Coach Polian at CVI, Could Job's Perk Influence the Election?, Sportsbook Picks, More

Blitz Lunch with Coach Polian Monday:
Nevada Wolf Pack football coach Brian Polian will be here at the CVI for one of his four 2016 Blitz Lunches on Monday, October 24 and all area Wolf Pack fans are invited to attend! Coach will be sharing information about the state of the Nevada football program and showing film from Nevada’s homecoming game this Saturday against the Wyoming Cowboys. His candor, openness and specialized game film combine for an interesting and enlightening program. The buffet lunch is $20 per person in the Valley Ballroom - the doors open at 11:30 a.m. and the program begins at noon. No advance reservations are necessary.

TG Sheppard in 3 Weeks:

T.G. Sheppard's first commercial album in over 13 years "Legendary Friends & Country Duets" was released about a year ago featuring duets with some of music's biggest icons. The four minute video above, shot during the recording of TG’s duet with the Oak Ridge Boys singing “Down On My Knees,”  includes a light-hearted exchange between TG and William Lee Golden of the Oaks bantering about which artist provokes the most back stage pass requests from the female fans! TG Sheppard and his special guest, wife Kelly Lang, returns for a special acoustic concert in the Valley Ballroom on Saturday night, November 12. Tickets are $25 and are available at the hotel desk or by calling 775-783-6606. A special 2-night hotel package is also available that includes tickets for TJ’s Concert. All the details are at this link.

Walk Inside to Influence Others' Opinions!

Could Job's Perk Influence the Upcoming Election? 
It's a possibility . . . Follow through on our sometimes sketchy blog writers' logic: according to a study cited in this article, coffee can make one more susceptible to persuasion. Therefore, if you have a friend, relative or neighbor who doesn't lean the same way as you politically, whether about a candidate or an issue, offer to buy him or her a cup of coffee in Job's Perk. Use your friendliest and most gentle persuasion skills and you may just be successful. Do us a favor if you find this works: before the caffeine buzz wears off, drop a hint they spend a few minutes trying their luck in the casino – perhaps on the Penny Progressive. If they win, you’ll be the hero. If they don’t win, you can blame it on the coffee!

Sports and Race Book:

• On the Board: This week you can bet the American League (Cleveland Indians vs. Toronto Bluejays) and National League (Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers) Championship Series, NFL and NCAA Football, NBA Basketball (season starts Tuesday, October 25), NHL Hockey, the WNBA Finals (Minnesota Lynx vs. Los Angeles Sparks) and Sunday’s Alabama 500 NASCAR race.  Also on the board: futures bets on who will win the World Series, the NCAA Football Championship, the  Super Bowl and the 2017 NBA Championship.
• The PRO PK’EM Parlay Progressive is now at $3368 – pick all 15 NFL games straight up on the $5 card and it’s yours!
• Chatter Around the Sportsbook with Mike & Alan (where did Jim go?):
• Last Week: Jim liked the Raiders at home against the Chiefs for last Sunday. They didn’t cover and they didn’t win so Jim got booted downstairs to the poker room because we just don’t stand for one of our guys getting a pick wrong! Mike said give the points and take these favorites – Nebraska over Indiana (they covered) and Florida to top Missouri (Florida covered twice over). Mike is now 4-0 over the last two weeks..
• Mike looked closely at 13^th ranked and undefeated West Virginia Mountaineers (-5½) hosting the 4-2 TCU Horned Frogs and he says take the favorite at home. He also espoused on his “when two less-than-stellar-teams play each other” theory that when there is a large point spread, usually take the underdog. So, he likes the 1-5 Buffalo Bulls to be to beat the spread against the favored-by-22 Northern Illinois Huskies (1-6). Alan, who jumped in for Jim, likes the “they are starting to come together” Kansas City Chiefs (-6½) to cover against the “my what a porous defense” New Orleans Saints.    

A Few Tidbits:

• She’s Coming Back so mark your certain-to-be-busy holiday calendar for Sister’s Christmas Catechism show on Thursday and Friday, December 1 and 2. Tickets are $22 and are available at the hotel desk or you can order by phone at 775-783-6606.
• Thursday is Suspender’s Day (just try to buy ‘em around here!) which we share because it is the perfect questionably useful info for Information Overload Day on the same day. On a more pertinent tone, Thursday is also Waiter’s Day so if you’re dining in CV Steak or Katie’s, please give an extra nod of appreciation to your server as it often is a tough job.
• Friday is Apple Day – think Apple Pie in Katie’s!!
• Tuesday is World Pasta Day - not to be confused with National Pasta Day which was last Wednesday (we have no idea why they are not on the same day). Anyway, we suggest you satisfy your appetite without pasta on Tuesday and then get your pasta fix with one of Katie's Wednesday Italian Specials or stop by Sharkey’s on Thursday and enjoy the Chicken Primavera Pasta Special.

