Awareness

After the Friday wind and rain, we are supposed to see some clear skies: but don’t quote me on that. You know how the weather here can be. The Third and Curry Farmers Market vendors are tough, though, so your weekly dose of fresh produce will be waiting for you either way. Don’t miss the autumn plant sale at the Greenhouse Project booth. The Carson City Historical Society hosts their second yard sale of the season at the historic Forman-Roberts House on North Carson Street, so have fun treasure hunting.

SATURDAY: Jazz and Beyond

• Ascent Runs: Genoa Peaks Mad-A-Thon: Ultra 55K; Marathon 26.2M, Half-Marathon 13.1M -Begins at Nixon Park in Genoa (6am; all runners must check-in)
• Hot August Nights in Reno and Sparks

This time last year Carson City experienced a downpour that turned Mills Park into swamp land and forced the last-minute cancellation of National Night Out.

As the Carson City region continues to experience similar and strange weather this summer, the skies threatened a bit but ultimately held out for the 13th annual National Night Out with an astounding community turnout. It was as if locals had put all their energy from last year's disappointment to this year's celebration.

HopeFest's "21 Days of Hope" begins Saturday, August 1 and runs through Friday, August 21, During this time, Carson Tahoe Health encourages individuals and businesses to parade support for area cancer patients through social a media campaign.

The early bird catches the worm and in this case, the early bird gets special pricing for tickets to Lake Tahoe’s only farm-to-fork festival Sample the Sierra.

Early bird tickets for Sample the Sierra are available until August 1 and allow you to attend the festival for just $30 to fully experience dozens of restaurants, wineries, distilleries and breweries. Tickets will be priced at $40 per person from August 1 until the festival on September 6.

Nevada Fair pre-sale tickets are on sale at the Carson City Visitors and Convention Bureau for $20.00. The pre-sale tickets are redeemed at the carnival for a wristband that allows you to ride all day on the day you choose to use it. Wristbands purchased at the fair are also $20. Pre-sale ticket sales will end Thursday.

Nevada Humane Society is issuing a big public thanks to Dick Campagni’s Carson City Toyota Scion for generously donating a 2015 Toyota Corolla as the grand prize for the annual Duck Race and Festival set for Sunday, August 23 in Reno.

On race day, 30,000 bright yellow rubber ducks will race down the Truckee River to raise money and awareness for homeless pets. The first duck — not necessarily the fastest duck — to reach the finish line and enter the official duck trap will be the grand prize winner and can walk away with the Toyota Corolla that night.

Four remote mountain peaks in central and northeastern Nevada are home to a new real-time camera fire-detection system that is helping to protect Nevada’s forests and rangelands.

A Bureau of Land Management Nevada grant awarded to the University of Nevada, Reno to develop, install, and maintain a remote camera system, is in the initial phase of a five-year planned comprehensive network to cover vast areas of the state for early fire detection and response.

For the third year in a row, Northern Nevadans will be walking or running to raise critical funds and awareness for those affected by inherited bleeding disorders during the 2015 Hemophilia Walk & 5K.

The one mile walk and 5K are scheduled for Saturday, September 12, 2015 at Virginia Lake Park in Reno. Participants are strongly encouraged to register for the walk at hfnv.org and begin collecting sponsorships.

The smell of hot pancakes and sausage was a delicious invitation to local families at the Elks Lodge in Carson City on Sunday morning. Breakfast was served up sizzling by the Western Nevada College Student Veterans Club, which hosted the event to raise money to send seven students to Orlando for the student Veterans of America Conference in January.

The Student Veterans Club aims to advance the quality of life and education for student veterans. The club gives back to the community by funding veterans' needs and participating in community events such as the suicide awareness walk.

One of the basic threads of conversation is listening. And that's why Carson City Supervisor Jim Shirk is seeking feedback from his constituents.

“My goal: Improve communication between city government and citizens. Meeting members of the community on their terms will help to build community awareness. We need to find ways to broaden and deepen the community access to local government, and the first step: ease of accessibility.”

Shirk says he is available six days a week, excluding Sunday, to meet at his office or at a convenient location.

History shows time and time again our greatest accomplishments at Lake Tahoe are achieved when people work together. In the past, Tahoe was known as a place where unproductive interactions between stakeholders led to a stunning decay in our environment and our economic vitality, creating a region that seemed frozen in time.

Northern Nevada Development Authority’s Executive Director, Robert Hooper, is set to join Gov. Brian Sandoval, the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and a sub delegation from the Sierra region, including Carson City manager Nick Marano, on an upcoming trade mission to England, Ireland, Germany and Poland.

The trip, set to begin Monday, July 20, is focused on building international awareness of the economic opportunities in Nevada and creating synergies between the Silver State and European countries.

Happy Thursday, Carson City! The skies are blue, the sun is shining, and not a thundercloud in sight. It’s hard to believe that it’s already the middle of July, and the Nevada Fair at Fuji will be upon us in no time. Head over to the Carson Visitor Center by the Museum and pick up a discounted pass for the Carnival: just $20 for a day of unlimited rides. Take a look at the list of things to do for some fun options tonight: music, dancing, karaoke. There is a special symposium at the Brewery Arts Center featuring speakers and experts on the transgender community that will be ready for your questions.

