Carson City Rendezvous celebrates Wild West history, Civil War-era living

The 28th annual Carson City Rendezvous, the area’s largest special event, returns Friday through Sunday to celebrate the wild west and Civil War era history.

The 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's presidential inauguration is just one of many new events for the free three-day Civil War-era living history set at Mills Park, according to a news release issued by the Carson City Visitors Bureau.

The opening ceremony will be a special re-enactment of the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, the nation’s 16th president, at Mills Park on Saturday at 10 a.m.

To commemorate the Lincoln presidency, Rendezvous participants and encampments will join in one ceremonious pageant of costume and theater, followed by a special swearing in of new U.S. citizens by the U.S. Naturalization and Immigration Department. The opening ceremony will feature a special re-enactment of the Abraham Lincoln's inauguration.

The Rendezvous is noted for portraying the lifestyle of early Nevada settlers, complete with gun skirmishes, mountain man encampments and trapping demonstrations. Organizers this year have moved the famous Civil War-era gun battles from afternoon to dusk, to capture the backdrop of live-fire, flash-bang rounds exploded from muskets.

The event is where the authentic and re-enactment collide, whether it’s the lingering smell of gunpowder after musket battle demonstrations, the boom of Civil War-era cannons or the taste of beans and bacon cooked in cast-iron dutch ovens over an open fire. The all-ages event runs Friday, 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Over 25,000 are expected for:

Musical Entertainment: Western performers for three days including favorites Tom Hiatt, trick roper Karen Quest, Wild West song and dance man Sourdough Slim and Rick Hays & American Steel. Music begins at 7 p.m. during the Friday Night Round Up kick-off party with food, costumed characters and live music.

Mountain Men and women will depict frontier life of Nevada settlers who pioneered their way across the west in the pre-Territorial days. Authentic campsites, teepees, lodges, and weaponry of the day will all be on display.

Staged gunfights: Some of the Old West’s rugged banditos and rough riders exchange words and gunplay to find and protect their claims. A special twilight battle will take place in the big field on Saturday at 8 p.m. prior to the Civil War Ball.

Native American Village: The traditional Native American culture of Nevada comes to life as dancers, drummers and storytellers display an array of music, color, and symbolic representations of a rich and storied history.

Traditional Traders and Settlers: Authentic goods of the day are offered to the general public by traditional traders who look and act every much the part of mid 19th century merchants.

Pony Express: The famed Pony Express will demonstrate the method of mail and message delivery that was vital to the growth of the nation and the expansion of the West.

TNT Stagelines: History enthusiasts can take stagecoach, buggy and train rides to experience a sampling of Old West travel.

Civil War Ball: One of the most popular and widely attended events of the Rendezvous will be featured Saturday at the Pony Express Pavilion beginning at 9 p.m. Costumes, music and manners of the day will be on display.

Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum will be setting up a mock railroad camp with 100 feet of authentic track for willing patrons to operate a hand car.

For more information go to www.carsoncityrendezvous.com or call the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau at (775) 687-7410 or (800) NEVADA-1.