Train Ride

The 2016 Virginia & Truckee Railroad season chugs full steam ahead starting Memorial Day weekend, May 28-29. Authentic period steam trains ride through the heart of Nevada’s 1860s silver boom towns where legends of the Wild West were born and live on today along the original 16-mile route between Carson City and Virginia City, Nevada.

Travel back in time to enjoy a classic railroad experience aboard the Steptoe Valley Flyer. Pulled by a century-old steam locomotive, the First-Class Passenger Car #5 along with the Railway Post Office and Baggage Car will be departing the Ely train depot just as it did in 1906 to 1941.

Address: Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV 89301
 (at the end of  E.11th Street, off of US 93)

Website: http://www.NNRY.com
Tickets: http://www.nnry.com/pages/special.php - calendar

Contact Info.: Contact phone #: 775-289-2085 or 866-40-STEAM (866-407-8326)

Details: The Night Sky Star Train pulls out of Ely for a special journey to view the wonders of the galaxy. A telescope viewing guided by the Dark Rangers of Great Basin National Park will put you in touch with those beautiful stars of ours. Snacks, beer, and other beverages are available for purchase on-board.

Address: Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV 89301
(at the end of  E.11th Street, off of US 93)

Website: http://www.NNRY.com
Tickets: http://www.nnry.com/pages/special.php - calendar

Mom, long stemmed roses and the Virginia & Truckee Railroad. The annual Mother’s Day weekend rides on the V&T Railroad are set for Saturday and Sunday, May 7-8. The first excursion of the season is also one of the most popular as families spend the day together celebrating mom.

It’s Christmas in March for Tyler Smith, the winner of The Polar Express Ticket Giveaway for tickets to the opening weekend of The Polar Express Train Ride on the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad this 2016 season.

For the past month V&T conducted surveys for customer feedback about their experience with the railroad. Each survey participant was entered in a giveaway to win four coach tickets to the highly anticipated opening weekend of holiday train, Nov. 17-20.

Nevada Northern Railway Museum’s Fireworks Express train ride offers a firework show from the back of a moving train on Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend.

On Saturday, Jan. 16, historic locomotive 93 steams out of the museum and through downtown Ely to launch its fireworks for both onlookers and passengers. Started in 2009 for the locomotive’s centennial celebration, the fireworks express is a popular event and seats on the train often sell out.

Ready to break a world record, Carson City? High school senior, Taylor Weddell is organizing an attempt at the World’s Largest Human Christmas Tree for her senior project. Grab everyone you know and head to Carson High at 10 a.m. Bundle up, and get ready for a good time. Hot beverages will be available to help keep you warm.

SATURDAY:

• Nevada Artists Association Art Exhibit featuring Howard Friedman and Photography by Chas. H. McDonnell, III at the Carson Visitor Center (8am-5pm)
• EAA Sierra Chapter #403 Pancake Breakfast at the Chapter Building: 2500 E. College Pkwy (8am; $5; Everyone Welcome)

The Polar Express on the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad has sold out for the fifth consecutive year, with more than 15,000 passengers securing rides to the North Pole.

A wait list sign-up is available online here that could offer a last chance to ride the Polar Express in 2015. Tickets for next year’s holiday train go on sale in August 2016.

The Polar Express takes its first trip of the season today, and I hope you got your tickets. The annual event always sells out. Check here for ticket information; you may get lucky. Take the kids to the Carson City Library for weekly story time and check out CCAI’s Industrial Art Exhibit while you’re there. Today is the last day it will be on display. Hear stories of Old Virginia City at the Gold Hill Hotel. Or take a trip to the Nevada State Museum: the bombing of a Basque village during the Spanish Civil War and the affect it had on the United States is the topic of this month’s Francis Humphry lecture.
THURSDAY:

• American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout: Take a One Day Stand Against Tobacco at Western Nevada College (college campus is smoke-free for the day)
• ’Lines and Fields: Abstract Narrative Paintings’ by Liz Penniman at the Western Nevada College Main Gallery in the Bristlecone Building

Two weeks before The Polar Express takes its first ride from Carson City to the completely reimagined North Pole aboard the Virginia and Truckee Railroad 88 percent of tickets have already been sold.

A testament to the popularity of the Polar Express — the train ride has completely sold out each of the previous four years — now’s the time to secure tickets so the kids aren’t disappointed.

As of Saturday, I am retiring as the Outdoor Editor for Carson Now and a very special outdoor photographer (my wife Elaine) will also be retiring.
It's been a great run, full of great memories, but sooner or later all good things must come to an end, and Oct. 31 is that special time for the two of us.

