bluegrass

Can you believe it? It’s the last weekend of July and the kids will be headed back to school in no time. Don’t be dismayed though, plenty of summer fun can still be found. Sign the kids up for the Capital City Kids’ Triathlon at the Carson Aquatic Center. Head out to Mills Park for a few laps on the train or a picnic. Don’t miss out on making a bowl for the Empty Bowls project at the Farmers Market; or let the kids run off to the bounce house while you make a bowl yourself.

SATURDAY:

• Capital City Kids' Triathlon: Swim, Bike, Run at the Carson Aquatic Center: 841 N. Roop St. (registration begins at 7:30am, must check in 30 minutes prior to start time; $25 same day registration; ages 13-18 8am start; ages 11-12 8:45am start; ages 9-10 9:30am start; ages 7-8 10am start; ages 4-6 10:30am; must provide own bike and mandatory helmet)
• Poker Ride and Ice Cream Social hosted by Nevada All State Trail Riders at Silver Saddle Ranch: 4901 Carson River Rd (sign in 8am; $20 per poker hand; hikers, cyclists, and horse riders will each have own trail; begin at 9am)

Boot stomping to bluegrass in a 1920’s boat house turned theater with Lake Tahoe in the background, kicking back at free concerts on a historic lakeshore estate’s grand lawn, and experiencing the Washoe tribe’s ceremonial dances and drumming are some of the many iconic experiences at Lake Tahoe’s Valhalla Arts, Music & Theatre Festival this July.

A highlight of the 2015 Jazz & Beyond Festival will be a two-part Motown special. First is a free lecture-demonstration by musician-educator John Shipley. It will feature music, visuals, a guitar raffle, a no-host bar, and a guest appearance by Lloyd Williams of Otis Day and the Knights on Monday, August 17, at the Brewery Arts Center.

The second part of the Motown special is a ticketed concert showcasing Williams, the original singing voice from the hit movie Animal House, on Tuesday, August 18, 7 p.m., at the Carson City Community Center, 851 E. William Street in Carson City.

Boot stomping to bluegrass in a 1920’s boat house turned theater with Lake Tahoe in the background, kicking back at free concerts on a historic lakeshore estate’s grand lawn, and experiencing the Washoe tribe’s ceremonial dances and drumming are some of the many iconic experiences at Lake Tahoe’s Valhalla Arts, Music and Theatre Festival this July.

Bikes, and cars, and brews: oh my! Downtown Carson is awash in activity on Saturday. Battleborn Brews, Bikes, and Bubbly features the Extreme Motor Officer Training Challenge, vendors, a brewfest, moustache competition and more. The Karson Kruzers are hosting their annual car show at Fuji Park, but will be making their way downtown after it’s over, so there will be plenty of cool cars to admire. Mojo Green takes the stage at 7 p.m. and you can head into the Carson Cigar Company to enjoy Reno’s newest Pink Floyd Tribute Band, Scarlett Moon at 9 p.m.

SATURDAY:

• Karson Krusers’ Run Whatcha Brung Car Show at Fuji Park (registration 7am-9am; show and vendors until 6pm; parade to downtown 6pm)
• Youth Theatre Carson City Showstoppers Fundraising Yard Sale on Ophir Circle, off Richmond (8am-3pm; help send them to perform at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)

The weather app on my phone says that it’s supposed to be a sunny weekend hitting a high around 91 degrees. That sounds like summer to me! Get out and enjoy our valley and the surrounding towns, there will be plenty of good times. Carson Valley Days has begun in our neighbor to the south, complete with carnival at Lampe Park. Tonight, welcome a new exhibit in the CCAI Gallery at the Courthouse: a reception for the artists of ‘Industrial Arts’ begins at 5 p.m. Meet the Journey of Hope bike riders at Western Nevada College; plenty of activities for everyone.

FRIDAY:

• Industrial Art at the CCAI Gallery in the Courthouse: 885 E. Musser (8am-5pm)
• Annual Rummage Sale for the Dayton Valley Historical Society at the Carson and Colorado Depot at the corner of Hwy 50 East and Main St., Dayton (8am-6pm)

It’s a Railroad kind of weekend in Carson City. The historic 1885 Glenbrook Steam Engine will be on display Saturday, all steamed up with the Inyo at the Nevada Railroad Museum. You will want to arrive before the dedication ceremony at 11 a.m. to get the best photos. The V and T Steam Engine #25 will be running all weekend if you want to take a ride. It’s also opening weekend for the Virginia and Truckee that departs from the Eastgate Depot for Virginia City. Roundtrips sell out fast, so make sure to get a reservation if you want to go.

