Perhaps what most marked 2006 in the arts community was the arrival on the scene of a second theater group in Carson Valley, the Dakota Organization. With its introduction, there are now two thriving theater organizations in Douglas County.
The introduction didn't seem to harm the already existing company, the Carson Valley Community Theatre (which coincidentally had just made its comeback the year before), as most of the showings were packed for both groups.
Dance companies, the Douglas County Historical Society, churches and schools presented their own musicals and plays, to give residents an abundance to select from.
Now, if only we had a community center ... it's coming, I think.
I was able to take part in one presentation, during the Haunted Weekend in October. I had the privilege to play, along with my husband, the parts of Sarah Jane and Stephen Kinsey and Mary and John Gardner in the Gardnerville and Genoa ghost walks and the Genoa Cemetery Tour - very spooky.
Also, there was the return of "The Curse of the Hanging Tree," including an actual "hanging," which was a fundraiser for the historical society.
Another aspect that stands out in 2006, as well as in other years, is the overwhelming generosity of the community. Hardly a week went by without one of the many organizations holding a fundraiser - a spaghetti feed, bingo, golf tournaments - mostly to benefit Family Support Council of Douglas County, or the Carson Valley Community Food Closet, or any number of agencies designed to help seniors, adults and children less fortunate.
Then there are the summertime car shows, and the craft fairs in November and December.
One thing that all these events have in common, is everyone seems to have fun doing them. If you look over the following list of events that happened throughout the year, I think that becomes apparent.
Here's to a Happy New Year Carson Valley!
January
n Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center presented "Mischief in Minden or Dexter Done Wrong" on Jan. 13 and 14.
n The Partnership of Community Resources sponsored a holiday card-designing contest, for students kindergarten through grade 12. Winners were announced at the Partnership of Community Resources Prevention Night, Jan. 26 at the Carson Valley United Methodist Church.
n Seniors ate their lunches at the CVIC Hall while a new floor was installed in the kitchen at the Douglas County Senior Center.
n The Dance Workshop Dancers performed "A Midwinter Night's Dream."
n Community members turned out by the hundreds at a spaghetti dinner on Jan. 18 at the CVIC Hall, to benefit Corey Hawker injured in an accident at Sand Mountain.
n The Carson Valley Community Theatre returned to the Valley after 15 years in 2005. The theater group held auditions to find new actors in January.
n Forty-year Raley's employee Kasimir Pawliszyn celebrated his retirement with a spaghetti dinner at the CVIC Hall.
n Twenty-four models paraded before guests at the Senior Health Fair and fashion show at the Carson Valley Inn.
n Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School leadership students learned first-hand through their projects how to better their community.
February
n Residents had their own chance to view the interaction of eagles and agriculture with the first Eagles and Agriculture tour just for locals. Regular tours took place over the weekend.
n The East Fork Gallery went through a dramatic face lift.
n A 2004 Douglas High School graduate, Lauren Scyphers, 20, was crowned Miss Nevada USA 2006 in November 2005 and this month headed to the Miss USA competition in Baltimore, Md.
n Among the 27 Carson Valley artists awarded at the Nevada Artists Association Members Only Winter Show, was Mary Sandhagen of Minden.
n An outstanding Citizen of the Year was honored. Gardnerville resident Marilyn Malkmus received the award from the Minden-Douglas Elks Lodge No. 2670.
n Members of Carson Valley Chinese Cultural Group shared the Chinese culture with students at Meneley Elementary School, as part of the annual Chinese New Year presentation.
n A new theater group, The Dakota Organization, brought the Bernard Slade production "Same Time, Next Year" to Minden.
n Members of the Douglas County Senior Center, ages 90 and older, were honored at a birthday party.
n Carson Valley Sertoma hosted its 14th annual Chili Cook-off and Craft Fair April 22-23 at Carson Valley Inn.
n Daughters celebrated Valentine's Day by dancing with their fathers at the St. Gall Catholic Church Father/Daughter dance.
