Barbecue, music and fireworks: July 4 celebrations around Carson, Tahoe and Virginia City

The Fourth of July will be colored with parades, barbecues, carnivals, concerts and plenty of fireworks around Carson City, Carson Valley, Lake Tahoe and Virginia City.

Thursday brings steam train rides at the Nevada Railroad Museum, a barbecue at the Fox Brewpub and McFadden Plaza in Carson City, a carnival and fireworks show at Mills Park, a noon parade and fireworks at night on the Comstock in Virginia City, Fourth of July celebrations in Minden, Gardnerville and Genoa, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts at TJ's Corral at the Carson Valley Inn, plus firework shows at Lake Tahoe's south and west shores.

On Friday, help keep Lake Tahoe blue with scheduled trash cleanup days hosted by the Tahoe Blue Crew at four different locations. Here are the Independence Day scheduled events:

Thursday, July 4

— Fourth of July Parade and Fireworks Spectacular in Virginia City. 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at 86 C Street. Celebrate our nation’s independence in historic Virginia City, where the streets are lined with red, white and blue, the parade is a celebration of Americana and you feel the boom of fireworks in your bones. Throughout the day, Virginia City offers an authentic, home-town Independence Day experience with a parade, raffle and auction, the Comstock Cowboys Second Amendment Concert, old-west shootouts, shopping, train rides and an incredible firework display at dark.

— Freedom 5k Run, Walk and Patriotic Pop's in the Park. 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Heritage Park, 1447 Courthouse Alley in Gardnerville. Registration for the Fun Run and Walk, $30 in advance, $35 day of event, veterans, active military and children 6-13 — $25 in advance, $30 day of event, children 5 and under are free, discount for teams, groups of 4 or More.

— Nevada State Museum in Carson City open on the Fourth of July. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Nevada State Museum in Carson City will be open with regular hours on the Fourth of July and has a busy month planned with a host of events revolving around the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. “Besides the classic exhibits Nevada State Museum is famous for — the Mint, the mine, the ghost town and the Under One Sky exhibit — we also have a special exhibit, ‘Fueling the Boom,’ that tells the little-known story of Chinese woodcutters providing a valuable service that helped power the mining booms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,” said Myron Freedman, director of the Nevada State Museum. The museum will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday during the holiday weekend. On Friday, live demonstrations of Historic Coin Press No. 1 will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The press will be minting commemorative medallions of the Promontory Car, also known as Coach 17, which was present at the driving of the golden and silver spikes at Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869. Museum visitors can purchase a pure silver planchet in the museum store for $60 and have it minted on the coin press.

— Kick off 4th of July in Carson City with colonial music featuring Fifes and Drums of Nevada. 9:30 a.m. To get your holiday weekend started, on July 4th at 9:30 a.m. the Fifes and Drums of Nevada, along with the Battle Born Patriots Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution will be playing music from colonial times, as well as presenting a public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Following the reading, the public will be invited to step forward to ring Nevada's Liberty Bell. This event takes place at the Nevada State Museum, 600 North Carson Street, in Carson City and will be held in the courtyard, near the main entrance.

— Nevada State Railroad Museum steams up for Fourth of July festivities in Carson City. 9:45 a.m. Thursday through Sunday at 2180 S. Carson St. The Fourth of July is all about celebrating history and the Nevada State Railroad Museum Carson City has its most historic showpieces shined up, steamed up and to share with visitors from Thursday, July 4 through Sunday, July 7. Each day’s festivities will begin at 9:45 a.m. with the “Parade of Trains” featuring the museum’s workhorse steam locomotive, No. 25, the 1910 McKeen Motor Car and the 1875 wood-burning standard gauge locomotive Inyo. Also operating this weekend will be the 1875 narrow-gauge locomotive Glenbrook. From 10:40 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, the No. 25 and McKeen Motor Car will be making alternating passenger runs on the museum’s tracks, allowing visitors to ride both trains.

— 8th annual Town of Minden's 4th of July Celebration. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Minden Park, 1610 Esmeralda Ave. The 8th Annual Town of Minden 4th of July Celebration BBQ. Carson Valley Inn has provided complimentary hamburgers and hot dogs that will be served by town staff. There will also be Popsicles, Balloon Creations, Bubble Zone, Bounce Houses, even a Kids Bike Parade around Minden Park! Drinks are for purchase from the Kiwanis Aktion Club of Carson Valley.

— Genoa Americana Celebration and July 4th Chicken Barbecue. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Mormon Station Park, 2295 Main St. Located at the Mormon Station State Historic Park, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This year’s 4th of July Celebration in Genoa will prove to be bigger and better than ever before. The day will feature five traditional music groups and will conclude with a special Independence Day Tribute performance by the Carson Symphony Orchestra at 4:40 p.m. The celebration kicks off at 10 a.m. with music followed by the Children’s Parade at 11 a.m.

— Fourth of July Barbecue at Fox Brewpub. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 310 S. Carson St. Join in the celebration of our Independence Day with the Central Lyon County Fire Department. There will be a barbecue, fire truck display, drinks and more. Visit the Fox Brewpub Facebook page for more information.