SATURDAY:

• Memorial Day Specials at Empire Ranch Golf Course (free 18 holes with Military I.D.; free bucket of balls if wearing red, white, and blue; free draft beer if wearing camouflage)
• Coffee and Donuts with EAA Sierra Chapter 403 at 2500 E. College Pkwy (8:30am-12pm, all welcome)
• Early Spring Farmers Market in the south parking lot of the Greenhouse Garden Center (9am-1pm)

The weekend is almost here, and it’s one of those wonderful three day ones. You’ll find festivities all over, but I know better than to try to guess what kind of weather we’ll see. Rain is predicted, but the weather is the one thing we don’t bet on here in Northern Nevada. Keep dry today at the Senior Celebration at the Nugget sponsored by the Senior Service Network. Tap into the steamy south tonight with the Southern Drawl Band. The Brewery Arts Center is the only Nevada venue on their coast to coast tour, and this Country, Southern Rock, Trop Rock, Bluegrass blend of music is sure to be a great show!

THURSDAY:

• CCAI Exhibit: Tuscarora, by artist Ron Arthaud at the Carson City Community Center’s Sierra Room (available during public meetings and most evenings 5pm-8pm)

The Washoe Valley Alliance will play host to a full day of festivities on Saturday, May 16, 2015 during the second annual Celebrate Washoe Valley event at Washoe Lake State Park.

Celebrate Washoe Valley is a special event created to help educate, inform and engage the community about the importance to maintain the natural beauty and preservation of the Washoe Valley.

The Washoe Valley Alliance will play host to a full day of festivities on Saturday, May 16, 2015 during the second annual Celebrate Washoe Valley event at Washoe Lake State Park.

Celebrate Washoe Valley is a special event created to help educate, inform and engage the community about the importance to maintain the natural beauty and preservation of the Washoe Valley. Admission is free to attendees courtesy of Washoe Lake State Park and guests will enjoy live music and complimentary food provided by the Boy Scouts.

Just remind yourself that these April showers bring May flowers, and the balmy spring weather is returning in just a few days. This weekend has indoor and outdoor activities aplenty, so you can choose the degree of wind and rain you want to deal with.

The sun is shining, the flowers blooming, the birds chirping, the wind gusting, and Carson City is hopping! Easter fun can be found this weekend at the annual EGGstravaganza at Carson Tahoe Medical Center, the Children’s Museum, the Carson Mall, and the Brewery Arts Center.

Head over to Mills Park for the Vietnam Veterans Day Celebration, complete with military vehicles, exhibits, and more. For demonstrations from soldiers with an even older history, the Nevada Civil War Volunteers will be in Dayton Saturday.

If you have the kind of luck that brings rain as soon as you wash your car, please drive over to Squeaky’s Car Wash at the corner of Highway 50 E and Lompa Lane. It’s their opening weekend and they are offering free car washes and raising funds for the Carson City Community Counseling Center.

If you consider yourself adventurous, then the Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry in Virginia City is for you. It’s not nicknamed the Testicle Festival for nothing! If you need some liquid courage, take part in the Ball Breaker Saloon Crawl. The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade heads down C Street at noon.

Keep up the snowy thoughts, Carson City. We desperately need the water, the ski resorts need visitors, and those mountains are so much prettier with a blanket of white. Wildcat Softball on Saturday is weather pending, so it’s too early for me to call it canceled.

First things first. I want to send a big shout out and good luck to all of our Carson kids that are competing at the Flips Invitational Gymnastics meet in Reno this weekend. For those of you who aren't the proud parents of tumblers, Carson City has plenty to keep you busy.

The Bluegrass and Strings Series continues with Grassland Road on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7pm in the Brewery Arts Center's MHJ Black Box Theater.

Bluegrass lovers will recognize most of the players in this brand new local band—Charlie Edsall on guitar, Mike Madan on mandolin, Glenn Buschine on bass and Hal Horn on banjo. Seasoned players with a brand new sound!

