Enjoy ice cream, learn about volunteer opportunities

Main Street Gardnerville hosts an “I Scream for Main Street” ice cream social 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday on The Patio at DST Coffee, 1411 Main St. in Gardnerville. The first scoop of ice cream is free, and other light refreshments will be served.

Program Director Jen Nalder said this event is in lieu of the September Discover Downtown and Mingle.

“We have had wonderful responses from the community reaching out to volunteers and inquiring about how they can help [support MSG efforts and activities],” Nalder said. “We thought it would be a fun evening to gather everyone together, share all about MSG, how our organization works, and hopefully connect some of these big-hearted community members to the committees, events, and projects that resonate with them.”

The MSG motto is, “Experience the Past, Enrich the Present, Embrace the Future.” Learn more at mainstreetgardnerville.org.

Back-to-School Bash this Friday

Northern Nevada Dream Center hosts their 5th annual Back-to-School Bash on August 11 from 6-8 p.m. at Mills Park Pavilion, 1111 E. William Street in Carson City. The year’s event benefits K-12 grade students in need in Douglas, Carson City, Lyon, or Storey counties.

Giveaway items are first-come, first served and include backpacks and school supplies, free groceries for families, and lots of fun activities and treats for all. Students must be present and accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Find NNDC online at nndreamcenter.org, on Facebook at facebook.com/northernevadadreamcenter/, or call 775-443-4090 for more information.

Perseids peak this week

August marks the arrival of the annual Perseids meteor shower, which peaks this Saturday night into Sunday morning. The Perseids occur when planet Earth crosses through the debris trail left by comet 109/P Swift-Tuttle. As particles and dust from the trail come into contact with Earth’s atmosphere, they disintegrate and appear in the sky as “shooting stars.”

During the peak, anywhere from 50-100 meteor sightings per hour may be visible (solarsystem.nasa.gov). Light from the thin slice of crescent moon won’t be too much of a detractor this year, and the moon won’t rise until a couple of hours before dawn this weekend.

For best viewing, NASA suggests finding a safe place to lie down with your feet pointing northeast and looking straight up. The farther you can get away from any ambient light, the better. Optimal viewing should be between 10 p.m. and dawn, with the most meteor activity expected in the early morning hours (youtube.com/watch?v=Nz6m-9MZSmE).

The Perseids tend to have high activity in the days following the peak. If you miss this weekend’s sky show, there’s still a good chance in the coming week to catch a glimpse of a meteor blazing through the sky.

Heritage Park Gardens Q&A

The University of Nevada, Reno Douglas County Extension (extension.unr.edu/douglas.aspx) Master Gardeners program hosts a Q&A session on lavender from 5:30-6:30 p.m. tonight at Heritage Park Gardens, 1461 Ezell Street in Gardnerville. This event is free; bring a chair and a friend.

The August 16 Q+A focuses on fall vegetable gardening, and attendees will receive a free plant. No session will be held Aug. 23 due to Wind Down Wednesday at Heritage Park. The Aug. 30 event will cover perennial dividing.

Amy Roby can be reached at ranchosroundup@hotmail.com.