Why the bells stopped ringing in downtown Carson City
The joyful sounds of bells chiming from atop the Paul Laxalt building in downtown Carson City came to an abrupt halt over the summer because of equipment power failure, said Public Information Officer Mary Woods of the Nevada Department of Administration.
"There was a power surge about two months ago that rendered the equipment inoperable," she said. "The surge was possibly from a lightning strike, but no one is certain."
Woods said Nevada Building and Grounds Maintenance, part of the state division of public works, manages the historic Laxalt building, a former United States Post Office and current home of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs located at the corner of North Carson and Telegraph streets next door to the Carson Nugget.
State public works, she said, is leading the effort to find and replace the chime unit responsible for producing the melodious sounds beloved by so many workers and residents in Carson City.
Woods said the state is hopeful that the harmonious music produced by the bells will resume again in time for the Nevada Day Parade on Oct. 28.