Hot Dogs

Clouds lifted lazily over the pine nut mountains as Old Glory floated in the breeze. The smell of peanuts and popcorn caught noses with delightful surprise as foot long hot dogs tempted resolves with their sizzle and pop. The sounds of John Fogerty’s Centerfield crackled through the speakers and soon Whitney Houston’s 1991 version of the Star Spangled Banner would bring players and spectators alike to a standing salute.

Ready, set, GO! Whether you want to watch camels race, or hot air balloons light up the sky, this is a great weekend in Northern Nevada. If cool cars are more your style, join the Freaks of Nature Car Club at a show and shine in the parking lot of Yogurt Beach in North Carson. It’s root, root, root for the home team as the WNC Wildcats play a double header at Harvey Field.

SATURDAY:

Meet some of Carson City’s finest artist on Saturday, Sept. 12 between 1-4 p.m. at the Carson City Chamber’s Artisan Store located at 1900 S. Carson Street.

Join the Elks Lodge 2177 for a Benefit Dinner and Concert at the Governor’s Mansion on Friday, August 14, 2015. Proceeds benefit the Carson High School Culinary Arts Program.

The event features Horse Crazy Cowgirl Band.

The program begins at 4:30 p.m. with a Social Hour and a Cash Bar. Tickets are $30 for concert and $7 for dinner.

Dinner features delicious sirloin burgers, jumbo hot dogs, and a buffet of homemade salads and deserts.

Concert begins at 6 p.m. at the Governor’s Mansion, 606 Mountain Street.

With the theme of violence prevention, Carson City Sheriff’s Office will host 13 years of community partnership with local agencies, groups and nonprofit organizations Tuesday at Mills Park with the 2015 National Night Out.

Returning this year after a last minute cancelation in 2014 because of heavy rain, this three hour annual family event is designed to bring children and their parents to the park for activities, music, information booths, demonstrations, hot dogs and refreshments. Festivities begin at 5 p.m.

The summer of 1776 must not have been much different from other summers gone and yet to come: Hot, muggy and miserable for those who had to work out in it. And in 1776 that included most people.

Like any other summer, that particular one 239 years ago was alive with fragrances in full bloom; the sounds of children playing in fields of wild flowers, and splashing about in creeks and ponds where it was cool; young animals frolicking in the fields; men and women toiling in their gardens and on their farms; and the happy songs of birds, crickets and frogs relishing in the summer solstice.

Happy birthday, America! Today we celebrate our independence, and what better way than with a carnival. You might as well stay at Mills Park all day, the fireworks display starts when it gets dark. Tune into Magic 95.5FM and you’ll hear the choreographed music to go along with the oohs and aaahs. Where ever you choose to watch fireworks, please be safe. There are thousands of visitors in the Northern Nevada area this weekend, and law enforcement will be out in full force.

SATURDAY: Independence Day

• Free Swim for Active and Retired Military at the Carson Hot Springs (7am-10pm; outdoor pools only)
• Freedom 5K Fun Run/Walk and Concert in the Park with the Carson Valley Pops Orchestra at Heritage Park, Gardnerville (5K, $20 per person and family rates, free for active/retired military; register 7am-7:45am; Run/Walk begins 8am, Patriotic costumes encouraged; 8am Carson Valley Lions Club Pancake Breakfast $7; Free Kids Obstacle Course 8am; Free Concert begins 11:30am)

Reno-based Sierra Meat and Seafood has purchased The Sausage Factory in Carson City. In May the Flocchini Family, through the holding company, Armand Agra, bought the Sausage Factory from Joe Tonino.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will host the sixth annual Native Species Festival on Saturday, May 30, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center located three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89. This free family event is a great way to spend the day outdoors and learn about native species of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Welcome back from the long, wet weekend, Carson City. Let’s cross our fingers and hope for some blue skies. Congratulations to the teachers, parents, and students out there; just a few more days until summer break. Carson High School Theater invites you to enjoy a performance of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing at the Capitol Amphitheater, or soak up some sun on an afternoon hike with Muscle Powered.

