adventure

Fleischmann Planetarium at the University of Nevada, Reno hosts several breathtaking immersive theater experiences this sping, playing March 30-June 14, 2015. Fulldome planetarium shows are open to all ages. For show details, admission, program and membership information, call the Fleischmann Planetarium at (775) 784-4812 or visit www.planetarium.unr.edu.

Virginia City’s economic vitality is getting a shot in the arm with the addition of a new event venue designed to accommodate nearly 5,000.

For a place dating back more than 150 years, Virginia City attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. Many are drawn to the historic Comstock town for its rich history; many others attend one of the unique events that make up the annual calendar including the Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry, the International Camel & Ostrich Races or the Outhouse Races.

In what would give Heavenly Mountain Resort more latitude for expanded activities, the Governing Board of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on Thursday unanimously approved the resort's proposed Epic Discovery Project to allow new year-round outdoor recreational opportunities on already developed portions of the ski area on U.S. Forest Service land.

Hello fellow anglers, we shot past spring and are now starting summer. This weekend we will be in the 70 degree temps for all surrounding areas. But do not let mother nature fool you, our weather can and will change dramatically this time of year.

So far as I have been keeping a journal, there has always been snow or a heavy frost on the ground on the last Saturday in April, otherwise known as opening day fishing season in California.

Hello fellow anglers, spring has sprang in our local area. With our temperatures this weekend to reach into the 70 degree range, we are all getting the fishing bug. Renee and I set out on another fishing adventure through Alpine County last weekend. This report will reflect on our adventures.

SILVER LAKE:
The lake is completely thawed out, and many anglers have been fishing along the shore. The Kit Carson Resort is scheduled to open mid April this year. Anglers have been using Kastmaster lures and power bait. A few fish were caught in the 8 to 13 inch range.

Each year the historic Nevada mining town of Virginia City goes nuts and celebrates St. Patrick’s Day a few days early with a festival that pays homage to the part of the male cow anatomy that usually winds up snipped on the cutting room floor.

The Carson City Open House and Fly-In is June, 20. Free Admission. Join us! An exciting day of aviation and aerospace adventure awaits young and old at the Carson City Airport. See historical military aircraft, flybys, and static displays.

Learn about the exciting world of aviation and the opportunities it offers.

We're seeing spots! Wild Horse Children's Theater presents Disney's 101 Dalmatians, Kids! Catch a performance March 13-15 or 20-22 at Carson City's Brewery Arts Center Performance Hall: shows are Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Hello fellow anglers, someone asked me the other day, when does fishing season open? I told him, I fish all year around. The rivers and streams in Alpine County are closed until April 25, 2015, but the lakes are open all year. As for ice fishing, that has come to a close for this year.

Due to our unusually strange winter, the higher lakes have started to thaw out. I talked with John Voss from Caples Lake last week. John said he has not seen such an early thaw in 40 years.

Boy Scout Troop 847 continues to serve the young men of the Comstock. Meeting weekly at the Mark Twain Community Center, 500 Sam Clemens Avenue in Dayton, the Troop currently has 14 registered Scouts from Dayton and Virginia City.

The Troop’s program and operations are youth-run under the leadership of Senior Patrol Leader Star Scout Joshua Baughman and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader Star Scout Matthew McGifford. Under the mentorship of Scoutmaster Bill Boston and three Assistant Scoutmasters, these Scouts strive to provide a quality program of Scout activities.

The final environmental impact report on Heavenly Mountain Resort's Epic Discovery Project has been completed and is now ready for public review. The new project, located at Heavenly Mountain Resort, will expand their summer activities to include more canopy tours, hiking and biking trails as well as interpretive activities.

Austin’s House and Carson City Toyota Scion invite you to the 7th annual Cowboy Mardi Gras fundraiser on Friday, Feb. 27 at Carson Valley Inn. Put on your jeans and cowboy hat to celebrate the party atmosphere of Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Fat Tuesday.

This casual and crazy fundraiser that runs from 6 to 10 p.m. features great food, music, dancing, raffle prizes and a silent auction.

I have written previously that my parents were divorced when I was 14. Following the announcement, Dad moved into the only hotel in our town which was above the bowling alley. I visited him there frequently in the evenings and on weekends although my mother had a cow, because the bowling alley was also a bar. His room was so small and cramped; you could barely turn around in it.

Adventure on the dirt roads around Carson City and the surrounding areas can end badly if you are not paying attention to the condition of the road or keeping an eye on it as you travel. Washboards, loose dirt or gravel can cause you to lose control and crash if you are not careful.

