Pony Express

With the Epic Rides Off-Road Series mountain biking race set for this summer, the Carson City Visitors Bureau can pump up the fat tire frenzy along with its promotion thanks in part to a $4,000 grant, among 65 approved for funding from the state’s rural tourism program, Nevada Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison announced Wednesday.

Deck the halls with broken tree branches; the wind, she is a-blowin’. Hopefully we get some snow out of all of this bluster. Tonight is a good time for some ‘Joyful Noise,’ the 14th Annual Community Holiday Show at the Brewery Arts Center. If you’d rather make some noise yourself, check out karaoke at Jimmy G’s Cigar Bar or at Living the Good Life. Turn the heat up with Salsa Dance at El Charro Avita. Santa’s waiting for you at the Carson Mall or at Red’s Old 395.

THURSDAY:

The weekend is still two days away, but there is plenty of fun to distract you from the wait. Learn the finer points of Improv tonight at the Brewery Arts Center. Chat with ‘The Ghost Lady,’ author Arlene Jenkins at Browsers Corner Book Store. Indulge in some live music at Living the Good Life or Glen Eagles. Singers should check out Jimmy G’s Cigar Bar or the Feisty Goat Pub for karaoke. Dance your blues away with spicy salsa at El Charro Avita or country line dancing at Beercade.

Now celebrating nearly 30 years, one of the most successful and enduring campaigns ever to come out of the Nevada Commission on Tourism is the “Loneliest Road in America” promotion designed to attract visitors to the very interesting rural cities found along Nevada’s Highway 50 corridor between Carson City and Baker. Or does it run between Baker and Carson City? Depends on where you begin, I suppose.

Each year, the Foundation for Carson City Parks and Recreation (FCCPR, formerly the Foundation for the Betterment of Carson City Parks and Recreation), in conjunction with the Carson City Parks and Recreation Department, recognizes individuals and groups who contribute to the vitality of the community and Carson City's recreational environment.

Chautauqua performers Chuck Baldauskas and Doc Durden will present “Buffalo Bill & Wild Bill: Pals Together Again” at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Wednesday September 2, at 6:30 pm. The event is open to the public and free to attend.

The Carson and Mills Park Railroad is a two-foot (narrow gauge) railroad that the whole family will enjoy. Ride behind a replica of a diesel switcher engine and choose an open gondola or a covered passenger car. The 1-1/4 mile trip takes you through beautiful Mills Park and lasts approximately 15 minutes. Everyone is invited, especially children of all ages.

Motorcycle patrol riders from Nevada and California were welcomed by dignitaries Saturday for the opening of the 12th Annual Extreme Motor Officer Training Challenge in downtown Carson City.

The event brings dozens of law enforcement officers to Carson City annually to compete in team riding and obstacle courses along Carson Street. Saturday's events will include 2 man tethered riding, 4 man team relay, slow ride, an obstacle course and last man standing.

UPDATE: A historic moment in Carson City as The Pony Express rode through downtown Carson City this morning, stopping off at the Carson City Home Station No. 1 at the Nevada Day Store & Trading Post on W. Telegraph Street.

Pony Express Rider Grant Bell brought in the mail and exchanged it with PXP rider Paula Walkins. They are on their way to Jacks Valley Road and Genoa.
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After some delays, the Nevada Division of the Pony Express was about 15 miles out of Fort Churchill at 9:10 a.m. and are expected to be riding into the Carson City Home Station around 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, organizers say.

Happy Wednesday, Carson City! Today just jumps right in and gets going from the start. The Pony Express re-ride runs through town this morning, recreating the ten day trek from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA. The Kings Canyon Trailhead opens today after a ceremony thanking all those involved in the undertaking. If you can’t wait for the Third and Curry Farmers Market on Saturday, Douglas County hosts two on Wednesday, one at Lampe Park and one at Sierra Gourmet Grill.