Entertainment in the Cabaret Lounge:  

Patrick Major entertains tonight, The John Dawson Band is in Thursday through Saturday, we show NFL Football on the Big Screen in the Cabaret on Sunday and Monday nights and Bill Wharton performs next Tuesday and Wednesday. 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. According to John, "the Washoe County Parole board took matters into their own hands on a wistful spring evening in 1999, and placed these 5 repeat offenders in a working band, demanding we concentrate on Country Music." The quintet includes Mitch (Lead Guitar), Brian (keys), J.B.  (Bass), Jhan (drums) and John Dawson (vocals and guitar). Click here for the upcoming lineup of  free entertainment in the Cabaret Lounge.

In the Casino

• Ladies’ Night Tonight: Join us 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. with free Breast Cancer Awareness Water Bottles to the first 150 ladies, World Market Gift Baskets as hot seat prizes, games, drink specials, FREE Bingo and chances to win drawing entries for the October 26 drawing for a free Coach Handbag and Wallet. 
• Bingo Thursday: Come in and play Bingo on the odd hour, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and win $50 - $100 instantly!  Simply be in the casino playing slots or table games using your INN Club card and watch for our staff bringing around Free Bingo Cards. 
• Win $15,000 Friday: Weekly Friday drawings in our October Progressive Giveaways Promotion are at 5, 7 and 9 p.m. with plenty of cash and free play and the chance to win the $15,000 progressive jackpot. Use your INN Club card while you play!
• 4X Points Saturday: Every Saturday in October earn 4X Points all day.
• Free T-Shirt Mondays: We're giving away Free Long Sleeve CVI T-Shirts every Monday through October 24th!  To qualify, simply earn 75 points the same day and the free T-Shirt is yours . . . plus you keep the points! The gray shirts went out last Monday . . . watch for a different color each Monday.
• Senior Mondays: Seniors 55 and over are invited to our Senior Mondays during October from 8 AM to 11 AM in the Cabaret Lounge. We have free coffee and cookies, free bingo games and a chance to win free play and cash!
• Penny Progressive Pushing $27,000 . . . a handsome jackpot that can only be won on one of the Triple Red Hot 7's slots at the CVI, Sharkey’s or Bodines.
• Poker Room: Our Poker Room offers a Monday Night Football squares grid plus Featured Games, Tournaments and Special Promotions with something going on every day of the week.  Click here for all that’s happening in our poker room
• Here’s a Handy Page with all our October Casino Promotions!

In Our Restaurants

• Wednesday is Italian Day/Night in Katie’s – three specials for just $6.99 each! Check all the Katie’s Daily Specials at this link.
• The 18-Piece Sushi Platter Special is served in CV Steak on Thursday (hint: save $4 Thursdays), Friday and Saturday nights.
• Our Friday special in CV Steak is Buffalo Tournedos for $30.  Saturday night’s special is Garlic Studded Prime Rib for $26 and 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.
• Click the restaurant name for more info, specials and links to menus for Katie’s, CV Steak and Jobs Perk at the CVI . . . or our nearby sister property restaurants, the Jackpot Café at Sharkey's Casino and the Bodines Restaurant at Bodines Casino.

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!

Nevada Football Coach at CVI, Thanksgiving Dinner for 10 to Go, Community Food Drive, More

Raise Your Hand if you and your family of four have been invited to someone's house for Thanksgiving dinner and told you don't have to bring anything, the complete dinner will be provided, they want you to come early to watch football and not even participate in the preparation. Hmm, not very many hands went up. Now, raise your hand if you're still trying to  figure out what to do about Thanksgiving dinner and you really don't want to go through all the shopping, cleaning, cutting, slicing, cooking etc. but, you'd still like to have a nice home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner served for your family and friends on your dining room table and leftovers the next day! Aha, a lot more hands went up! As you might imagine – because we never would've brought it up if this weren't the case – we have a solution: order one of our Thanksgiving Turkey Dinners To Go for up to 10 people for just $89 and all you have to worry about is inviting a few friends, setting the table, serving the food, and cleaning up afterwards. Sound a lot simpler? You bet it does! How can you get such a deal? Click here and a flyer tells you how!

