Live Comedy Saturday, Turkey-To-Go Deadline Monday, Year-End Party Suggestions, More from the Carson Valley Inn

Brian Doesn’t Want to Go Back to His Day Job

Bordering on an impassioned plea, Brian Lee sent us the video above in the hopes you’ll help prevent him from having to go back to his day job. Caught a sympathetic ear on our end so we are passing it along!! Joining headliner Brian for our Stand-Up Comedy Show this Saturday are host Carlos Rodriguez and co-feature acts Kris Tinkle and Key Lewis.

While we can’t guarantee Brian his performance this Saturday will free him from his day job, we can guarantee those who attend a night filled with four comedians who truly enjoy their work, connect well with their audiences, and share a common support of our military. All four either served in our military or performed for military troops overseas. Their energy, patriotism and wit will fill the room and we hope you can join us.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or at the Carson Valley Inn hotel desk.  The show starts at 8:00 PM and is for audiences 21 or over.

Deadline Monday for

Thanksgiving Dinner to Go

The deadline for ordering our Thanksgiving Dinner to Go for up to Ten is Monday at noon or when we sell out. In answer to the two most common questions we've been receiving:

• Yes, you can order more than one of these feasts if you have a large crowd joining you on Thanksgiving Day.
• Yes, if your two uncles just love mashed potatoes you can order an extra side of mashed potatoes. Same for all of the side dishes and the pumpkin pie.

As a reminder, our Thanksgiving Dinner to Go for up to Ten starts with a 18 - 20 pound bird which is deboned and the white meat and dark meat are cooked separately. The turkey will be presented pre-sliced in an aluminum roasting pan.  Traditional side dishes include mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans amandine, cranberry sauce, a pumpkin pie, rolls and butter all for just $99.00 plus tax. Order at the Katie's cashier counter or call 775-783-6664. Pick up is 9 AM - Noon on Thanksgiving Day. All items will be pre-cooked and packaged in oven-ready roasting pans ready to heat per the provided instructions (allow an hour for heating at home).

Thanksgiving Dinner Here at the Inn

Katie's is open all day with regular menu service plus a Roasted Tom Turkey special from 11 AM. to 10 PM.  CV Steak is open for dinner on Thanksgiving Day from 2:00 PM serving the regular menu plus two featured Thanksgiving dinner specials: Wood-Roasted Diestel Tom Turkey and Garlic Studded Prime Rib of Beef. Click here for details on the Thanksgiving Day specials in both restaurants.

Have Your Party at the CVI!

Three Year-End Party Suggestions

Some call them Christmas Parties, some use Holiday Parties, others have Year-End Celebrations.   Whatever your label, we have three suggestions if you are involved in planning one or more of these events at the end of the year:

• Consider mid-week: all of the prime weekend nights are “booked“ at the CVI for this year, but there is still some availability for mid-week. Always less hectic and often easier to coordinate your attendees.
• Consider waiting until January: might sound a little unusual but it really can make sense and we have a few companies who actually do that. Allows participants to enjoy all their other gatherings without the pressure of "one more party" during December. People seem to be a lot more relaxed after the busy holiday and you can wear the new clothes you received for Christmas!
• Plan now for 2020: you haven’t even attended any of your 2019 events and we are suggesting you plan for 2020? Just sayin' . . . if you get your date set and party booked now, others tend to have to plan around you.

The simplest way to move forward is to call Carrie Nicolaisen in our Sales Department at 775-783-6673. She can answer your questions and offer her personal expertise after planning literally thousands of events from as few as 16 people to as many as 200 or more!

