cookies

It was the night before Christmas in the capital city which, for a brief time at least, threatened slick and snowy roads but instead brought rain showers as Santa made his way to 86 homes via patrol cars in a caravan led by the Carson City Sheriff's Office Reserve Organization.

In a tradition that spans nearly 30 years, a legion of sheriff’s office volunteers dressed as Santa and elves made pre-arranged home visits around Carson City, delivering mighty roars of “Merry Christmas,” candy canes and gifts for children.

Happy Friday, Carson City, the holidays are upon us in full force! Hanukkah has begun and Christmas is less than a week away. Time to get your last minute shopping finished and get those yummy smelling goodies in the oven. There are still some fun things happening around town, so grab the kids or a special someone and have yourself a holly, jolly time.

'Tis the Season, Carson City! Holiday cheer is in the wind, and we have plenty of wind right now. This weekend is jam-packed with food and toy drives, concerts, and Santa-sightings, so bundle up and have a fun time enjoying our great city.

In this week's edition of It's Your City, Carson City Ward 1 Supervisor Karen Abowd provides an update on the actions taken by the Board of Supervisors at its Thursday, Dec. 4 meeting.

Among the items, the board:

Celebrating 25 years, the Silver and Snowflakes Festival of Lights held at the steps of the Nevada State Capitol Building has become a Carson City Christmas card to the world.

Hello, Carson City! The holiday season is in full swing with tree lightings, craft fairs, Santa sightings all around the area. Every week, I create a list of the fun stuff and events going on around the Carson City area for my Facebook page, I love Carson City. I follow the pages of local businesses and organizations, search website calendars, keep my ear to the ground, and compile a list of anything and everything going on in this community.

The 2nd Annual Ladies Night out Fundraiser for Wendy Robards Universal Dream Park Foundation will be Thursday, Dec. 4 at Fuji Park in South Carson City. Believe me you don't want to miss all the action.

Holly is a five year old canine who was recently diagnosed with papillary squamous cell carcinoma cancer. Holly has been under the care of the Lone Mountain Veterinary Hospital and now requires a very expensive surgery.

Holly's owner, Amy Shelton, is a twenty five year old long time resident of Carson and is asking the community to help in any way they can. Amy, Holly, friends and family will hold a fundraising bake sale, Sunday, December 7th at 1:00pm in front of the Petco on Topsy Lane.

Thanks to big hearts and the spirit of giving, the fifth annual Cookies with Santa, a benefit for Ron Wood Family Resource Center’s holiday fund, takes place Saturday, Dec. 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Café at Adele’s.
Children of all ages are invited to enjoy complimentary hot cider, hot chocolate, coffee and cookies, visit with and have their picture taken with Santa, while helping provide Christmas for children in need.

The Silver and Snowflakes Festival of Lights will officially kick off Friday evening, Dec. 5 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the steps of the State Capitol in Carson City.

Now in its 25th year, the annual event is sponsored by the Carson City Redevelopment Authority as part of their efforts to showcase the downtown core and to bring families together to enjoy the advent of the holiday season.

Seventy-five budding artists from kindergarten through grade 12 entered their art work into an annual contest recently as part of Carson City's annual Silver and Snowflake Festival of Lights.

Each year, the teen board of the Carson City Library chooses a theme to coincide with the Christmas holidays. This year’s theme was “A Novel Christmas,” asking children to draw what Christmas would look like in their favorite novels.

“Tis the Season” again already! For the 16th Year Friends To All volunteers will dress up in Santa Suits and Helper costumes to bring joy and cheer to senior citizens throughout Carson City.

On Saturday, Dec. 13 these festive groups will log between 150 and 200 stops as they make their rounds visiting and delivering gifts. This year we give special appreciation and honor to the man who inspired our program, Raymond Smith, who passed away in September. Ray’s enthusiasm in bringing the joy of a visit from Santa Claus to so many in our community will live on in our hearts forever.

Only 660 tickets remain for the family favorite trip to the North Pole aboard the 2014 Polar Express train, Nov. 20 to Dec. 22, 2014. Select coach seats aboard the all-ages holiday train into a winter wonderland and the world of imagination.

Because of the demand, more trips and passenger cars were added to the month-long event, which has consistently sold out since debuting four years ago and is expected to draw record numbers again this holiday season. Last year more than 16,000 passengers rode the train.

The Annual Silver and Snowflakes Festival of Lights and Official Tree Lighting tonight, Friday, Dec. 5. is more than just flipping on the holiday lights in downtown Carson City; Santa, carolers, soup, hot chocolate, and ice skating all play a part in the fun.

The Itinerary for the festival is as follows:

You are invited to join The Carson City Raiders Booster Club this Sunday, Nov. 16, as they hold their annual Christmas Commitment. During the Raiders game, we will hold live and silent auctions to raise money. Every year The Carson City Raiders Booster Club adopts homebound senior citizens.

