This is a story about history and Hollywood. Art imitating life. Often times when the two met, history took a back seat to hype and drama in order to insure good attendance at the box office. This time however, the story was so good, and so strong, that not even Hollywood could screw this one up. The year was 1950 and the film was titled: “Mister 880.” It was based on ten years in the life of Emerich Juettner, who was also known as Edward Mueller.

The 2012 Polar Express train aboard the historic V&T Railway in Carson City has sold all of its tickets, officials said. The all-ages train ride is set for 15 different dates, Nov. 23 through Dec. 23. The V&T officially sold all 10,794 of its tickets as of Thursday, said Candy Duncan, executive director of the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Santa Claus will make an express run on the Nevada State Railroad Museum’s steam train pulled by V&T Railway locomotive No. 25 on two December weekends. The museum’s Santa Train departs Carson City’s Wabuska Depot at the corner of Fairview Drive and U.S. 395 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 1 and 2 and again on Dec. 15 and 16.

Trains run continuously throughout the day, sun, rain or snow. Each Santa Train trip leaves the depot as soon as Santa and passengers have boarded. Tickets are $3 per seat and available at the depot.

Aspiring young actors have two audition opportunities in Carson City and one in South Lake Tahoe beginning this weekend.

The soaring atrium of the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center at the University of Nevada, Reno has an unconventional tree on display this holiday season. Some would call it a green tree, not just because of its color, but because the tree is made entirely of recycled materials – old books.

The 9.5-foot tree was constructed using pre-1950 National Union Catalog books. The rarely used reference books made an ideal book tree, with their evergreen covers and gold lettering on the spine.

Help make a child smile at Christmas by attending the second annual “Cookies with Santa,” a benefit for The Ron Wood Family Resource Center, Saturday, Dec. 10, at Adele’s Restaurant and Lounge.

The Ron Wood Family Resource Center helps individuals, families and the community locate assistance and provides an array of support services.

The fun takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes a visit and photograph with Santa Claus, cookies, cocoa and cider, as well as acoustic Christmas music performed in the lounge by The Dowell Boyz.

Six weeks after tickets went on sale, The Polar Express™ has officially sold out, according to the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau.
More than 7,500 riders will board the magical holiday train on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, the only officially licensed Polar Express event in the region this holiday season.

I missed the first two films in the "Harold and Kumar" series, but if they were as goofy and off-the-wall funny and nonsensical as "A Very Merry Harold and Kumar 3D Christmas," I've got some catching up to do.

The newest in the franchise is playing at the Fandango Galaxy cineplex in Carson City and watching it is like seeing all the possible gags from Hollywood over the years with a lot of stuff only the drug-using 21st Century could think up.

At the Chamber's Annual Meeting held at Duke’s Steakhouse inside the Casino Fandango on Monday, June 21, outgoing Chairman of the Board Jim Smolenski honored special people who helped the Chamber grow during his tenure.

Honored were:

JOHN HOY – VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Captured by the spirit of the season, physicists of the Museum of Sciences in Wolfsburg, Germany, aimed their calculators at the most prominent man of Christmas to illustrate the magnitude of his job

Bill Williamson, a man made famous by his car-driving dogs, died Tuesday, three weeks after cancer also took his beloved golden retriever Beau.