More on the Holiday Season 2019

We'll be covering a number of holiday events in our weekly blog over the next few weeks . . . Here’s a quick summary with more to follow:

• This week you’ll see a lot of activity in our hotel lobby, the Casino, Katie’s and CV Steak as our elves finish our inside Christmas decorating in preparation for lighting it all up over the next week.
• Meanwhile outside, our Engineer Department has been busy stringing lights, installing more electrical service, testing circuits  and getting everything ready to brightly light up the outside of the CVI during Thanksgiving week.
• The Kandy Kane Craft Fair will take place in our Valley Ballroom on Friday through Sunday, November 29 - December 1 with plenty of Christmas arts, crafts, decorations and more. Admission is free and we'll have more next week.
• Carson City's Holiday With A Hero is getting into full swing and the fund-raising and fun-raising focus will be on SlotWorld Casino on Saturday, November 30. We'll have more on this next week.
• The weekend starting Thursday, December 5 brings a plethora of community activities including tree/gazebo lightings in Gardnerville, Minden, and Genoa; the annual Parade of Lights, breakfast with Santa and more. We'll have more in the next couple of weeks.
• Friday, December 13 brings the annual KTVN-Channel 2 Share Your Christmas Community Food Drive. All food and money donated at the Carson Valley Inn location goes directly to the Carson Valley Food Closet. More information can be found at this link and we should know fairly soon which three members of the News 2 Team will be covering the Carson Valley location all-day on December 13.
• The Annual Gardnerville Santa Crawl is Saturday, December 14 and Sharkey's Casino will be welcoming all crawlers as usual. Watch for more info in a couple of weeks.

This Week’s Promotions Lineup

• Ladies’ Night Wednesday: The fun runs from 5:30 to 8:30PM including a Free Chocolate Shoppe Gift for the first 150 ladies (over 100 include FreePlay), Chocolate Shoppe Baskets as hot seat prizes, free Bingo Games, free Raffles and a weekly Drink Special!.
• Free-Shirt Thursday: Earn just 50 points on Thursday and get a Free CVI T-Shirt at the Guest Services Counter – plus you keep the points! Last chance this month!
• Point Multiplier Friday: Earn 3 Points on Video Poker slots and 5X Points on Video Reels all day this Friday. 
• Turkey Trot Drawings and Board Game Friday and Saturday: The drawings start at 6 PM every Friday and Saturday for the 6:45 PM game. Around 7:30 PM we start more drawings for the 8 PM game. Three people each time qualify for our giant board game with prizes and fun along the way!
• 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.
• Free Pumpkin Pie Next Wednesday: On November 27 earn just 50 points and pick up a free pumpkin pie on us – more in next week’s blog.

From the Sports & Race Book

• Sports Book Mike’s Musings:
• NFL favorites went 9-5 against the spread.  Only two dogs won last week.
• A guest at Sharkey's celebrated his birthday by hitting a 10 team parlay card at 799 to 1 odds.  His wife probably made the selections.  I wish she had made my selections.
• The Bengals continued their roll, while playing their best game of the season.  I'd circled Dec 22 weeks ago but at the time I was hoping to have a matchup of winless teams. Now, it's just the Bengals best chance at a victory when they visit the Miami Dolphins.
• Our Pro Pick’em Progressive Jackpot is at $3,958 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 and NCAA Football, NBA and NCAA Basketball, NHL Hockey, the CFL 107th Grey Cup in Calgary 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 quarters roll to the next week and for the November 25 Ravens/Rams game it’s a combined $320 or $80 a quarter!!

This Week in Our Restaurants

Katie’s Specials:

• Wednesday: Spaghetti with a Giant Meatball, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, parsley and toasted garlic bread served from 11 AM to 10 PM for $7.99.
• Thursday: CVI Smokehouse Platter with house smoked pork loin, polish sausage, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes served from 11 AM to 10 PM for $8.99. 
• Friday: Slow Roasted Brisket with vegetable medley, garlic mashed potatoes & natural au ju for $10.99 from 11 AM to 10 PM.
• Saturday Dinner: Roasted Prime Rib and Fried Shrimp Dinner served with baked potato, vegetable and soup or salad from 4 to 10 PM for $14.99.
• 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:
Wednesday’s special is Beef Tenderloin Brochette with bell pepper, onions, cherry tomato and a spicy sweet and sour sauce. Thursday is the CV Steak Mix Grill, a combination of our Filet Mignon, a Dijon and molasses marinated Pork Tenderloin Medallion and herb marinated Lamb Chop Steak.  This Friday’s special is Grilled Venison Chops with a cherry brandy demi. On Saturday night CV Steak features Garlic Studded Prime Rib. This 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