— Fourth of July Parade in Virginia City. The parade starts at 12 p.m. located on C Street.
Celebrate our nation’s independence in historic Virginia City, where the streets are lined with red, white and blue, the parade is a celebration of Americana and you feel the boom of fireworks in your bones. Throughout the day, Virginia City offers an authentic, home-town Independence Day experience with a parade, raffle and auction, the Comstock Cowboys Second Amendment Concert, old-west shootouts, shopping, train rides and of course the incredible fireworks display at dark.

— Sierra Nevada Kiwanis Presents Star Spangled Bingo, July 4th, 2019 at the Carson City Senior Center. Doors open at 10 a.m., Bingo starts at noon. Sierra Nevada Kiwanis will be grilling burgers and hot dogs. The Carson City Senior Center is located at 911 Beverly Drive, Carson City.

— July 4th Celebration and Carnival at Mills Park. 1 to 10 p.m. at 1111 East William St. The 4th of July Celebration and Carnival is presented by Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and will feature fireworks on the 4th, beginning at around 9:30 p.m., carnival rides and games for all ages, great food and craft vendors, skate expo, live music on Thursday and Friday, DJ on Saturday and Sunday. Free admission, all day carnival wristbands $30, $5 discount coupons available at RSVP Beer Booth.

— 2019 Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Fourth of July Celebration and BBQ. 6 to 10 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Cottage Green, 111 Country Club Dr., Incline Village.

— Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in concert at TJ's Corral. 8 p.m. at the Carson Valley Inn, 1627 U.S. Hwy. Carson Valley Inn Casino presents Joan Jett and the Blackhearts live in concert under the stars at TJ’s Corral on Thursday, July 4. Tickets are $65 and $75.

— Lights on the Lake Fireworks show at South Lake Tahoe. The show is scheduled to start at 9:45 p.m. Catch the fireworks from all angles and views from Lake Tahoe. The presentation is visible from all sides of town including Nevada Beach.

— Tahoe City Fourth of July Fireworks Show. The show takes place at 400 N. Lake Blvd. There’s good reason Tahoe City was named one of America’s Best 4th of July Displays. Celebrate our country’s birthday at our 74th annual show on July 4, 2019 on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. Come check out the biggest, brightest, and most dazzling fireworks show you’ve ever seen! The west shore 4th of July Fireworks Show has become a tradition in Tahoe City for 74 years.

Other events include:

Friday, July 5

— Help keep Lake Tahoe blue with scheduled beach cleanup days. . 8 to 11:30 a.m. on 4H Beach, Tahoe Shores, Nevada Beach and Round Hill Pines. Hosted by the League to Save Lake Tahoe. After the July Fourth festivities, our beaches are thrashed with trash. This trash can hurt wildlife and lake clarity. Be a part of the solution and help us this day to keep our beaches clean. We will provide refreshments, cleanup bags, gloves, and hand sanitizer. Please bring your reusable water bottle, gloves if you have them, sunscreen, your friends and family, and a smile! Each attendee will receive a raffle ticket for great prizes from Keep Tahoe Blue and its partners.

— Nevada State Museum in Carson City to host historic coin press demonstrations. On Friday, live demonstrations of Historic Coin Press No. 1 will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The press will be minting commemorative medallions of the Promontory Car, also known as Coach 17, which was present at the driving of the golden and silver spikes at Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869. Museum visitors can purchase a pure silver planchet in the museum store for $60 and have it minted on the coin press. 600 North Carson Street.

— Celebrate Fourth of July with Toccata Tahoe Symphony Orchestra. 7 p.m. at Bartley Ranch Regional Park. General admission is $30 for adults and $25 for seniors. Young persons, under age 23, enjoy FREE admission at all locations. "Front and Center" preferred seating prices are $40 for adults and $15 for youth/students. Lawn seating (general admission) at Bartley Ranch is free, and is sponsored by Artown.

Saturday, July 6

— Old Fashioned Fourth of July to be held at Fort Churchill. 1 to 3 p.m. at the Highway 95A, Highway 50 intersection on Highway 95A at 10000 Highway 95A, Silver Springs. Celebrate Independence Day the old fashioned way with traditional games, homemade toys and crafts, and sweet treats from the 1800s. Activities for all ages will include: sack races, three-legged races, quoits (ring toss), bean bag toss, baseball, watermelon seed spitting contest, and hand-cranked ice cream. Bring a blanket and a picnic lunch and plan to spend the afternoon enjoying the park.

Sunday, July 7

— Celebrate Fourth of July with Toccata Tahoe Symphony Orchestra. 4 p.m. at the Carson Valley United Methodist Church. General admission is $30 for adults and $25 for seniors. Young people, under age 23, enjoy FREE admission at all locations. "Front and Center" preferred seating prices are $40 for adults and $15 for youth/students. Lawn seating (general admission) at Bartley Ranch is free, and is sponsored by Artown.

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