Presented by the Sierra Nevada Alliance, South Tahoe Earth Day Committee and Patagonia South Lake Tahoe, the 10th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival South Lake Tahoe combines award-winning environmental and adventure films with the energy of local activism. Featured films will include exciting outdoor adventures, environmental battles and inspirational stories of people making a difference. The Film Festival will take place on Thursday, March 26, 2015 at the MontBleu Showroom.

Getting to the finals of the Walt Disney Imaginations Design Competition was a pinnacle for three University of Nevada, Reno engineering students, who spent a week in a fun and intensive competition with five other finalist universities.

Hello fellow anglers,  I have to tell you, I have seen some big trout come out of our local area. But Idaho has us beat. On Jan. 8, 2015, Larry Warren was fishing on the Clearwater River in Idaho. Larry was fishing with 6 pound test line and caught a 28 pound rainbow steelhead trout.

Dec. 13, 1944 - Jan. 9, 2015 Virgil Monroe Dick lived a life full of adventure, learning, love and heartache. Hi...

Take the guesswork out of Valentine’s Day at the Devil Made Me Do It Saloon Crawl, Saturday, Feb. 14, in Virginia City, Nev., with colored cups that indicate relationship status – single, taken or open to suggestions. The crawl includes stops at more than 10 of Virginia City’s saloons with drink samples and specialty cocktails available throughout the afternoon and evening.

Hello fellow anglers, I am here to say that winter fishing has officially begun. Last Monday, my friend Jerry Dow from Carson City joined me for some ice fishing at Red Lake. We arrived about 10am to a cleared parking area behind the dam. There was approximately a foot of snow on the dam, which makes it much easier to pull your sled on.

Youth Theatre Carson City is excited to announce our upcoming production of "Annie, Jr.," Jan. 9-11, 2015 in the Bob Boldrick Theatre at the Carson City Community Center.

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City.

Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort hosts the second annual Subaru WinterFest this weekend, Jan. 3-4. This free event includes a Freeride Skills Course, equipment demos and highlights an athlete signing with Women’s Freeski Halfpipe Olympian, Maddie Bowman.

As I have done for many years, my last article of the year, each year, is to present the Don Q Awards for a number of different reasons. Those reasons include such assorted things as: Outstanding, memorable, good, not so good, questionable, bad, serious, funny, dumb, head-scratching, are-you-kidding, etc.

These awards are presented to all kinds of people or places or things for what has occurred throughout the year.
It’s a fun way to end the year for yours truly.

So, without further ado, here are the 2014 Don Q Award winners:
Best Birthday Present:

Wild Horse Children’s Theater is looking for actors, singers and dancers, ages 5 and up, for our spring productions of Disney’s 101 Dalmations, Kids and Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, Jr.

Auditions will be held Thursday, Jan. 15 and Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Brewery Arts Center Performance Hall on King St. in Carson City. Callbacks, for Beauty and the Beast only, are Sunday, January 18. Auditions are by appointment only! You must call 775-887-0438 for an audition slot.

Cooler temps in the Sierra above Lake Tahoe have allowed Heavenly Mountain Resort to utilize the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system in order to expand terrain and open Stagecoach Express on Saturday, offering a second access point to the mountain, as well as top-to-bottom skiing and riding on the Nevada side.

Scottsdale, Arizona-based book publisher Vigilante Publishing Group is publishing "Bonners’ Fairy," a novel by Carson City area resident Elizabeth Patterson.

The publishing house picked up the book series that had originally been self-published. Patterson, a Carson City Support Services Specialist, has penned a series of six children's fantasy and adventure books based around the mythical land known as Bonners' Fairy.

A student team from the University of Nevada, Reno has been selected as one of the top six finalists by Walt Disney Imagineering, the design and development arm of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, in its 24th Imaginations competition. Imaginations is a design competition created and sponsored by Walt Disney Imagineering with the purpose of seeking out and nurturing the next generation of diverse Imagineers.

Hello fellow anglers, I would like to extend to you a "Fish you a Merry Christmas" wish. The weather outside may be cold and dreary, but for us die hard anglers we are just getting started. Ice fishing will be coming soon as well as the Topaz Lake opening season.

After a long wait with much anticipation, I finally got a chance to take the new fat bike out for its first snow ride. Acting on a tip that there was good snow cover with several miles of snow machine tracks up near Carson Pass, I loaded the bike up in the car and headed up to Red Lake on Highway 88.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin accepting reservations for the 2015 Winter Trek Conservation Education program on Monday, Dec. 15, 2014.

Teachers may reserve a spot by calling the Forest Service at 530-543-2694, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Winter Trek begins Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, and continues through March 26, 2015, weather permitting. Field trips are generally three hours long and are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.