Maybe like you, I got gobbled up in Carson City’s third annual Mark Twain Days, and could not feel any better for the rendezvous. We were greeted with a warm welcome by Nevada State Folklorist and Master of Ceremonies, Brad McMullen: “The legacy of Mark Twain and his contemporaries lives on in each of us, so get out there and start spreading some tall tales. It’s your responsibility as a Nevadan!”
First things first, we cut a red ribbon to the brand new Mark Twain Reading Room in the Nevada State Library, where we were reminded that, “The man who does not read good books, has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” Then we sat down to read Roughing It.
Next came the Grand Opening Reception at the Brewery Arts Center Exhibition Hall, featuring a stunning display of early editions of the Gold Hill News, along with some enlightening remarks from David Moore on the influence that Mark Twain had on early Nevada journalists, including David’s own distinguished career.
That evening featured a Chautauqua performance of colorful Nevada characters by students of Kathryn Kelly’s outstanding Hope Academy, and they brought the house down. You just can’t top youth Chautauqua…
My back then decided to take a little holiday and went Absent Without Leave, so I missed out on this year’s V&T Twain Train, and the Kids’ Fishing Day at Baily Pond, but was able to sashay up alongside Miss Julia Bulette (portrayed by the Legend of the Valley, Kim Harris) for an evening of fun and folklore that garnered a sustained standing O for the performance art of Chautauqua. It was an evening after which I could have easily retired to a satisfying dirt nap…
I hated to miss the Lowbrow Social at the State Museum, because I was just born to join such a gathering of loveable old Jack Leg Liars.
Even though my back was forcing me to forgo several fun events, I was in Twain Haven, as for the past forty years, every day has been a Twain Day for me. And I did get to partake in a namesake lager inside my favorite thirst parlor, the Twain Room of the Fox, where they continue to pour their Mark Twain Lager on tap, YUM!
Next year, once I locate my back again, I’m going to partake the live music at the Nashville Social Club, the Twain Ghost Walk, and try my hand at the Adult Paint and Sip, which sounds like it might be right in my wheelhouse…
I guess my favorite comment on this year’s Twain Festival might have come from a nine-year-old Hope Academy student, who raised his hand when asked by the teacher of his history class, “Are there any questions?”
Well, his hand shot up like a Coast Guard Rescue Flair, and he asked with no little excitement in his voice, “Yes! When is the next Mark Twain Days Chautauqua?!”
Sam would be proud.
— For more than 35 years, in over 4,000 performances, columnist and Chautauquan McAvoy Layne has been dedicated to preserving the wit and wisdom of “The Wild Humorist of the Pacific Slope,” Mark Twain. As Layne puts it: “It’s like being a Monday through Friday preacher, whose sermon, though not reverently pious, is fervently American.” Want to hear McAvoy Layne tell it? Go here for an audio version of this column.
