Valley Floor Fashions closed after loss of owner

Margaret Long came by the office last week to thank Valley residents and the customers of Valley Floor Fashions. She is closing the business after trying to sell it over the past five months since her husband, Roger, died.

"I have to liquidate it," she said. "It's getting to the point where I can't keep it open any longer."

Roger died Feb. 23 at his home in Minden. He was a member of Wooster's first graduating class in 1966. Roger was an active member of the chamber of commerce, Toastmasters and the Dakota Organization. He and Margaret were married 25 years.

Roger took Valley Floor Fashions over from the previous owners and was turning the business around when he died.

"Things were turning around for the store," Margaret said. "People were always happy with the service."

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Nancee Goldwater's farewell party was at the Douglas County Animal Shelter on Wednesday. While no one keeps records, Nancee may very well be one of the longest serving animal control officers in a single agency, with 30 years. While she was born in California, she has some roots on this side of the Sierra. She had a grandmother who was born in Bodie and a grandfather who opened a jewelry store in Reno around the turn of the century.

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Johnson Lane residents Don and Karen Hall, finished the Tahoe Rim Trail July 21. They have been working on it on-and-off for four summers. They did a few of the hikes as overnight trips but most of them they did in one day. The whole trail is 165 miles long and now they can be part of the 165-Mile Club. They did part of the trail with their dog Lucy and their dog Maya did the last couple sections with them. The Halls are R-C photographer Shannon Litz's parents.

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I got a note from a Topaz Ranch Estates resident about the cable barrier on Wednesday. She points out that there have been far more people killed on Highway 395 through the Pine Nuts than between Minden and Carson in recent years. Why not put the barrier down there? I called Scott Magruder of the Nevada Department of Transportation and he said the highway is too narrow for a barrier down the middle. In Nevada we don't put barriers on two-lane roads because the oncoming lane is necessary to pass slower vehicles. It seems to me it would be better to widen the highway first and then work on a barrier for the bad spots down the road.

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Ken Hellwinkel came by with the plaque he received from the Nevada Junior Livestock Show Board for making one of the top purchases in 2007.

The Gardnerville native paid record price for a grand champion lamb at the 2007 Nevada Junior Livestock Show & Sale back in May.

The lamb was raised by Lovelock teenager Amanda Holland, whose 139-pound lamb sold for $5,615 plus fees.

-- Kurt Hildebrand is editor of The Record-Courier. Reach him at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or (775) 782-5121.