One last weekend until Nevada Day, and the ghosts and ghouls are coming out of the woodwork. Learn our haunted history with the Downtown Ghost Walk. For thrills and chills, don’t miss the Second Annual Carson Creepy Short Horror Film Competition in the Brewery Arts Center Performance Hall. For a complete list of all Halloween activities this week go here.

SATURDAY:

UPDATE: The Light after Dark Walk/Run scheduled at Riverview Park in Carson City tonight has been canceled due to the dangerous conditions of the track from the bad weather. We will be letting everyone know soon when we can reschedule. If anyone has any questions or concerns please call Becca or Traci at (775) 883-7654. Again, we are so sorry for the inconvenience.
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Ready for the weekend, Carson City? Don’t miss out on the annual Pumpkin Patch at Seeliger Elementary. This event featuring crafts, games, and music is always fun. Learn about the Basque Culture at the Nevada State Museum. This month’s Family Fun Saturday features presentations and activities. Volunteer Attorneys for Rural Nevadans are hosting a free Legal Aid Fair in the Sierra Room of the Community Center for those of you with questions about civil, non-criminal, matters.

SATURDAY:

• Seniors Swim Free at Paradise Salon and Spa: Executive Pointe off College Pkwy (7am-5pm, except during class times; 55 and older; indoor adult warm saltwater pools)
• TMDTC Dog Agility Trials at Fuji Park (7am-7pm)
• HOSA: Future Health Professionals Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser at Applebee’s (8am-10am; $10, includes: pancakes, breakfast potatoes, bacon, and juice/coffee)
• Bikes for Badges to benefit the family of Deputy Sheriff Carl Howell begins at the Carson City Sheriff’s Department: 911 E Musser St. (8am-10am Same day Registration of cyclists $25; 10am-11am Ride Prep and Safety Briefing; 10:45am kick stands up and head to Chester’s Harley Davidson Reno; 12pm Music, lunch, entertainment, auctions, etc.)

Hello, Carson City. I'm suffering from an internet outage and want to make sure I get this information to you. I truly apologize that it is without my usual links or banter, but my little tablet can only do so much. As always, there is a great time to be had in Carson City, so please take a look at my list, grab your friends and family, and enjoy our great valley!

SATURDAY:

The Dog Days of Summer have hit town, so grab your favorite four-legged friend and have fun. CASI is hosting the ‘pooch plunge’ at the Carson Aquatic Center so that your pooches can beat this late September heat. Join the Nevada Humane Society at Lake Tahoe Brewing Company for the first annual ‘Brew-paw.’ Adoptable pets, a raffle, and more await. Don’t miss out on the downtown walk Sunday following coffee and mimosas at Adele’s. The ‘wag-n-walk’ will end up at the Visitor’s Center where you will be rewarded with a special pet tag.

Do you like shopping, Carson City? Check out the Vintage Fair at Du Sorrella downtown. The last Farmers Market of the season is at Third and Curry, so get your fix of fresh fruits, veggies, honey and more before the leaves fall. Wild Horse Children’s Theater is hosting a huge Warehouse and Multi-family sale; if you need a Halloween costume, you won’t want to miss it. The Teixeira Pavilion at Mills Park is where you’ll find the Autumn Earth Spirit Faire with vendors, workshops, and more.

Ready for the weekend? Enjoy a ride to Virginia City on the V and T, or head out to the Reno Stead Airport for the World Championship Air Races. Dancers can show their stuff at Comma Coffee's monthly World Dance Open Floor. Kick up your heels at Carson Lanes as DJ Cowboy Bobby spins the country hits. Living the Good Life is a good time with DJ Bobby G's Friday Night Dance Party. West Coast Swing is on the menu at Yaple's Ballroom, and you can learn to do the hustle.

FRIDAY:

• Fundraiser for Carson High Safe Grad 2016 Party at Dutch Bros. Coffee (all day, $1 per drink ordered)
• National Championship Air Races at the Reno Stead Airport (8am-4:30pm; $24 general admission)

Ready, set, GO! Whether you want to watch camels race, or hot air balloons light up the sky, this is a great weekend in Northern Nevada. If cool cars are more your style, you’ll find Carson SYFL Sunday Funday Show and Shine at Johnny Rockets. The annual Luau, Auction, and BBQ for the Boys and Girls Club hits Mills Park this afternoon in the Teixeira Pavilion. Enjoy all you can eat roasted pork and Mai Tais for a great cause.