Tough Game Last Week Coach.  While the Nevada Wolf Pack didn’t make it into the “Win” column last Saturday at Wyoming, the stage is still set for their game against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors this Saturday. Two days later – that’s this Monday, October 26 – Wolfpack Coach Brian Polian will be holding his weekly Blitz Lunch in our Valley Ballroom and all Pack fans are invited to attend. If you have been to one of these luncheons you know they’re pretty informal, always informative, and certainly affordable at just $17.  Coach usually brings one of the key players and always brings some “behind the scenes” explanations of the game film he shares with the audience. No reservations are necessary, just show up when we start gathering at 11:30 a.m. Lunch is buffet style and Coach’s presentation immediately follows lunch.

CV Steak Garners Quite a Nice Review! Local resident Michele Armstrong publishes a blog under the title Small Town Living in Nevada and she paid us a visit in CV Steak last week. Follow her story about enjoying our Escargot, 14 oz. Rib Eye Steak, Surf N Turf, Nevada Grill and all the trimmings!

Burger Wars: Vote once each day thru this Thursday (that’s tomorrow!) in the 2015 Burger Wars poll being conducted by carsonvalleytimes.com. The Volcano is our entry from the Jackpot Café in Sharkeys Casino. This is the way to go if you’re looking for the good old-fashioned cowboy spicy hot taste in a burger.  The Gourmet Burger is served in CV Steak and it comes in two versions: The French Disaster and The American Disaster. You can read all about them and cast your vote on this page.

Disney Characters Run Amok in the CVI Valley Ballroom! What is this . . . a sensationalist headline from The Enquirer?  Well, there's some sensationalism and a lot of truth because it pretty well describes what you'll see Saturday night in our Valley Ballroom when the 15^th Annual Bunko for Breast Cancer kicks in right around 6 PM. Carson Tahoe Cancer Resource Center is the beneficiary as over 200 costumed and boisterous enthusiasts play bunco, scream, party and generally push the limits of sanity. The event is graciously organized and enthusiastically run by the many volunteers at the Minden GE plant. It’s still not too late to get involved in the evening’s play  . . . call Sheila at 775 215-1626 or Pamela at 775-215-1001.

Share Your Christmas: Christmas . . .  already?! Don’t act surprised – it’s already happening in many stores. We can’t escape it, so join in by grabbing your phone, tablet or paper calendar and marking Friday, December 11 for the annual KTVN 22nd Annual Share Your Christmas Drive-By Food Drive.

Race and Sports Book:

• This week you can watch and bet Horseracing, Major League Baseball playoff games, NFL and College Football, and Sunday’s NASCAR CAMPINGWORLD.COM 500 At Talladega Speedway.
• The PRO PK’EM jackpot is up to $3,495 on this week’s progressive parlay card. Remember, pick all the games straight up and you win!
• Games our sports book crew is following with interest this weekend (in addition to our “local” teams): Cal vs. UCLA Thursday, Utah vs. USC Saturday, and Patriots vs. Jets and Cowboys vs. Giants on Sunday.

The Blues Monsters

Cabaret Lounge Entertainment – No Cover, No Minimum – Free! George Pickard performs tonight; entertainment takes a night off on Thursday so we can show the 49ers - Seahawks game. The Blues Monsters are in Friday and Saturday nights, NFL Football is on Sunday and Monday Nights and Jonathan "JB" Barton appears next Tuesday and Wednesday. The Blues Monsters are a red-hot rockin' blues band performing a powerfully unique combination of R&B, funk, jazz, and Chicago-style blues – this one is a "don't miss." Whether paying respects to the masters of traditional blues, or rockin' out other tunes, The Blues Monsters get the whole house up and dancing! The Forty Niners and Seahawks are struggling NFL teams and, believe it or not, the winner is guaranteed at least a tie for 2^nd in the NFC West Division.