• Chris Twomey tonight: Chris has been writing and playing music around the country since 2003. Born and raised in the Sacramento valley, his roots are deep into a genre of folk-rock. From 2Me to The Diva Kings to Dad’s LPs to whatever is next . . . let’s party!!
• The Vegas Road Show Thursday thru Saturday: The Vegas Road Show delivers music, comedy and crowd participation as they perform a variety of entertainment styles including classic rock, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, country, smooth jazz and pop. Cody Stevens (vocals, guitar and quick wit) and his wife Barbara Christy-Stevens (vocals, keyboards, bass and trumpet) are both veterans in the music industry having engaged audiences in casinos from Atlantic City to Las Vegas.
• 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.
• Tyler Stafford Tuesday and Wednesday: Named “Reno’s Best Songwriter 2013” Tyler Stafford is a homegrown talent. His songs often draw comparisons to songwriters such as John Mayer and Paul Simon delivered with a candor and immediacy reminiscent of John Lennon. 

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!

Thanksgiving Dining at the CVI, Comedy Video Invite, More from the Carson Valley Inn

Thanksgiving at the Inn

Thanksgiving Dinner at the Inn includes specials and regular menu items in CV Steak and Katie's on Thursday, November 28 . . . plus the option to order in advance a pre-cooked Thanksgiving Dinner to Go for Up to Ten.

CV Steak is open for dinner on Thanksgiving Day from 2 PM with two featured Thanksgiving dinner specials.  The Wood-Roasted Diestel Tom Turkey is served with giblet pan gravy, sage apple herbed bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with pecans and spiced maple sauce, fresh vegetables and Grand Marnier cranberry relish for $26.  The Garlic Studded Prime Rib of Beef is served with creamed apple horseradish sauce and choice of double-stuffed baked potato, au gratin potatoes or giant baked potato for $29. Both CV Steak Thanksgiving dinner specials include holiday soup or fresh garden green salad prepared tableside, fresh sourdough baguette and creamery butter.  Reservations are strongly recommended for Thanksgiving Day in CV Steak.  Please call 775-783-6650.  As with all holidays and concert dates, the CV Steak Sunset Special will not be served on Thanksgiving.

Katie's is offering a Roasted Tom Turkey special from 11 AM to 10 PM.  This traditional Thanksgiving Dinner is served with giblet gravy, herbed bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, glazed sweet potatoes, fresh vegetable, cranberry sauce, choice of fresh garden green salad or creamy pumpkin apple soup with toasted pumpkin seeds, bakery-fresh bread and pumpkin pie – all for $14.99 ($7.99 for children under 10.)

Our Thanksgiving Dinner to Go for Up to Ten starts with a 18 - 20 pound bird which is deboned and the white meat and dark meat are cooked separately. The turkey will be presented pre-sliced in an aluminum roasting pan.  Traditional side dishes include mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green beans amandine, cranberry sauce, a pumpkin pie, rolls and butter all for just $99.00 plus tax. Order at the Katie's cashier counter or call 775-783-6664. Pick up is 9 AM - Noon on Thanksgiving Day. All items will be pre-cooked and packaged in oven-ready roasting pans ready to heat per the provided instructions (allow an hour for heating at home).  This approach is perfect for those who prefer to enjoy Thanksgiving in a home environment yet want to minimize the shopping, preparation time and stress.

Comedy Night

We’re sharing a personal video invitation to our November 23 Stand-Up Comedy Show from invitation Kris Tinkle today . . . let us know if you see the birds he mentions (we saw them). Joining Chris will be Brian Lee, Carlos Rodriguez and Key Lewis. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or at the Carson Valley Inn hotel desk.  The show starts at 8:00 pm and is for audiences 21 or over.

Strutts for Mutts Saturday

Chico and many more loveable Mutts will be attending the Animal Rescue Relay Strutts for Mutts in our Valley Ballroom this Saturday as they hope to find their forever home. Lots of off-the-wall entertainment and surprises as the rescue dogs available for adoption will be Strutting their stuff down the walkway while you vote for the best dressed. For more information Click Here or call Kelly at 775-230-4117.

