Haunted Weekend of ghost walks and cemetery tours upon us

Here we are in the middle of Haunted Weekend. Do you have the tickets for the events you want to see? If there are any tickets left, better call 782-2555 and grab them now. 

Tonight is the Haunted Gardnerville Ghost Walk, departing from the Gardnerville Museum at 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 p.m. Saturday is the Haunted Genoa Cemetery Tour, departing every 15 minutes at the Genoa Cemetery starting at 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m. The final tour, the Haunted Genoa Ghost Walk, departs from the Courthouse Museum on Sunday at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.

Hopefully there are still tickets available for the event you want to see. Remember, please dress warmly and wear comfortable shoes. October evenings can be really cold and the daytime can be windy.

The October photo contest is still open and we are requesting your photos of what Douglas County and October look like to you. Since some of the trees lost their leaves really early, maybe a great street shot of swirling leaves means October this year. You be the judge and send in that great photo by 4 p.m. Oct. 31.

Our November lecture series will feature Michael Makley speaking about John Mackay, the Bonanza King. Makley has written four books on Nevada history. The latest is "John Mackay: The Bonanza King in the Gilded Age," published this year by the University of Nevada Press. The lecture is 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center. Though the lecture is open to the public, Douglas County Historical Society members get in free while non-members pay $3 each.

The annual Holiday Gala is Dec. 5. This is the big event of the holiday season. We will have a cookie walk, gingerbread houses, wonderfully decorated Christmas trees and Santa on the front porch of the Gardnerville museum. We'll take photos of your kids, grandkids or even grandma with Santa and have them to you before you finish your tour of the trees and gingerbread houses.

The best part of the gala is that you get to participate. Last week we explained how to enter the gingerbread house contest. Now, we'll explain how to get your own tree to decorate for the 13th annual Gallery of Trees. Anyone and everyone can participate. You can decorate a tree by yourself, as a group, as a business, or as a school project. The entry forms are available at the Gardnerville museum or by calling 782-2555 and requesting one.

Trees need to be set up in the museum between Nov. 30 and Dec. 4 for public viewing and voting on their favorites. There are a few simple rules to follow, but the theme of your tree is your own. The trees will be on display in the museum from Dec. 5-31. 

For any questions, contact the Douglas County Historical Society at www.historicnevada.org or at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville at 782-2555. Remember, DCHS and its two museums in Gardnerville and Genoa don't receive any regular state or county funding. It's up to our members and friends to help us keep our doors open.

Contact Ellen Caywood at in2my2cats@yahoo.com or 790-1565.