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

• Mike’s Horses: Good results for Mike at Santa Anita last Sunday! Pretty N Cool won the Matron Stakes with Martin Garcia on board and Victor Espinoza rode Toews On Ice to first place in the Speakeasy Stakes and Five Palms to 2^nd in Race # 8.
• Wednesday Ladies' Night 5:30 to 8:30 PM: The first 150 ladies to sign up tonight receive a Free Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet & Magnet and ladies-only drink specials and there are Halloween Wine & Country Gift Baskets for the hot seat prizes tonight. Also just for October: Earn just 50 points during Ladies Night and receive a free ladies shirt plus you keep the points! Tonight’s free shirt is a long sleeve pink t-shirt.
• Game Tips Friday, Prime Rib Saturday, King Crab Sunday in CV Steak:  Our Friday Special this week is Elk Game Tips - sautéed and finished with a brandy apple mushroom risotto for $25.00. 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.
• Because we feel like mentioning it:
• Today is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day and we have fresh-made (in our bakery) pumpkin cheesecake for sale – either whole cheesecakes at the Katie's bakery counter or by the slice in Katie’s Restaurant. Today is also Babbling Day – a celebration day for those who communicate with a glib tongue. Just don’t talk while your mouth is full of cheesecake!
• Tomorrow is National Nut Day which can go two ways; a day to honor all of the nutty people in the world or a day to celebrate nutritious and healthy nuts (food) of all kinds.
• Sunday is Mother-In-Law Day. Let us know how many cards you find in Walgreens or Raley's for Mother-In-Law Day! Turns out that Sunday is also World Pasta Day. Perhaps take your mother-in-law out for a pasta dinner? Conveniently, we just happen to feature a Spaghetti and Meatballs special on Sundays in The Jackpot Café at Sharkey’s!

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! 

The Volcano, The French Disaster, A Craft Show and More

The Volcano Barely Edges The Hangover! Sounds like the headlines the day after a bout between two boxers with quirky names!  If you read our blog last week, you'll know these are both specialty hamburgers we serve in the Jackpot Café at Sharkey's Casino. And the truth is, The Volcano barely did edge The Hangover for first place in the Burger Wars poll by carsonvalleytimes.com so The Volcano joins the top three finishers in the 2014 Burger Wars poll for the 2015 Finals voting which starts this coming Monday at carsonvalleytimes.com.  

I may not look hot, but read about me . . . I am!

The Volcano is definitely a unique burger. We start with ground beef and ground chorizo and combine them together in a mixture percentage known only to Chef Bruce at Sharkey's. A beginning amount of ghost pepper cheese (pretty darn hot stuff!) is folded into this meat mixture. The burger is then cooked and additional ghost pepper cheese is melted on top. We add a secret spicy sauce and sprinkle on some volcano dust, a seasoning blend of some pretty spicy peppers (again known only to Chef Bruce). We serve it up with a stack of french fries or, for a small extra charge you can get sweet potato waffle fries which tend to ease the “heat” of the burger.

If you think The Volcano is close to the edge of the charts, be sure to check one of the other finalists, the “not for lightweights” CV Steak Gourmet Burger available in two versions: The French Disaster and The American Disaster.  We start with two half-pound Char Broiled Burger Patties made from choice Filet Mignon, New York and Rib Eye Steak ground in house. Toppings and additions include Jack and Cheddar Cheese, Smoked Tomato, Pickled Cucumber Slices, an Onion Ring and Truffle Oil Mayonnaise. The French Disaster is topped with Duck liver "Foie Gras" and a Quail Egg . . . The American Disaster is topped with Applewood-Smoked Bacon. This monstrosity is served with Fresh Potatoes, French Fried and lathered with butter and garlic Parsley. Most people can't finish this gigantuous $19 feast but they often come back to try again!

The 15th Annual Touch of Class Craft Show is this Thursday through Saturday in our Valley Ballroom from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. each day. A Touch of Class is a unique craft show as all of the twodozen plus crafters sell items handmade here in Nevada, there are no booths, and there are central cashiers eliminating the need to purchase items from individual crafters. For more information, contact Sue at 775-265-1097. Or, better yet, catch this 3-minute clip with Melissa Carlson that aired on MyNews4 and Fox 11 News earlier this week. Great coverage of everything you can expect!

Good Game Last Week Coach! The Nevada Wolf Pack looked good in their win over New Mexico last Saturday and Coach Brian Polian shared the highlights with those attending the weekly Blitz Lunch last Monday – but it was in Reno (boo). The Pack is at Wyoming this Saturday and they then host Hawaii on Saturday, October 24^th. Win or lose that week, Coach Polian will be here at the Carson Valley Inn for his Blitz Lunch in our Valley Ballroom on Monday, October 26 and let’s hope the film and player highlights he shares are of a big win over the Rainbow Warriors! All Wolfpack fans are invited to attend . . . and we make it easy on you as no reservations are necessary, just show up for the start of the gathering at 11:30 a.m. and pay at the door (under $20).