TUESDAY:

• ’New Work’ by artist Pasha Rafat at the Nevada Arts Council: 716 N. Carson St. (8am-5pm)
• CCAI Exhibit: BRIC Art 5 at the BRIC: 108 E Proctor Street (8am-12pm and 1pm-5pm)

Honoring our services members is the theme of this weekend, and there will be a ceremony at Lone Mountain Cemetery at 1 p.m. on Monday.
Current and retired military and their significant others can indulge in a complementary soak at the Carson Hot Springs. Empire Ranch Golf Course is offering a free round of golf with a military I.D., in addition to other specials.
Evergreen Gene’s on North Carson Street hosts their annual picnic on Monday: hamburgers and hot dogs for all.

MONDAY: Memorial Day

Active duty military and veterans receive 50% off your meal Monday from 11AM-3PM for Memorial Day at Red's Old 395 Bar and Grill in Carson City.
• All active and retired military and their wives/husbands/partners are free at Carson Hot Springs
• 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)
• Virginia and Truckee #25 Steam Engine Rides at the Nevada State Train Museum (10am-4pm; $8, $4 kids 11 and under)

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)

After 12 years, the annual Carson City Sheriff's Office Cops and Kids open house Saturday was among the biggest yet, with dozens of families and hundreds of children taking part in games, contests and information events well into the late morning and into the afternoon.

The popular community event is aimed at children of all ages and their families as a way introduce public safety agencies, especially law enforcement, to them. The event is part family carnival without the rides, and part educational experience, where music, food, contests, songs and dancing are the orders of the day.

Smith Valley Branch. The Pony Express rides to Smith Valley Library and Elementary School on May 15, from 12:30 PM to 5:30 PM. The library branch is located at 20 Day Lane, Smith, Nevada. The pony Express event is a cooperative project between the Smith Valley Schools, the Smith Valley Branch Library, and the non-profit Friends of the Smith Valley Library. The event is designed to bring a live reenactment of Nevada history to students and community residents.

Editor's Note: Kiwanis Club of Carson City was accidentally omitted from the list of donors and contributors. We apologize for the error.
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With more than 1,400 hot dogs and buns, 700 sodas, 800 bottles of water, coffee, music, games and prizes all dished up and out to the community Saturday, the 12th Annual Carson City Sheriff's Office Cops and Kids Open House will roll out rain or shine, said Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong.

Editor's Note: Kiwanis Club of Carson City was accidentally omitted from the list of donors and contributors. We apologize for the error.
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The 12th annual Carson City Sheriff's Office "Cops and Kids" Open House, billed as the "Safest Street Party in Carson City," will be this Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the sheriff's office, 911 East Musser Street.

The free community event features, activities, ID kits for children, food, music, games and more. On hand will be the sheriff's office K9 dogs, motorcycle patrol unit, Special Enforcement Team, stellar squad, a new SWAT unit, representatives from DARE, and the Nevada Highway Patrol.

Bike to Work week begins today. Remember to share the road, and please drive carefully as there will be more people in the bike lines. Salvador Dali, the Spanish artist known for his surrealist works, was a bike rider, too; happy birthday to him. An artist reception this evening at the Nevada Arts Council honors Pasha Rafat. Her sculpture exhibit titled ‘New Work’ is on display through July 10.

MONDAY: Bike to Work Week

• White Pine County Artistry by artist Dawn Dot Star at the LXS Gallery in the Legislature Building
• ’New Work’ by artist Pasha Rafat at the Nevada Arts Council: 716 N. Carson St. (8am-5pm)

The greatest Mother’s Day gift for Roberta Rosario is the continued recovery of her 16-year-old son Elijah, who was struck by a car nearly two years ago, suffering critical back and facial injuries and outer brain trauma.