$52,000 – What Rob Would Do

We asked last week what you would do if you won the then $52,000 Penny progressive jackpot. Rob S. had quite an interesting plan:

First I’d pull out $4,000 towards taxes - I know that’s not enough, but it’s a start. Next I’d set up a four-year plan to teach my four grandchildren about money. Two of them are my son’s, two are my daughter’s and they range in age from 10 to 14 years old. Of course this will all be done in conjunction with their parents.  I’d go to each of them and tell them that they’ll receive $250 a month from me over the next four years. That would account for the other $48,000. Over the first few months I would introduce a variety of options to them including how much will this will mean to them over a period of four years; how to buy the phones, computers, designer clothes, and other “things” they want by saving over a few months; how they can take money in advance by lessening the total they’d receive; and other options about their money. All this would ease the financial burden of raising teens on my son, daughter and their spouses. Should also teach the grandkids some valuable lessons. I haven’t thought it all the way through, but I know it would be a good learning experience for all of us. 

Our Penny Progressive Jackpot is now over $55,000  . . . what would you do if you win it? Send us and email by clicking here and we’ll consider using you “story” in next week’s blog.

Julie's Wallet is Empty, Kim's is Full!

This Week’s Promotions Lineup

• Ladies’ Night Wednesday: The fun runs from 5:30 to 8:30PM including a Free No Boundaries Wallet for the first 150 ladies (over 100 include FreePlay), Grandma’s Gourmet Baskets as hot seat prizes, free Bingo Games, free Raffles and a weekly Drink Special!.
• Free-Shirt Thursday: Earn just 50 points on Thursday and get a Free CVI T-Shirt at the Guest Services Counter – plus you keep the points!.
• Point Multiplier Friday: Earn 5 Points on Video Poker slots and 3X Points on Video Reels all day this Friday. 
• Turkey Trot Drawings and Board Game Fridays and Saturdays: The drawings start at 6 PM every Friday and Saturday for the 6:45 PM game. Around 7:30 PM we start more drawings for the 8 PM game. Three people each time qualify for our giant board game with prizes and fun along the way!
• 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.

NASCAR Image Courtesy Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images

From the Sports & Race Book

• Sports Book Mike’s Musings:
• NFL favorites went 5-8 against the spread last week.  7 of the dogs won in yet another wild week. Could the most “consistent” NFL team be the Bengals?
• Speaking of Bengals, the "Dorothy parlay" has not fared well this year: Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my.
• What a difference a week makes: The Ravens were 20:1 to win the Super Bowl. First they beat the Seahawks and then they beat the Patriots and promptly went to 6:1. Sometimes it pays to strike when you have the hunch and not wait until after your team gets hot.
• In college football, some folks are still hoping for those Ducks.  Seems like two SEC teams are nearly a lock, along with the Big10 champ.  So, a Clemson loss looks like the best chance.
• Monday Night’s Chiefs/Chargers game is in Mexico City – normal 5:15 PM start.
• Our Pro Pick’em Progressive Jackpot is at $3,829 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.
• Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch will compete for the NASCAR Monster Energy Series title this Sunday  in the Ford EcoBoost 400 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway
• Seasonal Wagers on board this week include NFL and NCAA Football, NBA and NCAA Basketball, NHL Hockey, Canadian Football Division Finals, Horse Racing and this Sunday’s NASCAR season finale.
• 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 quarters roll to the next week and for the November 18 Chiefs/Chargers game it’s at $81 a quarter!!

This Week in Our Restaurants

Katie’s Specials:

• Wednesday: Spaghetti with Giant Meatballs, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, parsley and toasted garlic bread served from 11 AM to 10 PM for $7.99.
• Thursday: CVI Smokehouse Platter with house smoked pork loin, polish sausage, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes served from 11 AM to 10 PM for $8.99. 
• Friday: Slowly Roasted Brisket with vegetable medley, garlic mashed potatoes & natural au ju for $10.99 from 11 AM to 10 PM.
• Saturday Dinner: Roasted Prime Rib and Fried Shrimp Dinner served with baked potato, vegetable and soup or salad from 4 to 10 PM for $14.99.
• 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:
Wednesday’s special is Beef Tenderloin Brochette with bell pepper, onions, cherry tomato and a spicy sweet and sour sauce. Thursday is the CV Steak Mix Grill, a combination of our Filet Mignon, a Dijon and molasses marinated Pork Tenderloin Medallion and herb marinated Lamb Chop Steak.  This Friday’s special is Grilled Veal “Porterhouse” Chop with a wild mushroom cream sauce. On Saturday night CV Steak features Garlic Studded Prime Rib. This 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