THURSDAY:

• One Putt Jr. Academy at Silver Oak Golf Course (sign in 7:45am, 8am-10am; $40 per class or $200 for six classes: includes Green Fees, Pull Cart, Golf Clubs, Gatorade; space limited, ages 7-12)
• Industrial Art at the CCAI Gallery in the Courthouse: 885 E. Musser (8am-5pm)

More than 150 golfers are expected to compete in the 16th annual Western Nevada College Golf Classic to be held Friday, Sept. 18 at Silver Oak Course. Signups are now underway.

Proceeds from the annual tournament hosted by the Western Nevada College Foundation benefit College programs, help students achieve their academic goals and give back to the community as a skilled, educated workforce.

Participants in the annual Wildfire Awareness Half Marathon and 5K Runs in Washoe and Clark counties raised more than $15,000 for the Wildland Firefighter Foundation.

Saturday afternoon, 17 teams gathered at Mills Park in Carson City with one goal on their minds: to help finish the fight against cancer. The Carson City Relay for Life brought the community together to raise money, awareness and to educate each other on the battle against cancer.

Kimi Cole of Gardnerville described her typical day. “I get up in the morning, shower, eat breakfast and go to work,” she said. “I do my laundry, clean my house, go to the grocery store. That’s what being transgender means to me.”

A motorcycle rider who's trying to visit all 50 state capitals stopped in Carson City on Friday to raise awareness about motorcycle safety.

On Saturday July 11th, 2015, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office will be participating in the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” to be held at Mill’s Park from noon to midnight. Team leaders Chief Sharon Daniels and Deputy Kip Lee who are recovering cancer survivors are looking for additional walkers and runners to join their team during this most worthwhile event.

With our recent heavy rains and floods, Nevadans can go to NevadaFloods.org to find information on what areas are most at risk, how to be prepared for floods, what to do and what not to do during a flood, and more.

The 2015 Carson City Relay For Life is scheduled for Saturday, July 11 at Mills Park in Carson City. The event kicks off at noon with featured speakers including Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell, a cancer survivor. Music for the Opening Ceremony will be by The Whiskey Heroes with the Luminary Ceremony featuring Carson City singer Molly Seals beginning at 9 p.m.

Personal use fireworks are illegal to use or possess in Carson City, Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding counties, including sparklers and so-called “safe and sane” fireworks. As you enjoy your holiday, leave fireworks to the professionals by attending one of the many public displays around Carson City and Lake Tahoe.

This time last year, Lake Tahoe made headlines around the world for an embarrassing amount of trash left on the beaches after the Fourth of July festivities. To prevent that from happening again, the community is rolling out a secret weapon: a humorous new campaign that aims to remind folks to take care of the region.

East Fork Fire Protection District reports that all six fires that were reported Saturday are at 1-acre or less in size and, have been extinguished or have crews on scene mopping up the fires as of Sunday morning. The crews have orders for full extinguishment, said Sgt. Pat Brooks of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

Concerns are the potential for new fires starts due to the multiple lighting strikes that occurred during Saturday's storm that pushed through the valley.

A panel discussion about transgender awareness, featuring experts who will present the facts and answer questions, will be held Thursday, July 16 at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City.

Presenters include transgender persons and healthcare professionals with specialized experience treating and supporting them. A question and answer session will follow the discussion. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Happy Tuesday, Carson City! Summer is here in full force, so get yourself up to Lake Tahoe to escape the heat, or head over to your favorite watering hole for an icy beverage. Swing by Capital Ford this afternoon to get a glance at the Wounded Warrior’s High Five Touring Vehicle and make sure to leave your signature and a message on it, as well.

TUESDAY:

• Reno Rodeo (Ticket prices range from $12 - $27) and Carnival (4pm-12am) at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center
• One Putt Jr. Academy at Silver Oak Golf Course (7:45am sign in, 8am-10am; $40 per class or $200 for six classes: includes Green Fees, Pull Cart, Golf Clubs, Gatorade; space limited, check availability; ages 7-12)

Airplane owners, their aircrafts, old cars and motocycles, pilots, sponsors, vendors and guests of all ages can be found at the Carson City Airport grounds today, Saturday, for the airport's annual open house.

Planes will take to the skies through 4 p.m. The event is free and guests can can participate in interactive activities and magnificent displays the open house offers.

We face some big, daunting environmental restoration challenges here at Lake Tahoe. But helping our environment every day can be as simple as riding a bike, walking, or taking transit. And the hundreds of people who participated in the Tahoe Bike Challenge this June, including many of our employees at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, are showing how big of an impact our individual actions can have.

A famous bear visited Heavenly Mountain Resort Tuesday to raise awareness about fire danger in Lake Tahoe. Thanks to Heavenly Mountain Resort for helping out Smokey Bear by banning all smoking on the mountain.
Here, Smokey uses the telescope at the Gondola mid-station to check out the work the Forest Service and its partners have done to reduce hazardous forest fuels and protect Lake Tahoe communities from severe wildfire.

A week before the Carson City Airport Open House, aviation enthusiasts can get a thrill of the vintage aircraft variety this weekend aboard the "Tin Goose." The airplane will soar Saturday and Sunday over the capital city, taking community members on rides both days.