SUNDAY:

• Great Reno Balloon Race at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, Reno (3:30am Gates Open; 5:15am Glow Show; 5:30am Dawn Patrol; 6:45am Mass Ascension Launch; 6am-8am Sign up to be Girl Scout; 4:30am-10am Shopping along Balloon Boulevard)

Ready, set, GO! Whether you want to watch camels race, or hot air balloons light up the sky, this is a great weekend in Northern Nevada. If cool cars are more your style, join the Freaks of Nature Car Club at a show and shine in the parking lot of Yogurt Beach in North Carson. It’s root, root, root for the home team as the WNC Wildcats play a double header at Harvey Field.

SATURDAY:

Many of us will never forget where we were when we first heard about the hijacking and subsequent attacks on the World Trade Center. September 11, 2001 is burned into our collective memory. At 8:30 a.m. this morning there will be a memorial service at the 9/11 Memorial in Mills Park where an I-beam from the fallen towers now serves as a reminder. Even if you cannot make it to the ceremony, please take a moment of silence to remember.

FRIDAY:

• 9/11 Memorial Service at the World Trade Center Steel I Beam located at the eastern edge of Mills Park, near the entrance of the Marv Texeira Pavilion (8:30am)
• Last Day to sign up for Nevada State Museum tour guide training (training sessions are Sept. 15, 16, 22, and 23 from 9am-4pm; training and materials are free; Contact Deborah Stevenson: dstevenson@nevadaculture.org or (775) 687-4810, ext. 237 to RSVP)
• Great Reno Balloon Race at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, Reno (3:30am Gates Open; 5:15am Super Glow Show; 6:45am Mass Ascension Launch; 7am-8am Star Wars Pajama Contest; 9:30am Tissue Paper Balloon Launch; 4:30am-10am Shopping along Balloon Boulevard)

From Carson City to Silver City, Fallon, Virginia City, Sparks and Lake Tahoe, Sunday is filled with activities as we round the corner into the three-day weekend. There's a 5K Remembrance Run in Carson City, a rib cook-off in Sparks, a farm-to-fork festival culinary festival and fireworks at South Lake Tahoe, the Cantaloupe Festival in Fallon, the Comstock Community Rummage Sale in Silver City and the Great Civil War Days Camp at Virginia City.
SUNDAY:

• IHOP 5K Remembrance Run and Walk: free, informal, untimed five-kilometer run/walk is set to start in the parking lot at the Carson City IHOP: 3883 S. Carson St. at 7am and finish at the Nevada Guard's Office of the Adjutant General Complex: 2460 Fairview Dr. (7am-10am; Reflective running/walking gear is recommended and participants should follow the marked course; Civilian participants should arrange ride back to start line)
• First Sunday Breakfast at the Elks Club: 515 N Nevada (bar opens 7am; 8:30am-11am, $7)
• Revolution Dog Sports Rat-tacular Barn Hunt and BattleBorn Bonanza Jack Russell Trials at Fuji Park

Don’t be scared. I know you’re going to take one look at this list and get overwhelmed with all the things going on in the area. I’ve written an overview of some of the bigger things here, but take a look below for a complete list of everything that the Carson City area offers.

SATURDAY:

• California Free Fishing Day
• Revolution Dog Sports Rat-tacular Barn Hunt and BattleBorn Bonanza Jack Russell Trials at Fuji Park
• NAA Exhibit by artist Deborah Foster at the Carson Visitor Center (8am-5pm)
• Third and Curry Farmers Market; Live Music (8:30am-1pm)

Labor Day weekend always seems bittersweet. Sure, it’s a three day weekend and a great time to bar-be-que, camp, or enjoy friends and family. It also marks the end of the summer. Everyone has gone back to school, and the autumn crisp is beginning to sneak in. No matter where you roam this weekend: north, south, east, or west there is fun to be had. Or stick around town and enjoy the many things that make Carson City unique.

FRIDAY:

• Monthly ‘Breakfast with Supervisor Brad’ Bonokowski at the Cracker Box (7am; open to Carson City residents, the coffee is on Brad)
• Revolution Dog Sports Rat-tacular Barn Hunt and BattleBorn Bonanza Jack Russell Trials at Fuji Park

Are you off to the playa? If not, head over to the Carson City Airport for their display of vintage aircraft celebrating the end of WWII. If land-based vehicles are your passion, then the Ferrari Hill Climb along the truck route to Virginia City could be for you. If the Ferraris are too fast, maybe you’d enjoy watching or racing with Carson City BMX at the Livermore Sports Complex off Edmonds Street. For something without wheels, consider the weekly pool tournament at Remedy’s on William Street.
SUNDAY:

