Lifestyle

This week's Women to Women features Rebecca Ortiz, an 18-year-old Carson High School graduate. Rebecca plans on attending University of Nevada, Reno for premedical studies this September.

She is the youngest woman ever to be interviewed on Women to Women, but it is the encompassing aspect of her senior high graduation project that brought her into local and statewide attention.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe will host its annual Keep Tahoe Red, White and Blue Beach Cleanups at five locations throughout Lake Tahoe on July 5. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are invited to join the effort from Tahoe City to Nevada Beach and South Shore.

Easy Company, 506th parachute infantry regiment, 101st Airborne Division was not the only band of brothers. Most of the 16 million men who served our country during WW II became closer to their shipmate or foxhole buddy than their own family. The First Special Service Force, the Black Devils, was a brigade of commandos from two nations, 60 percent USA and 40 percent Canadians.

The 21st annual Taste of Downtown kicked off Saturday evening and continued early into Sunday morning in Carson City. From Fifth Street on the event covered 13 city blocks, packing the sidewalks with locals and visitors. With restaurants and bars from near and far all setting up stands with the hopes of being voted Carson City's best, there was no shortage of food, drinks or fun in the thriving heart of downtown.

UPDATE: Get it while it's hot this Saturday and Sunday in Carson City. The Honor Flight Nevada program and Glen Eagles will host the High Sierra Regional Chili Cook-Off and Craft Fair this weekend.

International Chili Society chefs will compete for a chance to go to the World Cook-Off in Las Vegas. The public is invited to sample red and verde chili as well as salsas. Tasting kits are $3 each. The "People's Choice" Chili award will be determined by the vote collected by everyone who samples.

Looking for summer activities for Carson City youth? Western Nevada College has added a College for Kids camp during the last two weeks of July.

Two weeklong sessions are available. Choose one class for one week at $56 per class; choose two morning or afternoon classes for one week for $90, or choose both daily sessions for $120 per week.

This week's episode of Women to Women features Janet Geary, publisher of Nevada Magazine.

In January 1936, Nevada Highways and Parks, known today as Nevada Magazine, was introduced by the state highway department. Always an information source for Nevada residents and tourists, what started as a digest-sized bulletin has grown into a colorful magazine.

Join in the fun as Pink Day once again comes to Nursery and Gift store - Evergreen Gene's Inc.
1811 N. Carson St. Carson City, Nevada 89701
June 28, 2014 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

20% of the proceeds from any pink plant or item goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Evergreen Gene's will have Vendors:
Local Authors, Sandie La Nae and Mary Randall, Burton's Creations, Miniatures by Claudio Schaal, Bridger Mountain Boutique, MORE!

And Entertainers:

On this week's It's Your City, Camille Jones, manager of the Carson City Greenhouse Project discusses spring and summer activities at the facility, located behind Carson High School.

A feast of pancakes and books were the order of the morning Saturday at the Carson City Library. Kalani Munoz, 1, eats with the family at the annual Pancake Breakfast and Summer Reading Program kick off at the Carson City Library in Carson City, Nev., on Saturday, June 14, 2014. In the second photograph, locals enjoy the annual event.

Blinky Man, Carson City’s summer costumed night time bike ride with lights, will be blinking and biking its way through town this Saturday, June 14.

Riding the success of last year’s two events, this creative and inclusive bicycle community rides throughout town stopping at some of the best thirst parlors and restaurants around.

Fully costumed from head to tire, the group spreads smiles and good times to all that come in contact while supporting local businesses. Meeting Spot will be at Caterpillar’s Hookah Lounge between 6:30pm – 7:30pm.

Discover the wonders of the night sky at Washoe Lake State Park on Saturday, June 21 as local astronomy experts Jay Lawson and Adam Kremers will have telescopes set up to view Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and all the best objects of the summer Milky Way.

The Summer Solstice Astronomy Party runs from from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. or later at the Maze/Playground (Overflow) parking area inside Washoe Lake State Park.

Saturday evenings will be stellar this summer at the Jack C. Davis Observatory of Western Nevada College. A series of free slide lectures will be offered, June 14 through August 23. Doors open at 7 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. lectures.

Mike Thomas will offer lectures on June 14, July 12, August 9 and August 23. John Dykes will offer a lecture on July 26. On all Saturday evenings, the observatory will continue its Saturday Star Parties featuring free telescope viewing at the Carson City location.

Lecture Topics include:

Carson City Library will host the 2014 Spokes team Monday as they ride through town. The group of seven students and alumni from Harvard, MIT, and Columbia are biking from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.

Spokes America is a bike trip across the United States designed to make STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) accessible to students everywhere. The Spokes team will be at the Carson City Library with plans to run a “Learning Festival” during their June 16 visit.

Lisa Schuette is this week's guest on Women to Women. Lisa is founder and chair of the Carson Animal Services Initiative, a non-profit organization with a mission of raising money to assist Carson City as it builds a safe and modern animal shelter.

The Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada have picked Johnny Rockets restaurant inside the Carson Lanes in Carson City as their spotlight business of the month. This means for the entire month of June, general manager Tamara Jennings, the Johnny Rockets staff and customers will be collecting funds for a donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada.

Western Nevada College and the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities will host a Journey of Hope Celebration on Friday in Carson City for 35 cyclists who are riding from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to support those with disabilities.

Friday’s free social gathering, which promotes disability awareness and community education, is open to the public and runs from 5 to 8 p.m. in front of the Dini Student Center at WNC.

This week's Women to Women is with Dr. Robin Titus from Smith Valley, Nev. She is running for Nevada Assembly, District 31.

In its third season, Women to Women Nevada, hosted by Carol Paz of Carson City, is televised on Charter Media every Thursday at 7 p.m. on Channel 190 in Carson City, Gardnerville, Dayton, Reno, Sparks, Fernley, Fallon and Lake Tahoe. The program also airs Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays at 8-8:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Episodes also appear every Friday on Carson Now.

Food trucks are all the rage these days and so are festivals dedicated to gourmet specialities prepared on board the mobile kitchen ships.

The Carson Valley Inn will host the Valley Food Fest this Saturday, May 31, from noon to 8 p.m. at the TJ's Corral Outdoor Events Center in Minden. A variety of food trucks serving up everything from gourmet to all-American standards plus desserts and other treats.

Many events are scheduled throughout the Silver State in the month of June. These Nevada 150 events help celebrate all things Nevada and bring awareness to the state’s 150th Anniversary of Statehood. The following are events held June 3 through June 15.

The IRS has conferred nonprofit status on the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society, a significant step in the group’s effort to save the historic structure. The first donation to NSPPS under its designation as a public charity was made this week by Carson City Assemblyman Pete Livermore.

Livermore’s legislation in 2013 set the stage for planning by state agencies on the 152-year-old prison’s future as a historic site and museum, as well as possible uses for other buildings on the property.

South Lake Tahoe area agencies have partnered to launch an Adopt-a-Beach-Tahoe program that will coordinate beach clean-up dates regularly from June 15 to Sept. 15, 2014.

The City of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, League to Save Lake Tahoe, the US Forest Service Basin Management Unit, and Douglas County have developed the theme, “Caring is Cool - Lake Tahoe’s clarity starts with you, and there are a number of ways to help!”

For the last several months members of the Silver Sage 4-H Community Club and the Bouncing Bunnies 4-H Club collected, organized and delivered food and cleaning items to the Veterans Guest House in Reno.

It is full steam ahead aboard Nevada's premiere window seat into the Wild West with the 2014 season of the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad taking to the rails beginning Memorial Day weekend.

Steam train rides from Carson City to the 1860s boom-era mining town of Virginia City will begin May 24 and extend weekends through Oct. 19. Friday diesel train tours will begin June 20.
 

More than 30 local kids participated in an egg drop competition Saturday at the Carson City Library. The contest involved creating protective packaging for an uncooked egg, which was then dropped from the roof.

Prizes were awarded for creativity and successfully protecting the egg. The month-long Discover Tech exhibit, which introduces kids to all aspects of engineering, is open through May 24 and wraps up this week with the Trebuchet catapult competition on Friday at Mills Park.

This week's Women to Women features Natasha Gibson whose husband, Don Gibson, is running for Carson City Sheriff. Natasha is a Nevada native, born to Reno.

Natasha was raised mostly in Carson City as a youngster and graduated from Pioneer High School. She and her husband share Brandon, 2-years-old and Dylan, 13. Natasha is employed by Advanced Industries by Design.

Mrs. Gibson credits her husband with helping her through an extremely difficult period of her life, and the insight that he gave her is one of the strengths that he is able to give others, according to Natasha.

Carson City is going head-to-head with 63 other towns across the country in Outside Magazine's online edition of Best Towns in the country. The contest, in its fourth year, is pitting towns against towns in a readers poll.

This past Monday, area bartenders, mixologists, and industry insiders descended upon the Reno Aces Stadium for the Wirtz Beverage Craft Spirits and Specialty Expo.

Six people, chosen at random, competed in an Iron Style Cocktail Competition: 10 minutes to create a beverage for the 4 US Bartenders Guild judges. Steven Sedillos, Adele's server and bartender/mixologist at The Blue Bull, tied for first place with his Basil-Berry Sparkler.

Families are invited to a special Nevada State Museum program, “Exploring Topographical Maps,” from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 17 in Carson City. The activity continues the museum’s Family Fun Saturdays series, this time with a focus on helping children discover the beauty and intrigue of maps.

The program complements the museum’s sesquicentennial exhibit, “Finding Fremont: Pathfinder of the West,” on display through spring 2015.

Parents and children turned the Carson City Library into a mini golf course Friday as part of the month-long Discover Tech program. The event featured engineering concepts as participants built ramps, tunnels and obstacles to create the course.