Yesterday, I found myself in Walmart doing last minute “Band-Aid shopping” for a party I was throwing. Band-Aid shopping is a special kind of shopping. No, I’m not talking about shopping for Band-Aids. I’m talking about shopping for items that will be a temporary fix to a problem.

As they say, the show must go on. And when faced with a gas grill with no propane, no punch bowl, and birthday cake without ice cream, I went into go fix-it mode. T-minus one hour until the DJ arrived to set up for the party and I hit the road for a solution.

Hello, Carson City! The holiday season is in full swing with tree lightings, craft fairs, Santa sightings all around the area. Every week, I create a list of the fun stuff and events going on around the Carson City area for my Facebook page, I love Carson City. I follow the pages of local businesses and organizations, search website calendars, keep my ear to the ground, and compile a list of anything and everything going on in this community.

The Annual Silver and Snowflakes Festival of Lights and Official Tree Lighting tonight, Friday, Dec. 5. is more than just flipping on the holiday lights in downtown Carson City; Santa, carolers, soup, hot chocolate, and ice skating all play a part in the fun.

The Itinerary for the festival is as follows:

Here in Carson City, the Nevada Day Parade is a great event, rain or shine, snow, wind, or likely a combination of it all. This year, we are expecting a cold one. Have no fear, however, there will be plenty of places to grab some grub, coffee, hot chocolate, bloody marys, or shelter from the rain while you watch the balloons lift off at 8 a.m. or wait for the 10 a.m. parade.

Annual Pancake Breakfasts:

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada and Northern California. This report is for the week of Oct. 22, 2014.

A retired mechanic from Carson City and some of his friends have pulled out all the stops this Labor Day weekend for a ‘round the clock truck building project that may rival anything done on TV reality shows.

John Jackson’s plan: Refurbish a 1969 Peterbilt 358 into an old school hotrod using parts from six similar rigs. A feat like this would take months if it were a weekend garage hobby and probably cost tens of thousand of dollars.

Elaine and I recently returned from a fun-filled, three-day, fishing and hiking destination in the mountains; and if you like hiking, trout fishing, together with good food and comfortable accommodations, you might be interested in knowing about the Virginia Lakes area in California.

How to get there:
It's easy, just take U.S. 395 south from Carson City, through Minden, Gardnerville, Topaz, Coleville, Walker and Bridgeport to the very top of Conway Summit. At the summit, take the paved road on the right for six miles to the end of the pavement at Little Virginia Lake.

UDPATE: The Carson City Sheriff’s Office regrets to inform everyone that the 12th Annual National Night Out in Mills Park, set for Tuesday, August 5 at 5 p.m. has been canceled.

It has been determined that with the park's current ground saturation from the rain, the quantity of “heavy” public safety vehicles, aircraft and equipment that was scheduled to be on the grassy area of the park would cause irreparable damage. Further, at this late hour, there is insufficient time to orchestrate a reasonable relocation of the event location.

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In time for summer and the July 4 holiday weekend, Carson City's own Sausage Factory now has its products in 14 Raley's supermarkets throughout Northern Nevada.

Shoppers can find 18 varieties of the gourmet sausage, made exclusively in Carson City, in the meat department of any of the grocery stores, said Sausage Factory President Joe Tonino.

"We're proud to be in such a high quality store here in Northern Nevada. Our product line matches well in their meat case," said Tonino.

As Reno’s activity scene and small business offerings continue to rise in tandem, the Riverwalk District is putting downtown on the map with beautiful scenery and cultural diversity enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. And, while poker still races through our blood, Reno is embracing a fresh outlook on the infamous pastime.

Visit the Riverwalk District for the Ride the River Poker Run on July 20, 2014, from 3 to 6 p.m. and help support the Nevada Museum of Art’s summer youth art camps.

WHAT: Ride the River Poker Run
WHEN: July 20, 2014, 3 to 6 p.m.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of June 11, 2014.

Hello fellow anglers, the weather is getting warmer and the fishing is heating up. Memorial weekend is only a week away and we have some exciting things coming up.