Carson City, Nevada Day Officials disapprove of proposed statewide changes to Nevada Day observance

Carson City officials, Nevada Day event coordinators, and Carson City's local Assemblyman have all agreed on one thing: that they are not in favor of a newly proposed bill which aims to change the observance of Nevada Day, Carson City's favorite holiday.

Assembly Bill (AB) 83 was introduced in the legislature by Assemblyman Steve Yeager of Las Vegas, proposing to change the observance of Nevada Day to Oct. 31, as opposed to the current observance held on the closest Friday.

The new bill, championed by Yeager of District 9 in Las Vegas, opts for a more traditional celebration of Nevada Day, despite the holiday giving Nevadans an annual three-day weekend since 1999.

Executive Director of Nevada Day Ken Hamilton said he disagrees with the bill because it would have a negative effect on the local economy in Carson City which annually lodges, dines, and entertains those who come to town for the weekend to celebrate.

“I think we’d probably have a drop-off in overall participation, or it would just be more localized,” said Hamilton. “If (the date is changed), and let’s say it falls on a Tuesday, you might still have a pretty decent parade, but I just don’t think you’d have anybody coming from out of town because it would be far more difficult for them to get here and get back.”

Commemoration of Nevada’s statehood was moved by the Legislature in 1999 to the last Friday in October, with the official Nevada Day Parade to follow on Saturday.

According to Hamilton, Representative Mark Amodei and Carson City Mayor Ray Masayko supported Senate Bill (SB) 31 in order to generate more rural county participation in the Saturday parade.

“I think there’s some staunch third or fourth generation Nevadans who think it should have never changed,” said Hamilton. “They probably don’t own a lodging property or they don’t understand that some of our participants are coming from hundreds of miles away, not only from Ely or Elko. They’re also coming from Northern California and Colorado. It gives all these people time to get here.”

Mayor Lori Bagwell said the Carson City Board of Supervisors voted Thursday in support of keeping the Friday observance of Nevada Day intact. The long weekend is an opportunity for rural communities to feel connected to their statehood, said Bagwell, with Friday available to travel to the capital city.

“I think the state as a whole would begin to lose the celebration of our statehood,” Bagwell said of the proposed change. “I just think we have so few things to celebrate these days. I hate to have any pressure that causes us to lose a major event. I really feel it is what connects us to all the other communities in Nevada.”

Mike Riggs, President of the Downtown Business Association, agreed that there is a lot of support for the three-day weekend in observance of Nevada Day because it allows for the ability of outlying counties to bring their parade floats and marching bands to Carson City to participate in the celebration.

“I believe it does generate a lot more revenue for our businesses having it on the last Saturday of the month and I believe it’s what’s best for Carson City,” Riggs said. “I say leave it the way it is; the last Saturday of the month is what’s best for the businesses, the community, and for the state as a whole.”

Although the Nevada Day Parade is not a ticketed event, Hamilton said he and the parade committee anticipate around 30,000 spectators to attend for the three and a half hour event. Additionally, counties like Washoe benefit from the event with air travel and rental car sales.

“It could be a negative impact on the economy,” Hamilton said, “If you take that guaranteed three-day weekend away from not only our capital, but also our neighboring counties, as far as lodging and retail and restaurants and bars. It’s not just the parade on Saturday, there are events that occur on Friday and even into Sunday.”

Ronni Hannaman, Director of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce, said although the observance of October 31 may be more of a governmental holiday, Nevadans down south may not be aware of the rich history the parade and the statehood celebration holds.

“Las Vegas does not understand how important history is to Northern Nevada,” Hannaman said. “This is where Nevada began, and in Las Vegas, they also have the opportunity for having as many parades and events as they wish, which we do not.”

Hannaman said the three-day weekend is a great opportunity not only for our neighbors to the south in Las Vegas to visit the capital city of Nevada, but allows for the “infusion of cash” to the region every year from out-of-town travellers.

“I’ve been in Nevada for 22 years and (the parade) has been going on that long and people don’t know any different,” Hannaman said. “I can tell you for the merchants on that weekend, it is like a prelude to the holiday season.”

Like Hannaman, Assemblyman PK O’Neill of District 40, which encompasses Carson City and parts of Washoe County, realizes the historic value in holding observance to Nevada Day through a three-day weekend. While O'Neill understands Assemblyman Yeager’s representation to his constituency in Las Vegas, he said he does not support the proposed bill.

“Having Nevada Day celebrated on the last Friday of October allows for the various schools, civic groups, elected officials and all celebrating folks to travel to our state’s capital to participate in honoring Nevada’s admission to the Union of 1864,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill said he plans to speak with Mayor Bagwell and the Nevada Day Organization to ensure Clark County entities such as schools, elected officials, civic groups and citizens are invited to join in on the celebration.

“It’s just such a chance for the state to feel connected with one another and feel proud,” Bagwell said. “I certainly would be willing to reach out to the Clark County Commission and invite them to come sit in the stand with me or ride on a float with me.”

Hamilton said he fears the parade will become localized and spectatorship will drastically decline if the bill passes, forcing out-of-town parade participants and parade-goers alike to rethink their annual trip to the capital city.

“We just know that it’s a big party, it’s a lot of people in town, and the local community benefits from it,” Hamilton said.