Since joining the Brewery Arts Center a month ago, I've had the pleasure of enjoying some memorable performances at the Maize Harris Jesse Black Box Theater. It left me wondering what took me so long to get on the BAC bandwagon.

First there were the haunting Celtic airs of kilted bagpipe player Sean Cummings, accompanied by harpist Anne Roos.

Happy Black Friday, Carson City! I hope you have all survived the gluttony and gratitude that is Thanksgiving and are ready for the weekend. I am once again pleased to bring you the event list that is featured on my Facebook page, I love Carson City. I follow the pages of local businesses and organizations, search website calendars, and compile a list of anything and everything going on in this community weekly.

The Traditional American Music Project and The Brewery Arts Center present "Strange on the Range" Saturday, Nov. 29, 7 p.m. in the MHJ Black Box Theater in Carson City.

If you are looking for something different to do this Saturday night, why not try digging some dirt? I'm talking about Red Dirt Country music, that is. If you love new style country music, 90s alternative rock, and funk, Red Dirt style tunes will be music to your ears and Bobby Parks will be performing it live in the heart of downtown Carson City, Saturday, Nov. 15 at 8:30 p.m. at Caterpillar's Hookah Lounge on South Carson Street.

Jam band favorites The String Cheese Incident will play the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno on two nights in January and a three night Las Vegas show in February, the band announced Tuesday.
String Cheese Incident will play the Grand Sierra Theater Jan. 23-24 as part of its 2015 Winter Carnival Tour.

The Roots Music Series presents ACOUSTIC SOLUTION, Nov. 15, 7pm, in the Brewery Arts Center's Maizie Harris Jesse Black Box Theater, 449 W. King St. Tickets are $15 at the door, $8 for BAC members and $10 in advance here.

Happy Friday, Carson City. Many people in our area have Facebook accounts, but not everyone, so I am pleased to bring you the event list that is featured on my Facebook page, I love Carson City.
Every week, as I have for the last two years, I follow the pages of local businesses and organizations, search website calendars, and compile a list of anything and everything going on in this community. Some of it is family friendly, some is just for adults, but all of it is nearby.

Oct. 24. Friday, 7pm, in concert Ron Spears and Friends perform in Brewery Arts Center's Maize Harris Jesse Theater. This legendary tenor has performed with the greatest of the bluegrass greats, including Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver and Special Consensus! Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $12 for BAC members.

Join us Oct. 20, 7 p.m. inside the Carson Lanes Center in Carson City for an incredible evening of amazing talent and down right good times with Whiskey Tango from Denver and The Refiners from Reno.

Bluegrass fans take note: Sept. 27, 7 p.m., in the BAC’s Maize Harris Jesse Theater, the Roots Music Series presents The Slide Mountain Band.

This wonderful acoustic group has played all over Northern Nevada, and Eastern California. (They will drive further for hamburgers.)

Northern Nevada’s premier local food event returns Sept. 13 to Fallon, Nev. showcasing three of the region’s top culinary experts during Tractors and Truffles, a day of farm tours, wine tasting and fine cuisine topped off with a multi-course dinner prepared and served on-site in Fallon’s beautiful Oats Park.

Many celebrations are scheduled throughout the Silver State in the month of August. These Nevada 150 events celebrate all things Nevada and help bring awareness to the 150th Anniversary of Statehood. The following events are held Aug. 15 through Aug. 31.

Tickets are on sale now for northern Nevada’s premier farm-to-fork event, Tractors & Truffles, Saturday, Sept. 13. Enjoy a day of farm tours and a hosted lunch, along with a late afternoon cocktail hour followed by a multi-course dinner prepared on-site in Fallon’s beautiful Oats Park. Using northern Nevada’s freshest harvest from local farms and ranches, Chef Ryan Scott is back for an encore performance.

NV 150 Fair events continue all day long Saturday at Fuji Park in Carson City. Parking is available at Casino Fandango, with shuttle bus service to and from the fairgrounds.

Among today's activities, there will be livestock shows, sales and demonstrations, carnival rides and games, fly tying demonstrations, cloggers, a dog show at 4 p.m. Sons of Slide Mountain Band beginning at noon, Youth Theater Carson City performance at 12:30 p.m.

On stage The Mountain Girls (band) at 4:30, Ranch Rodeo at 5 p.m., live music with CW Bayer and Mr. Spoons at 5:30 p.m.