CV Steak 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 sourdough baguette.

Free Entertainment in the Cabaret Lounge

• Steve Lord tonight: A guitarist with dynamic vocals, Steve is a main stage West Coast performer. A man of a thousand songs, Steve presents an evening of oldies, country, pop, blues, jazz, soul and rock ‘n’ roll.
• Buddy Emmer Band Thursday thru Saturday: A longtime favorite on the West Coast and Northern Nevada circuit the Buddy Emmer Band’s versatile style includes everything from blues to jazz, rock to reggae and top 40. Whatever your taste in tunes they will be sure to please!
• NFL Football Sunday and Monday Nights: We suspend live entertainment on Sunday and Monday nights during the fall so the featured night NFL games can be enjoyed on the big screen.
• Big Red Duo Tuesday and Wednesday: Carolyn Dolan can dive into powerful R & B, deliver a smooth jazz standard or a gentle country ballad.  For the last fifteen plus years, she has been performing with her rockin’ blues and R & B band, Carolyn Dolan and Big Red. 

Planning a Stay at the CVI? You will always get the best rate by booking directly with the Carson Valley Inn either online or by calling our Reservation Department directly at 775-783-6629 or 800-321-6983.

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!