Carson Valley Days button features Centerville bar

This year's Carson Valley Days button features the gone, but not forgotten, Valley Bar in Centerville.

The button is sold every year by Soroptimists to raise money for a variety of local causes, including the Abbey Crossing women's shelter, scholarships for young single women and the student of the month.

Jan Shaw said the Soroptimists discussed the button just after the Valley landmark was destroyed March 26 and decided to feature it.

Centerville resident Julian Larrouy, whose family has owned the property since the early 1940s, said he was touched the organization thought of the bar.

"I'm very honored," Larrouy said.

"They called not long after the fire and I was told by Renee Mack they wanted to put it on the button. At the time it literally brought tears to our eyes."

Larrouy said the button works well with the Carson Valley Days' German theme."When the bar was initially brought down from Virginia City, it was to be a German cheese factory. And the first owner, Chris Berning, was of German descent."

The button is available at businesses all along the parade route, Shaw said. Buttons cost $1 before the parade and $2 on the day of the parade.

The cost of not having a button could be much higher on parade day, as the Soroptimists will be jailing those found without one.

Shaw said they've produced 6,000 buttons and she hopes to sell every one.