Dayton woman wins CAHI playhouse

Ronnalee Knight of Dayton is the winner of the playhouse built by Citizens for Affordable Housing Inc. and given away in a holiday drawing.

"I was surprised," said Knight, adding that she bought the ticket only as a way to support the work that CAHI does helping low- to moderate-income homebuyers build and own their own homes.

Knight and her husband, Dan, have a son, Daniel, 10, who she said was very excited about winning the playhouse.

The Knights are not one of the 25 families that CAHI has helped build and buy their homes in Dayton this year, but Ronnalee said she supported the group's efforts.

The drawing was a fundraiser for the nonprofit housing development company, and brought in $9,000, which will be used to provide post-homebuilding counseling to 25 new family-builders.

"This one raised $9,000 and one in Southern Nevada raised about $8,000," said Toni Van Cleave, marketing and special events coordinator for CAHI. She added the amount includes donations from Citibank, which sponsored the effort.

Van Cleave said the funds will go to provide post-occupancy credit counseling for the 25 CAHI families in Dayton.

"Once they move into their homes they continue in a credit counseling class, and once they finish with that, we gift $1,000 back to each family," she said.

Van Cleave said the counseling program helps to ensure success of the CAHI efforts.

"With the programs that we have had, we've only had one foreclosure out of all the homes CAHI has built over the last 12 years," she said. "We really try to keep the families on program and on budget. It helps them to continue in their homes afterwards."

There are more winners in Virginia City's Christmas on the Comstock monthlong holiday celebration.

In the Store Window Decoration contest, Elma White's Delta GIft Shop took first place. The Mark Twain Bookstore, owned by Joe Curtis, was the second place winner and the Gifted Cowgirl won third place.

In the Holiday Concoction Contest, where saloons compete for the best Christmas drink, the winner was the Bucket of Blood Saloon.

"Basically, it was a snuggler with some rum in it," said Mitch Giberson. "We made hot chocolate with peppermint Schnapps and added some spiced rum."

Carson City resident Walter Adams wasn't even going to play the Carson Nugget's Bonus Bingo game Monday.

"I don't normally play the Bonus," he said.

But his friend, and fellow "Bingo regular" Dorothy talked him into it.

Now he's glad she did. Walter completed the special "N" pattern in just 26 numbers, to turn his $1 bet into a belated $10,000 Christmas present.

And the spirit of Christmas keeps on giving: Walter says he's going to split his winnings with "Dot."

The $10,000 Bonus Bingo game is a new feature at the Carson Nugget, just added to the schedule on Dec. 1. There are six sessions daily: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.