Less than two months from departure, tickets aboard the 2014 Polar Express train are on the fast track countdown, with 60 percent of the coach seats and 91 percent of the VIP Parlor Car seats sold. Even with the addition of more trips and passenger cars, the month-long event has consistently sold out since debuting four years ago and is expected to draw record numbers again this holiday season.

Tickets for the 2014 season of the Polar Express aboard the historic Virginia and Truckee Railroad are now on sale. The perennial holiday favorite all-ages train ride from the frosty Northern Nevada landscape to the North Pole, will run from Nov. 20 to Dec. 22. The hour long V&T diesel train ride includes a keepsake silver bell, hot chocolate and cookies, entertainment and a reading of The Polar Express.

Carson City Cadette Girl Scout Troop 196 hosts a free Outdoor Education and Safety event May 3, from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Washoe State Park.

This event is part of the troop earning their Silver Award, which is the second highest award a girl scout can earn. The event is geared toward school-age children, but everyone is invited.

Brownie Troop 115 and Cadette Troop 91 of the Girl Scouts would like to invite our community to help us reach our goal to send 200 boxes of cookies to our service men and women through the NV Project. We will be at Fuji Park Wednesday across from Costco from 4:00-6:00 pm. Help us send cheer to those that protect our freedom everyday.

Brownie Troop 115 of the Girl Scouts would like to invite our community to help us reach our goal to send 200 boxes of cookies to our service men and women through the NV Project. We will be at Grocery Outlet today from 9:30-1:00 pm. Help us send cheer to those that protect our freedom everyday.

Think Kindness and Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada are teaming up to take on bullying by inspiring more than 500 acts of kindness in the month of March, and they’re asking the community to join the cause. It’s simple:

The Outdoor Toy Store in Moundhouse held its first Community Christmas Festival. We wanted to thank all those who helped make it such a success.

The money from the raffle items went to The Ron Woods Family Center and the cans of food that were donated are going to The Dayton Food Pantry. Next year we have promises from other local businesses to help out and spread much needed donations and Christmas cheer to an area that is largely forgotten.

In Partnership with Carson City and community businesses we invite you to this FREE Christmas event for child from Newborn to age Twelve and your families.

There will be FREE Christmas present for a child (one per child, while they last), FREE cookies, FREE hot chocolate, FREE Turkey Giveaways (Find the golden Christmas tree to claim your turkey), and an appearance by Santa Claus and Buddy the Elf!

Don't miss out, come Saturday December 21st, 9:00AM-11:00AM, at Carson City Community Center; located at 851 E. Williams St.

Thanks to big hearts and the spirit of giving, the fourth annual Cookies with Santa, a benefit for Ron Wood Family Resource Center’s holiday fund, takes place Dec. 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Café at Adele’s.

Children of all ages are invited to enjoy hot cider, hot chocolate and cookies, visit with and have their picture taken with Santa, while helping provide Christmas for children in need.

Christmas and holiday lights will illuminate the Capitol Building and downtown Friday night when Carson City flips the switch at the annual Silver and Snowflakes Festival of Lights celebration.

The event brings thousands to downtown Carson City marking the city's official kick off of the Christmas and holiday season. Festivities begin at the capitol grounds, 5:30 p.m. where more than 300 voices of the Carson City 5th Grade Music Students Singing Ensemble will provide musical entertainment.

For the 15th year Friends To All volunteers will dress up in Santa suits and helper costumes to bring joy and cheer to senior citizens throughout Carson City.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, these festive groups will log between 150 and 200 stops as they make their rounds visiting and delivering gifts. Friends to All is seeking names and addresses of seniors who would enjoy a Santa visit this year.

Enjoy a wondrous evening under the stars with our friends from Great Basin National Park as they host the Star Train at Nevada Northern Railway, Saturday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.

There will be a trivia contest on board with prizes for those with their thinking caps on. Passengers will be let off the train in order to gaze through telescopes at the night sky, guided by the Dark Rangers of Great Basin National Park. This is a great train ride that the whole family can enjoy.

Returning with more rides and seat options for its third season after two consecutive years of sold-out tours, tickets to the Carson City Polar Express aboard the historic Virginia and Truckee Railroad are on sale now for the 2013 holiday season.

With just 30 trains in the U.S. that travel to the North Pole, the Polar Express aboard the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad has captured the hearts, minds and imaginations of children, their parents and grandparents making the train tour into a holiday tradition for Carson City area families.

Elaine and I just returned from a memorable visit to a very special place: It was our second visit to that remote, far-north locale. The first time was about 15 years ago, when Elaine and her late husband Jim McGee and I went there to film Canadian fishing experiences for our weekly TV show.

With tradition, community spirit and the launch of the Carson City jazz festival in mind, residents are welcome to a cool summer evening with music and sweet treats as the Carson City Historical Society hosts its annual Ice Cream Social this Saturday.

Festivities begin at 5 p.m. and feature live music, mountain men and quilters. The event takes place at Foreman-Roberts House Park, 1207 North Carson Street. The event is free to get in and costs $3 to enjoy the ice cream and cookies.