Chautauquans, author and jazz music round out July at Dangberg Historic Park
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Tue, 07/18/2023 - 2:16pm
Event Date:
July 21, 2023 - 10:00am Chautauquas of One-eyed Charley Parkhurst, James Reed, and Alice Walker Hays, along with a jazz concert by First Take featuring Rick Metz, and a presentation by author Paul Franklin, finish out July events during the 2023 Summer Festival at Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park.
On Friday, July 21, from 10-11am, Kim Harris will portray One-eyed Charley Parkhurst, old West stagecoach driver.
Known as one of the premiere “whips” of all stage drivers, One-Eyed Charley Parkhurst came to the West from Rhode Island during the Gold Rush era of the 1850s. At times Charley worked with famous local stage driver Hank Monk who was known as the “Jehu of the Sierras.” Charley’s route was at one time through Carson Valley between the California gold fields and the Comstock.
Kim Harris is an accomplished Chautauquan who has portrayed living history characters for over twelve years, at various venues including Genoa Western Heritage Days, Pipers Opera House, the Gold Hill Hotel, Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, and The Lake Tahoe Chautauqua Festival. Harris currently serves as the events manager at Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park and is the owner and operator of Western History ALIVE! where she portrays several Chautauqua characters including Lillian Virgin Finnegan and Calamity Jane. This event is free for all to attend.
On Saturday, July 22, from 10-11am, author Paul Franklin will give a presentation on his upcoming book Alexander Parker Crittenden – Nevada Mining Lawyer, Adventurer, Confederate Partisan and Philanderer.
Alexander Parker Crittenden was a lawyer, an adventurer, and an early 49’er who travelled by the southern route from Texas through Mexico to San Francisco. With strong Southern sympathies during the Civil War, Crittenden left his successful practice in California avoiding political and loyalty conflicts and migrated to Virginia City where he found the abundance of mining claim disputes a new source of income. His two sons-in-law were also involved with the Nevada mines as assayers and supplied him with much “insider” information on the various mines enabling him to play the Comstock stock market. Much of the profits from this went to Crittenden’s “black widow” mistress who in the end was his demise.
Paul Franklin is a retired executive in the semiconductor industry. Franklin is a frequent lecturer at Stanford University and much of his time is now focused on Western historical research specializing in the areas of mining and its technology. He has published articles in professional journals, been a lecturer at the UNR’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the Comstock Foundation, the Carson City Mint Museum and appeared on the local TV program: Old Tales of Nevada: Past and Present. Franklin’s first book, Anatomy of an Ingot follows the careers of three mining engineers and assayers who figured significantly in Nevada’s early silver mining boom. This event is free for all to attend.
On Wednesday, July 26, from 6:30-7:30pm, David Woodruff will portray James Reed, pioneer, and organizer of the ill-fated Donner Party emigration to California in 1846. David Woodruff and his wife Gayle have written a series of three books about Highway 395. As a Chautauquan, Woodruff also portrays George Whittell, Jr., Snowshoe Thompson, and William Mulholland.
Wednesday evening Chautauqua ticket prices are $15 for 17 years and older. Youth 16 years and younger are free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets can be purchased at dangberg.eventbrite.com. Members of Friends of Dangberg Home Ranch will receive special pricing so please contact the park for more information.
On Thursday, July 23, from 6:30-8:00pm, a concert with First Take featuring Rick Metz, multiple FORTE award winners for Best Jazz Group. The band plays their own unique take on vocal jazz from The Great American Songbook, with selections from Frank Sinatra to Michael Bublé, and the best Jazz of the last one hundred years. They will be performing as a trio, with FORTE award winner for Best Jazz Instrumentalist, Rick Metz, local legend, Jimmy Vermilion, and Bill Heise.
Concert ticket prices are $20 for 17 years and older. Youth 16 years and younger are free when accompanied by an adult. Tickets can be purchased at dangberg.eventbrite.com. Members of Friends of Dangberg Home Ranch will receive special pricing so please contact the park for more information. Space in the performance tent is limited, and advance purchase of concert tickets is recommended. For a complete list of upcoming concerts during the Dangberg Summer Festival, please visit Dangberg.org.
On Friday, July 28, from 10-11am, DebiLynn Smith will portray Alice Walker Hays, first woman to serve as Mono County School Superintendent.
Alice M. Walker Hays was the first woman in California to be elected to Superintendent of Schools in 1876 for Mono County. Hays and her pioneer family’s story are one of true tenacity, perseverance and is set in the remote, wild area of early Mono County, California. She was a dauntless woman, who was not only an educator, but also a community leader. Facing many personal and environmental challenges, Alice Walker Hays and her family were honored citizens of both Bridgeport and Bodie, California.
DebiLynn Smith was born in Bishop, California and raised in Bridgeport, California. Smith performed her first Chautauqua at the age of thirteen portraying Laura Ingalls Wilder and now portrays several ladies of prominence, including Anna Harris and Dr. Eliza Cook, who were pioneers on the Eastern Slopes of the Sierras. This event is free for all to attend.
This season’s Chautauqua programs are all funded in part by a generous grant from Nevada Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities. For a complete list of upcoming Chautauquas during the Dangberg Summer Festival, please visit Dangberg.org.
Visitors should bring their own lawn chair or other seating for all events, and only genuine service animals are allowed. Guests are welcome to bring snacks and libations, as no food or beverages will be available. All events take place outdoors under a large tent. For more information about visiting the park, including guided tours, please visit Dangberg.org.