WEDNESDAY:

• Pony Express Re-ride expected through Carson City, delayed as of 8 a.m. (may be up to three hours behind schedule; go to www.ponyexpresstracker.com for updates)
• Reno Rodeo (Ticket prices range from $12 - $27) and Carnival (4pm-12am) at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center
• ’New Work’ by artist Pasha Rafat at the Nevada Arts Council: 716 N. Carson St. (8am-5pm)

The Pony Express was in operation for just over a year and a half, but its legacy has proven to be a timeless testament to ingenuity and can-do spirit. In an era of limited transportation, a letter could leave St. Joseph, MO and arrive in Sacramento, CA ten days later. Broken into segments of five to twenty miles between stations, the Pony Express traversed eight states and 1,966 miles.

It’s National Eat Your Veggies Day, and if you find yourself in Douglas County, either one of today’s farmers markets will make that an easy and delicious feat. Carson City hosts its own Farmers Market on Third and Curry Streets every Saturday morning until September. Head to the Carson City Library this evening for a presentation on Myanmar by local resident, Raven Grayshield. If you already have all the answers, ‘Geeks Who Drink Trivia’ at Lake Tahoe Brewery might be right for you.

WEDNESDAY:

• ’New Work’ by artist Pasha Rafat at the Nevada Arts Council: 716 N. Carson St. (8am-5pm)
• Industrial Art at the CCAI Gallery in the Courthouse: 885 E. Musser (8am-5pm)

The weekend is getting an early start. Carson Valley Days in Gardnerville kicks off with their Lampe Park carnival, and Dangberg Historic Ranch Home off Highway 88 hosts the first of their Twilight Concerts with Ciana. You can meet Author Laura Lea White at the Browser’s Corner Book Shop tonight; copies of her book ‘Generational Gifts: The Legacy of Evelyn Marie’ will be available. Silver Dollar Cruise Night is at Dunkin' Donuts; every Thursday through summer you'll find hot rods, street racers, and cool old cars at a different location.

THURSDAY:

• One Putt Jr. Academy at Silver Oak Golf Course (sign in 7:45am, 8am-10am; $40 per class or $200 for six classes 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)

Battle Born 1864 ‘Brews, Bikes, and Bubbly’ and the Twelve Annual Extreme Motor Officer Training Challenge take place in scenic downtown Carson City on Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27 and run in conjunction with the Karson Krusers’ Run Whatcha’ Brung Show and Shine Car Show at Fuji Park.

Enter to win the Mustache competition, the 'Fast Draw' contest, the pin-up girl contest, or the tattoo competition. Meet the Naughty Tea Mistresses, the Carson Victory Rollers Roller Derby Team, and the Nevada Pony Express Riders.

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.

Nevada is the seventh-largest state in the Union. There are 109,781 square miles to explore, from the basin-and-range landscape on the northern end to the scenic desert panoramas in the south. This summer, discover your Nevada on a road trip to Tonopah or Valley of Fire State Park, or maybe drive the U.S. 50-Interstate 80 loop from the Reno-Tahoe area.

Time to wine walk, Carson City, thanks to the Downtown Business Association. Saturday, May 2, the festivities begin at 1 p.m. Grab a wine glass, map, and hand stamp at the Carson Nugget, Cactus Jack’s, Carson Jewelry and Loan, Touched by an Angel, or Bella Fiore. You have until 5 p.m. to hit as many stops as possible before the raffle begins.

The Nevada Division of Tourism, also known as TravelNevada, recognized outstanding members of the state’s rural tourism industry Thursday, April 16 at the VolunTourism Awards dinner at the Carson Valley Inn. The annual event was part of the state’s 25th Rural Roundup tourism conference.

If you're using Google today you will notice its latest Google Doodle, which celebrates the 155th year of the Pony Express and, notably, was celebrated April 3 in Carson City with the launch of the nation's first active station of the Pony Express, now in Carson City at the Nevada Day Store and Trading Post.