• Hans Eberbach tonight: Vocalist and songwriter Hans Eberbach sings for the band Joy & Madness, an evolution of vintage soul sound with modern classic pop sensibilities. He also fronts his own band HANS! and the HOT MESS – a band that represents his original singer/songwriter/electronic soul work.
• The Funk Assassination Thursday thru Saturday: This family of music renegades is known for viciously executed soul compositions and white-knuckle driving funk. Fronted by the charismatic and soulful vocalist Mark Sexton, The Funk Assassination sound is a tip of the hat to the days of Tower of Power and Stevie Wonder while actively forging the path for a new generation of soul and funk.
• 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.
• Chris Twomey Tuesday and Wednesday: Chris has been writing and playing music around the country since 2003. Born and raised in the Sacramento valley, his roots are deep into a genre of folk-rock. From 2Me to The Diva Kings to Dad’s LPs to whatever is next . . . let’s party!!

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!

Free Veterans Day Spaghetti Lunch, Decades Returns to Cabaret, Much More

Thanks to Our Veterans!

Monday is Veterans Day and we invite all Veterans and Active Military – plus one guest to join us for our annual Free Spaghetti Lunch in the Valley Ballroom from 11 AM to 2 PM. Simply present your military ID for entrance and lunch for you and your guest is on the CVI!  If you don't have your ID, just briefly tell the host about your service to our country and we’ll welcome you! Lunch includes fresh tossed garden salad, spaghetti with choice of marinara sauce or Bolognese, garlic bread and assorted cookies. 

CVI General Manager Steve Chappell has attended all eight of the previous Veterans Day lunches. “We’ve observed so many interesting interactions at this event over the years. Some share military stories with others, some talk current events as they make new friends with a common bond, a few just eat quietly and leave. All express their appreciation either verbally or with a thankful smile. We are truly appreciative of all those who have served (or are still serving) affording all of us with the freedom we enjoy today.”

Comedian Spotlight – Brian Lee

Four accomplished comedians are entertaining in the CVI Valley Ballroom on Saturday, November 23 and we’ve been spotlighting each of these talented make-you-laugh entertainers in our weekly blog.. The Stand-Up Comedy Show includes Brian Lee, Carlos Rodriguez, Kris Tinkle and Key Lewis . . . and this week, Brian is in our spotlight!

Drinking, relationships, lousy day jobs, family life, more drinking, and the possibility of a new religion are just a few of the topics Brian Lee tackles. He also takes audience participation to a new level with his off-kilter game show, “Cerebral Punishment”. In addition to being a veteran of the stage, he is also a Veteran of the U.S. military.  A combined 24 years between the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy has given him quite a unique perspective and has given him the opportunity to perform around the world. Brian was a finalist in The Improv’s Fall Down Laughing competition in Pittsburgh, PA and was voted “Best Comic” at the inaugural Keystone Comedy Festival.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or at the Carson Valley Inn hotel desk.  The show starts at 8:00 pm and is for audiences 21 or over.

Strutts for Mutts Here at CVI

The Animal Rescue Relay Strutts for Mutts is coming to our Valley Ballroom on Saturday, November 16 and this event has about as much energy and momentum behind it as we’ve ever seen for a local fundraiser!  The evening includes a Dinner, Music, Silent Auction, Entertainment, Doggie Fashion Show and more including The Imaginator Syndicate - a group of fun-loving actors who skip the script and leap on stage not knowing where they will land! Animal Rescue Relay is a small 501(c)(3) IRS charitable organization dedicated to the transportation and rehoming of shelter and rescue animals. The group’s rescue dogs will be available for adoption as they Strutt their stuff down the walkway while you vote for the best dressed. For more information Click Here or call Kelly at 775-230-4117. 