Fun Bunko - Serious Cause: Time to get serious about participating in the annual Bunko for Breast Cancer event in the CVI Valley Ballroom on Saturday night, October 24. There are lots of ways you can get involved including assembling and sponsoring a team, sponsoring a table, giving a cash donation, donating prizes for the raffle or auction, or just throwing your hat into the ring to help in whatever way is needed. The Bunko for Breast Cancer Webpage has links to just about anything that might trigger your involvement. So how many are on a bunco team? What kind of prizes are they looking for? What’s the dress theme?  Heck, we don't know all the answers . . . we're still befuddled by why this group spells it "Bunko" when everything we've found says "Bunco!" For the answers to these and other questions, call Sheila at 775-215-1626.​

Race and Sports Book:

• This week you can watch and bet Horseracing, the Major League Baseball playoffs (3 series finale showdowns between today and tomorrow), NFL and College Football, and Sunday’s NASCAR Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway.
• The PRO PK’EM jackpot is $3,358 on this week’s progressive parlay card.
• Football games our sports book crew is watching with interest this weekend include the Michigan (#7) vs. Michigan State (#12) game on Saturday, all the Sunday NFL games involving the remaining unbeaten teams and the Giants vs. Eagles game on Monday night. They also gave us a “sure bet” – the Atlanta Falcons will remain undefeated after this weekend! Of course we all know about the uncertainty of a "sure bet!"

Main Street Minden Fall Fling This Saturday: The Main Street Minden Fall Fling this Saturday, October 17 is from 3 to 9 pm on Esmeralda Street, a short walk from the CVI. Food available for purchase includes soups, stuffed mushrooms, chips and salsa, fabulous BBQ appetizers and more. There will also be hot cocoa, 12 beers on tap and other beverages for sale. Kids activities include balloon animals, Photobooth by Legendary Entertainment, pumpkin decorating and story teller Captain Michael. While the adults enjoy more food and beverage along Esmeralda Street, the kids can watch the movie Frankenweenie in the CVIC Hall with FREE adult supervision, and popcorn from Ironwood Cinemas. Find out more on the Main Street Minden Webpage or call Sheila at (775) 309-1101.  

Cabaret Lounge Entertainment – No Cover, No Minimum – Free! Josh Budro performs tonight, the The Voodoo Cowboys make their CVI Cabaret Lounge debut Thursday thru Saturday nights, NFL Football is on Sunday and Monday Nights and George Pickard appears next Tuesday and Wednesday.   Playing together since 2009, the Voodoo Cowboys have appeared at most major casino venues in Nevada. Not the “cryin' in your beer” type country band, they are the life of the party with their dance-inducing, hard drivin' country music and rock ‘n’ roll. The group has rocked crowds on numerous stages around the world, as well as sharing stages with such rock and country stars as David Nail, Little Texas, Ron Keel, Toby Keith and many more. George Pickard is an early-week regular at the CVI. He co-wrote What Did You Do with Your Old Forty Fives for Bobby Vinton and was also one of the Kingsmen (Louie, Louie) for a while.

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 blue or silver water bottle  and coupon for tonight's ladies-only drink special.  There are also ladies-only raffles and hot seat drawings for Wine Country Gift Gift Baskets. Also just for October: Earn just 50 points during Ladies Night and receive a free ladies shirt plus you keep the points! Tonight’s free shirt is a pink short sleeve t-shirt.
• Quail Friday, Prime Rib Saturday, King Crab Sunday in CV Steak:  Our Friday Special this week is Roasted Stuffed Quail with prosciutto, wild rice and plum port glaze for $28.00. 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.
• Because we feel like mentioning it:
• Today is National Dessert Day. Best we can interpret the meaning, everyone is supposed to disregard calorie, fat, or sugar content and just gobble it all down. We're neither suggesting that you do this nor suggesting that you don't. However, if it sounds good, the desserts in Katie's and CV Steak are here to help you.
• Friday is Bosses Day. The theory is that it doesn't hurt to be nice to your boss at least one day a year! And if you decide to write your boss and note, please make sure that your spelling and grammar are correct as Friday is also Dictionary Day.
• Saturday is Wear Something Gaudy Day. For some of us, that just means that what we wear every day is somewhat acceptable and tolerated one day a year.
• Monday is Evaluate Your Life Day. Probably falls at a good time especially if you overate on the National Dessert Day, took the wrong approach on Bosses Day, and really went overboard on Wear Something Gaudy Day!
• Next Wednesday is National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day and rumor has it we will have fresh made (in our bakery) pumpkin cheesecake for sale in Katie's and at the Katie's bakery counter. 

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!