By Brett Fisher

  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. A crowd listens to the music of Hickry Switch at Silver Saddle Ranch.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. A crowd listens to the music of Hickry Switch at Silver Saddle Ranch.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. Sagebrush Rebels on stage at Silver Saddle Ranch Sunday.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. Sagebrush Rebels on stage at Silver Saddle Ranch Sunday.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. Two men dance a jig to the music of Hickry Switch.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. Two men dance a jig to the music of Hickry Switch.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. Members of the Wild Ass Women and one of their burros.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. Members of the Wild Ass Women and one of their burros.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. A burro with one of its Wild Ass Women.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. A burro with one of its Wild Ass Women.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. Hickry Switch plays for the crowd at Silver Saddle Ranch.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. Hickry Switch plays for the crowd at Silver Saddle Ranch.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. Mature shade trees keep the audience cool at the ranch house.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. Mature shade trees keep the audience cool at the ranch house.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. Sagebrush Rebels entertain the audience at Silver Saddle Ranch.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. Sagebrush Rebels entertain the audience at Silver Saddle Ranch.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. A dog looks to join the singing at Silver Saddle Ranch.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. A dog looks to join the singing at Silver Saddle Ranch.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. A mother and her son look over the concert schedule Sunday.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. A mother and her son look over the concert schedule Sunday.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. Hickry Switch on stage Sunday at Silver Saddle Ranch.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. Hickry Switch on stage Sunday at Silver Saddle Ranch.
  • Photo by Lisa Fisher. A dog perks up his ears to the sounds of Jazz and Beyond Sunday.
    Photo by Lisa Fisher. A dog perks up his ears to the sounds of Jazz and Beyond Sunday.

Conditions were ideal for an outdoor concert in the country Sunday afternoon. With highs in the eighties, the dog days of August seemed tame compared with seasons past.

A pleasant breeze and plenty of shade at the Silver Saddle Ranch welcomed guests who gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Quality of Life Initiative.

The venue was part of the annual Carson City Jazz and Beyond Music Festival, a 15-day event featuring more than 100 bands playing a variety of music, including jazz, country, bluegrass, blues, soul, latin, unique genre blends, and more.

Hosted by the Carson City Open Space and the Mile High Jazz Band Association, four music groups performed in rural Carson City Sunday, attracting music lovers, food trucks, and even burros.

Rescued wild burros were present to pet and photograph, courtesy of the Wild Ass Women, a non-profit group of volunteers who advocate for the adoption wild burros and mustangs.

Rescued burros from Wild Ass Women come from all over Nevada; from as far north as above Winnemucca and to the south around Nellis Air Force Base.

Very sociable animals amongst each other and around people, the burros brayed loudly to the music of CW Bayer and Dr. Spitmore, Hickry Switch, Alex Muddy Smith, and Sagebrush Rebels on stage at Silver Saddle Ranch, an 800-acre preserve of sagebrush, pasture land and fields, and riparian habitats along the Carson River.

The property is maintained by Friends of Silver Saddle Ranch, an entirely volunteer organization financially supported by its membership.

For more information about the Carson City Jazz and Beyond Music Festival, or to see a schedule of concerts, go to jazzcarsoncity.com.