$52,000 – What Would You Do?

Our Penny Progressive Jackpot rolled over $52,000 yesterday so we started asking the “what would you do” question. So, what would YOU do with $52,000? Send us and email by clicking here and we’ll consider using your “story” in next week’s blog.

Thanksgiving Dinner To-Go

A reminder that we’re offering a Thanksgiving Dinner to Go for Up to Ten and orders are being taken now. We start with a 20 - 22 pound bird but the turkey will be deboned and the white meat and dark meat cooked separately – much easier to prepare and serve on Thanksgiving Day. Traditional side dishes include mashed potatoes, stuffing, giblet gravy, green beans amandine, cranberry sauce, a pumpkin pie, rolls and butter all for just $99.00 plus tax. Side dishes of yams are $13.99. Orders may be placed at the Katie's cashier counter or call 775-783-6664 and ask for the Katie's supervisor. Pick up is between 9 AM and noon on Thanksgiving Day. All items will be pre-cooked and packaged in oven-ready roasting pans ready to heat per the provided instructions (allow an hour for heating at home).

Some “Special” Days This Week

• Today is National Saxophone Day. Celebrate this Thursday thru Saturday when the saxophone is one of over a dozen instruments played by the trained musicians who comprise the group Decades performing in our Cabaret Lounge!
• Thursday is National Men Make Dinner Day (Must Cook. No BBQ Allowed!). Some men will cook - that's admirable. Some men will bring their spouse to Katie’s or CV Steak and get by on the technicality that "A man cooked our dinner!" That’s our kind of guy!
• Friday is National Cappuccino Day. We'll make you one starting at 6 AM in Job's Perk.
• Sunday is National Vanilla Cupcake Day. We make them here and sell them every day at the Katie's Bakery Counter: Vanilla or Chocolate . . . or one of each!
• Tuesday is National French Dip Day - we serve a great French Dip in Katie's.
• Tuesday is also National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day. Whatever you like on your pizza, you can’t beat our Sister property Bodines Casino – their brick pizza oven and made-to-order philosophy combine for a most-excellent pizza experience.

Poker Room - Pineapple and More

• Our Poker Room has added two special Crazy Pineapple “extras” this week!  This Saturday, November 9 there’s a special $2/$6 Crazy Pineapple Hi/Low Game. And on Tuesday, the crew in the poker room is adding $50 to the pot for the Crazy Pineapple High/Low Limit Tournament at 6 PM.
• And don’t forget the Poker Ladder and Free Roll Tournament Promotion is going on through the end of November. Be sure to use your Inn Club card whenever you play in the poker room and the top 30 players based on points earned in live play will get into the $1000 Free Roll Tournament on Friday, December 6. An updated ladder is posted each week and If you’re not in the top 30, don’t give up . . . many times some of those qualifiers can’t make it for whatever reason and we often go down into the next 10 finishers to get all the qualifiers for the Free Roll Tournament.
• As we mentioned last week, there’s a special bonus for the winner of our daily Opening Shootout during November and December: Each day's winner earns a spot in our $400 winner-take-all Shootout Tournament of Champions on Monday, January 6!  After you’ve qualified once, any future “wins” in the daily Shoot Out gains you an extra $100 to your starting chip stack.
• For more on the CVI Poker Room ongoing featured games, tournaments, and promotions, click here.

Play Our Turkey Trot Giant Board Game!

This Week’s Promotions Lineup

• Ladies’ Night Wednesday: The fun runs from 5:30 to 8:30PM including a Free Silver Platter Serving Tray for the first 150 ladies (over 100 include FreePlay), All Wrapped Up Baskets as hot seat prizes, free Bingo Games, free Raffles and a weekly Drink Special!.
• Free-Shirt Thursday: Earn just 50 points on Thursday and get a Free CVI T-Shirt at the Guest Services Counter – plus you keep the points!.
• Point Multiplier Friday: Earn 5 Points on Video Poker slots and 3X Points on Video Reels all day this Friday. 
• Turkey Trot Drawings and Board Game Fridays and Saturdays: The drawings start at 6 PM every Friday and Saturday for the 6:45 PM game. Around 7:30 PM we start more drawings for the 8 PM game. Three people each time qualify for our giant board game with prizes and fun along the way!
• 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.

We Have Three of These to Give Away

From the Sports & Race Book

• Sports Book Mike’s Musings:
• Favorites went 7-6 against the spread last week.  The dogs won 5 games.
• Actually, the home teams won every NFL game played in the US on Sunday. Home dogs were definitely a good play.
• Just when folks thought the cream was on top, we had one of those weeks in the NFL. Specifically, the Packers and Patriots taking a face plant. Not that it changes the playoff picture, but it does point to how hard it is to pick games each week. The top teams had been covering at a pretty high percentage.
• Big games in College football this week starting with The Golden Gophers hosting Penn State.  Alabama hosts an SEC game this week as well – against LSU, 12:30 on CBS: This week’s talking-sports-heads “Game of the Century!” 
• Our Pro Pick’em Progressive Jackpot is at $3,692 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 Casino, Bodines Casino and SlotWorld Casino.
• College Hoops are Back! Great to see all the college basketball enthusiasts back yesterday for the “opening day.” More games to bet every day of the week so get in on the action! The full slate on board this week includes NFL and NCAA Football, NBA and NCAA Basketball, NHL Hockey, Canadian Football Division Semi-Finals, Horse Racing and this Sunday’s NASCAR Monster Energy Series Bluegreen Vacations 500 at the ISM Raceway.in Phoenix.
• Futures Bets on the board include: 2019 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup, 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 Coolers Want One? All three will be given away on Monday, December 23 during the Packers/Vikings MNF Game. Each has a $300 value and will hold 28 beers at the 2:1 ice-to-can ratio by volume. 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 quarters roll to the next week and for the November 11 Seahawks/Niners game it’s at $82 a quarter!!

This Week in Our Restaurants

Katie’s Specials:

• Wednesday: Spaghetti with Giant Meatballs, mozzarella cheese, fresh basil, parsley and toasted garlic bread served from 11 AM to 10 PM for $7.99.
• Thursday: CVI Smokehouse Platter with house smoked pork loin, polish sausage, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes served from 11 AM to 10 PM for $8.99. 
• Friday: Slowly Roasted Brisket with vegetable medley, garlic mashed potatoes & natural au ju for $10.99 from 11 AM to 10 PM.
• Saturday Dinner: Roasted Prime Rib and Fried Shrimp Dinner served with baked potato, vegetable and soup or salad from 4 to 10 PM for $14.99.
• 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:
Wednesday’s special is Beef Tenderloin Brochette with bell pepper, onions, cherry tomato and a spicy sweet and sour sauce. Thursday is the CV Steak Mix Grill, a combination of our Filet Mignon, a Dijon and molasses marinated Pork Tenderloin Medallion and herb marinated Lamb Chop Steak.  This Friday’s special is Roasted Stuffed Quail with prosciutto, wild rice pilaf and plum port glaze. On Saturday night CV Steak features Garlic Studded Prime Rib. This 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

• John Palmore tonight: Former musical director for the late “LOUIS ARMSTRONG,” John 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 “name” artists.
• Decades Thursday thru Saturday: Since 2010, this electrifying group presents a vibrant and diverse act from Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars Uptown Funk. Decades’ 4-part harmonies and energized rhythm section truly shine when playing hits from the 1950’s to today.  The young quintet includes Jen Benoit (lead vocals, harmonica, flute, keys and accordion), Ben Ruttenburg (lead vocals, keyboards, guitar) Billy DiBono (drums, vocals), Will Watje (lead guitar, sax, slide guitar, piano, vocals), and Tobias Brooks (bass, trumpet, drums vocals).  This band has played nearly 1,000 shows and won WeddingWire.com’s Couple’s Choice Award for 2019.  They’ll be making their European debut June of 2020.
• 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.
• Hans Eberbach Tuesday and Wednesday: Vocalist and songwriter Hans Eberbach sings for the band Joy & Madness, an evolution of vintage soul sound with modern classic pop sensibilities. He also fronts his own band HANS! and the HOT MESS – a band that represents his original singer/songwriter/electronic soul work.

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!