Google animator Nate Swinehart gives more about the history of the Pony Express and documents the doodle process in the video below. He writes:

Busy weekend ahead! It’s a wine walk weekend in addition to the Easter festivities, but don't let Friday pass you by. Head to Sassafras tonight to catch the Trippin King Snakes or Living the Good Life for music by Jamie Rollins. If it’s laughs you're after, First Friday Improv at the Brewery Arts Center will have you in stitches or head to the Carson Nugget for comedy night with this week’s funnyman, Huck Flyn.

The legendary 1860s mail carrier trail known as the Pony Express, which used horses and riders to deliver letters and parcels from Sacramento to east of the Rockies, remains a big part of Nevada's Wild West history because the trail went through the Silver State. Beginning next month the Pony Express will become a permanent fixture and a Carson City visitor destination.

Once upon a time in Nevada, a Reno tailor named Jacob Davis wrote a letter to Levi Strauss about his pocket rivets, and thus the blue jean was born. Coincidentally, today is Strauss’ birthday. Once upon a time in Nevada, Buffalo Bill Cody was just a kid riding for the Pony Express. It’s his birthday, too. Fun fact: Cuba Crutchfield, a trick-rope cowboy with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, is buried in Carson City’s Lone Mountain Cemetery. Once upon a time in Nevada, a man was shot in Reno.

Happy 2015, Carson City! Let’s whet your appetite for some of the fun to be had in the next twelve months.

January: Youth Theater Carson City’s Annie, Jr; Winter, Wine, and All that Jazz at the Brewery Arts Center, and the Thirsty Boy Home Brewing Competition.

Northern Nevada Development Authority is excited to host the 2014 Pioneer Awards Dinner recognizing outstanding businesses and individuals throughout the Sierra Region of Northern Nevada on Thursday at the Carson Nugget.

NNDA will recognize Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell as the special honoree and 2014 Pioneer of the Year for the continual difference he makes in Carson City and the Sierra Region. Also attending will be United States Congressman Mark Amodei as a special guest and presenter and John Tyson as our Master of Ceremony.

On Friday, Oct. 17, Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki will be on hand to accept a special delivery from Pony Express riders at 3:30 p.m. on the south steps of the Nevada State Capitol Building.

In honor of Nevada’s Sesquicentennial, the White Pine, Eureka, Lander, and Churchill County Commissions have each issued special proclamations. These county proclamations will be picked up by Pony Express Riders in Ely, Eureka, Austin and Fallon and will be delivered on horseback to the Nevada State Capitol Building.

Many celebrations are scheduled throughout the Silver State in the month of October. These Nevada 150 events celebrate all things Nevada and help bring awareness to the 150th Anniversary of Statehood. The following events are held Oct. 16 through 30. Highlights of statewide Nevada Day weekend events are forthcoming.

On Friday Oct. 17, come watch the Nevada 150 Pony Express Delivery, on the south steps of the Nevada State Capitol Building in Carson City at 3:30 p.m.

The Foundation for the Betterment of Carson City Parks and Recreation will present Special Recognition Awards for year 2014 recipients in a brief ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 4:30 p.m. at the monument at the entrance to the Marv Teixeira Pavilion (formerly Pony Express Pavilion) in Mills Park. The public is invited to attend this free, outdoor event.

The awards will be presented in the following categories:

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.

Just south of Silver Springs is Buckland’s Station, an old two story house built in 1870 by Samuel Buckland from the dismantled materials from Fort Churchill. This site was once a Pony Express stop, supply center for early pioneers and nearby Fort Churchill, and a former hotel. Today it’s a quiet old building in a park setting under the cottonwoods along the Carson River. I had a free afternoon recently, and decided to make the station my trailhead for an exploration loop around the mountains.

The Lyon County Board of County Commissioners held its regularly scheduled meeting Thursday in Yerington. The board took the following actions: