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Happy Saturday Carson City! Are you feeling a little lonesome this holiday season? Well have I got a solution for you! Say hello to Loki, Carson City Humane Society’s newest Pet of the Week.

Happy Saturday, Carson Now readers! Let's see what events await us throughout the Carson City region and beyond this weekend.

The Northern Nevada Dream Center's 2nd Annual Dream Christmas Toy Drive is in full swing and still taking donations of new, unwrapped toys for children age 0-18 through Wednesday, Dec. 21.

Most need items include board games, gift cards, makeup, craft supplies and room decor for teen girls and boys.

Wouldn’t you like to celebrate Christmas with a new forever friend purring by your side? Meet Finnegan, also known as Finn. This sweet little guy is quite the character; playful, intelligent, and eager to learn.

A fresh layer of snow on the ground adds to the holiday spirit as the "Santa Train," a much-loved Northern Nevada Christmas tradition, returns to the rails by train this weekend, Dec. 17-18 at the Nevada State Railroad Museum at 2180 South Carson Street in Carson City.

Carson City Elks Lodge #2177 held its annual Hoop Shoot for boys and girls at the Carson City Community Center on Saturday, December 10.

The 34th Annual Dayton Valley Days will be held on Sept. 16-17, 2023 and at Wednesday's Room Tax Board meeting in Yerington, the Board awarded the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce $3,000 for advertising and promotional funds for the event.

The Salvation Army Carson City Corps provides gifts for children every year at Christmas. This year, the Corps is in particular need of gifts for teenagers and is seeking the community’s help.

“We are in particular need of items for teenagers — things like clothes, gift cards, sports equipment, makeup, jewelry and advanced LEGO sets,” said Captain Holly Beeson, Corps Officer for The Salvation Army. “At this point, we do not have enough gifts to distribute at Christmas for these local children.”

Fifth graders at Seeliger Elementary School got into the spirit of the holiday a little bit early with a special visit from Miss Carson City Brianna Cross who helped the students write holiday letters for the elderly in the Carson City community.

GreenUP!, a non-profit working with businesses to reduce waste, announced that several Green Dining restaurants will host a charity drive in partnership with FISH – Friends In Service Helping, a non-profit that provides wrap-around social services to community members in need.

The charity drive will run from Dec. 15 through Dec. 25.

Kids 16 and under are invited to come in a find gifts for the whole family for only $5. A special section in the shop will be set up for kids to purchase gift items $5 and under plus we will be offering free gift wrapping for the kid's gift purchases. This event happening all day on Friday, Dec. 16 from 11am-6pm at MidTown Marketplace, located at 104 Corbett St in Carson City.

On Wednesday, the 18th annual Holiday with a Hero shopping spree took place at North Carson City's Walmart, serving 160 children throughout the school district.

Each K-8 student is provided with a gift card for $100 at the store so that their hero (a volunteer first responder from a variety of careers) can assist them in their shopping spree.

Special thanks to all of the amazing volunteers, donors, and businesses that support our Friends to All holiday program. This year our organization had 15 teams of Santa's and Helper's visiting more than 150 seniors in Carson City.

The Carson City Elks Club is throwing a farewell party for longtime Carson City resident and character Jim Smolenski on Friday, Dec. 16 at 5:30 p.m.

Those who know "Smo" are welcome to come celebrate his moving to Arizona. Bring a potluck dish and stories to share.

The Elks Club is located at 515 N. Nevada Street.

The Carson City SDA Church Food Pantry presents "A Caring and Sharing Christmas Concert" to benefit the pantry.

Please join us Saturday, Dec. 17, 6 p.m., at 405 E. College Parkway for some beautiful holiday music featuring local talent, and a special distinguished guest, followed by cocoa and cookies.

UPDATE: Ticket pricing has been reduced to $30 per family.

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Head down to the Genoa Town Hall this weekend, Dec. 17-18, for some holiday cheer with The Artful Santa.

Hosted by Cotton Candy Clouds, experience hands-on art and ornament-making, story time with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, play and socializing, and more.

This photo was taken in a Dayton neighborhood during our latest storm. Beautifully captured at the very moment the sun is hidden through transparency. The image depicts the gates of heaven opening and touching our world for this brief moment in time.

In the field by 5th Street and Roop Street in Carson City, between the old tennis court and the fire station, is a gravel berm. I work in a building close by and noticed that decorated Christmas trees have been placed along the berm.

Being curious, I walked over there and found half a dozen decorated trees on stands, though not with water, and there was a "FREE" sign in front of them. If anyone needs a beautiful tree, please go look at these trees.

At Hoffman Plumbing, we believe that everyone deserves to have a happy holiday season filled with joy and laughter. That’s why this year, we are proud to be collecting toys for our local Marine Toys for Tots program through December 19th. We know that many families in our community struggle financially and can't afford to provide gifts for their children at Christmastime. By donating a toy or two to this worthy cause, you can help make sure those families have something special under the tree on Christmas morning.

The Carson City Senior Center will host a number of events and activities through December. Among them are free senior bus pass distribution days, holiday meals, a "know your rights" debt collection presentation and more. The senior center is located 911 Beverly Drive.

UPDATE SUNDAY: A fresh layer of snow on the ground adds to the holiday spirit as the "Santa Train," a much-loved Northern Nevada Christmas tradition, returns to the rails by train today, Sunday and again next weekend, Dec. 17-18 at the Nevada State Railroad Museum at 2180 South Carson Street in Carson City.

The train rides, which last approximately 20 minutes, are available from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The manger is ready, and costumes have been fitted. The Living Nativity is awaiting visitors to walk or drive through again on Sunday, Dec. 11, 6:30-8:00 pm, at the First United Methodist Church in Carson City.

UPDATE SUNDAY: Due to the aftermath of the storm overnight, organizers have canceled Sunday's Homestead Holidays event at Carson City's Silver Saddle Ranch.
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On Friday, the first night of Homestead Holidays kicked off at Silver Saddle Ranch in Carson City, located at 2150 Carson River Road.

Due to inclement weather, the event has been cancelled Saturday Dec. 10.

On Sunday, weather permitting, the old timey holiday celebration will continue at 5 p.m.

Meet our last kittens of the season: Crush, Catsby, Carol, Gracie, Tommie Lee, Marble and Chase.

All the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Lodges in the U.S., Guam, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal Zone, including Carson City Elks Lodge #2177, congratulates and offers our gratitude on the 386th Anniversary of the National Guard.

They are older than the formation of these United States. They are older than the U.S. Army. They have been called the ‘weekend warriors’ and ‘citizen soldiers’, yet they have fought in every major conflict in American history. They are 386 years old, being born on Dec. 10, 1636.

Every year, Carson City School District's 8th Graders are invited to attend a trip to Washington DC during Spring Break.

During the chaperoned trip, students will learn about U.S. history and how it influences society today.

This weekend, the annual Homestead Holidays at Silver Saddle Ranch in Carson City is still slated to take place, but Carson City Parks, Recreation and Open Space will be keeping an eye on the weather in case it becomes severe.

This holiday season, take a ride filled with Christmas cheer, treats and a visit with St. Nick himself!

The Carson City Santa Train will steam up for its 38th year on weekends this December, a family favorite event in the capital city.

An anonymous donor has offered to match up to $250,000 from now until Jan. 31, 2023 for the FISH Revitalization Project in downtown Carson City to help double the community impact.

Tiffani Barber was diagnosed with Stage four brain cancer on Dec. 8, 2012. For those who did not know Tiffani, all she ever wanted to do was help people. She carried water and snacks in her car to give to the homeless and people less fortunate then her. It came as no surprise to the people closest to her, when the social worker assigned to her case went to Tiffani's hospital room and asked what she needed.