• Vintage aircraft to mark the end of WWII at Carson City Airport (8am–3pm; TBM Avenger flight 12pm; free)
• Burning Man begins
• Virginia City Ferrari Hill Climb
• Back to School at Carson Hot Springs (Free 17 and younger admission per paid adult; outdoor pools only; 7am-10pm)
• Annual Outreach and Fundraiser by the Marine Corps League of Carson City Silver State- Detachment 630 at the Walmart store on Retail Drive (8am-5pm; half of the donations go to the family of fallen Carson City Sheriff’s Office Deputy and former U.S. Marine Carl Howell)

This last weekend of August is filled with ways to celebrate your community. Carson Animal Shelter Initiative, better known as CASI, hosts their annual Bark, Whine, and Dine Fundraiser at Fuji Park. Animal lovers can also head to Carson Catalina Apartments for a rummage sale that benefits the Carson Tahoe SPCA. The Carson City Sheriff's Office young Explorers will host a fundraising car wash; The Marine Corp League can be found at the north Carson Walmart; half of the donations received will go to Deputy Howell’s family fund. And don’t miss out on the drought-friendly water balloon ice bucket challenge raising funds for ALS at Butler Meats on Sunday.

SATURDAY:

• Car Wash fundraiser for Carson City Sheriff’s Office Explorers at Unique Sounds: 3080 Hwy 50 East (10am-2pm)
• Virginia City Ferrari Hill Climb
• Back to School at Carson Hot Springs (Free 17 and younger admission per paid adult; outdoor pools only; 7am-10pm)
• Rummage Sale fundraiser for Carson Tahoe SPCA at Carson Catalina Apartments: 700 Hot Springs Rd. (7am-ish until?)
• Annual Outreach and Fundraiser by the Marine Corps League of Carson City Silver State- Detachment 630 at the Walmart store on Retail Drive (8am-5pm; half of the donations go to the family of fallen Carson City Sheriff’s Office Deputy and former U.S. Marine Carl Howell)

The end of August already: how did that happen? This summer seems to have flown by. I guess that’s what happens when you’re having fun. Those of you gearing up for Burning Man have just a few last days to prepare for the playa. And those headed to Western Nevada College have this one last weekend before it’s time to hit the books. Compared to some of my previous Friday lists, tonight is relatively quiet. Don’t worry, though, there is still fun to be had. Check out your options below.

FRIDAY:

• Dennis at Billow's Custom Embroidery & First Responders Uniforms is doing an improv fundraiser today for the family of Deputy Carl Howell. He has t-shirts and decals available to purchase from 11-4:30 today; The shop is located at 1894 East William Street Suite No. 1.
• Back to School at Carson Hot Springs (Free 17 and younger admission per paid adult; outdoor pools only; 7am-10pm)

Planes, trains, and automobiles await! The Nevada State Railroad Museum features rides on the McKeen Motor Car this weekend. Don’t miss out on a trip to Virginia City via the Virginia and Truckee Steam Train: locals get a discount on Sundays when they book online. Ormsby Post Acute Care is hosting a classic car show for their residents, so if you have an automobile that fits the bill, please head on over. The Minden-Tahoe Airport is the home to Aviation Roundup Air Show this weekend. You won’t want to miss the USAF Thunderbird Flight Team. Also on some fierce wheels this Sunday are the Carson Victory Rollers. Our roller derby team is hosting a scrimmage and collecting donations of school supplies at the Community Center.

SUNDAY: Last Day of Jazz and Beyond

• Back to School at Carson Hot Springs (Free 17 and younger admission per paid adult; outdoor pools only; 7am-10pm)
• Quicksilver Agility Club’s Dog Agility Trials at Fuji Park

Hold on to your hats, Carson City, summer isn’t ready to quit us just yet. An aviation air show at the Minden Airport, the coin show and fair at the Nevada State Museum, and a fishing derby for the kids at Little Washoe Lake are only the tip of the iceberg. The Pavilion at Mills Park is where you’ll find the annual Carson High Football Boosters Fundraising BBQ. The Quicksilver Dog Agility Trials are always fun to watch, and they’ll be at Fuji Park all weekend. Carson Lanes has family fun indoors and out all day long during their Bowling Blast-off.

The kids are finishing their first week of school, but the summer hasn’t quit just yet. The annual Jazz and Beyond Festival is heading into its final weekend, and as always, going out in style. Tonight, celebrate Count Basie’s 111th birthday with the Mile High Jazz Band downtown on Third Street. Carson Tahoe Medical Center is holding its 5th annual HopeFest concert headlined by the Young Dubliners. Carson's own, Molly Seals, will be performing, as well.

FRIDAY: Jazz and Beyond