March
n To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Snowshoe Thompson's initial mail run from Placerville to Genoa, a morning cross country ski and snowshoe tour took place March 11 at the Hope Valley Outdoor Center, with a celebration of Snowshoe's life at Genoa Town Hall later in the day.
n Girl Scouts from 21 troops attended Thinking Day at the Carson Valley United Methodist Church.
n Seniors celebrated Fat Tuesday by donning feathered masks at the Douglas County Senior Center.
n The Little Miss Douglas County Pageant took place at the Dance Workshop Studio.
n The first High Tea fundraiser at St. Gall Catholic Church was a huge success, with more than 300 women in attendance.
n Television personality John Tyson surprised Topaz Lake resident Lola Tool with a TV interview for her 87th birthday.
n Four Douglas County women were honored at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center for their contributions to the quality of life in the county. Carol Lee Biaggi Aldax, Anna Norgaard Harris Behrman, Lura Ida Jones and Cherie Owen were the newest inductees into the Douglas County Historical Society's Women's History Remembering project titled "Douglas County Women: Footprints in History."
n Carson Valley Middle School drama students bring Gilbert and Sullivan's "Pirates of Penzance" to life at Douglas High School, March 23-25.
n "Every Seventeen Minutes the Crowd Goes Crazy!" is presented by the Douglas High School drama club.
n The Douglas County Public Library in Minden's children's resource center was renovated, complete with a castle.
n East Fork Gallery in Gardnerville threw a spring reception, to allow the public to see its new renovations.
n The auto shop class at Douglas High School put together a 1923 T-bucket, possible through donations from Valley Cruisers Car Club.
n The Douglas County Senior Center hired a new volunteer coordinator.
n Violinist John Scott was the featured soloist when the Carson Valley Violin school presented its Spring Concert 2006 at Pau-Wa-Lu Middle School.
n The Family Support Council of Douglas County raised $40,000 at the fourth annual "Puttin' on the Ritz."
n Four Douglas High School students were featured on "Northern Nevada Lifestyles."
April
n Valley artists, Reiko Hervin and Jan Rollenhagen, were honored with gallery showings in New York City.
n The Carson Valley Community Food Closet began offering crafts made by the Closet Crafters.
n Kiwanis Club of Carson Valley presented the eighth annual Stars of Tomorrow Talent Showcase at the CVIC Hall. There were four winners, with Rachel Jackson taking first place and the "people's choice" award.
n "The Odd Couple (Female Version)" opened April 28 at the CVIC Hall in Minden, presented by Carson Valley Community Theatre.
n The Sierra Nevada Active 20-30 Club Spring Fashion Show Extravaganza took place at Genoa Lakes Golf Course. The show made more than $4,000 for Carson Valley children's charities.
n Local bands rocked the Douglas County Fairgrounds at Battle of the Bands.
n Nature's Abundance, a new non-profit organization, cleaned up Lampe Park in Gardnerville.
n Kindergartners at Piñon Hills Elementary School were treated to a wonderful sight just before Easter. Nine baby chicks hatched in the classroom, as part of the children's farm unit.
n The Closet Crafters were busy getting ready for their Spring Craft Sale at the Carson Valley Community Food Closet.
n Art Gallery/Minden Fast Frame celebrated its grand opening with a fundraiser for needy children.
May
n Children and their parents attended the Family Support Council of Douglas County and Carson Valley Community Food Closet open house.
n Forty-five vehicles were entered into the '50s Rockathon Car Show at Heritage Park. Members of the Valley Cruisers Car Club organized the event with the Town of Gardnerville.
n The Lampe Park Farmers' Market opened for the season. Baked goods by Russell's Mercantile Bakery, strawberries from Watsonville and locally grown tomato plants were some of the items available.
n The first concert in the 2006 Summer Family Concert Series at Minden Park was packed. The concert featured the Rip Tides.
n Four seniors were treated to lunch by the Douglas County Nevada Triad. The "Seniors of the Day" each had interesting stories to tell.
n The World T'ai Chi/QiGong Day event was a success at Minden Park, with about 50 people attending and learning the moves of the ancient art form.
n Max Jones' family celebrated his 90th birthday with a party and open house on May 13 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Gardnerville. Jones is most known for the Gardnerville Food Store that he and his wife Lura owned from 1940-1963.
n Pau-Wa-Lu drama students presented "And Then There Was One."
n Douglas High School hosted its Spring Art Show, featuring the artwork of 20 students who won awards in the Northern Nevada Region Scholastic Art Awards contest.
n The Washoe Tribe celebrated the end of the school year with a Family Day at Lampe Park in Gardnerville.
n Young chess players showed off their skills at a tournament at Jacks Valley Elementary School. Sixty-two students competed, with six winners.
n Preschoolers paraded to the Washoe Tribe Health Center, with Teddy bears in tow. The Teddy bear parade was part of a celebration for National Children's Mental Health Week.
n A Touch of Class crafters got together to make candied pretzels for a good cause. One of their group members, Shelli Hodges, had breast cancer and the members decided to sell pretzels to help her pay her medical bills.
n More than 130 vintage cars competed at Lampe Park as enthusiasts converged on the Big Mama's Show & Shine.
June
n Chrysler and DeSoto Airflows were featured in a car show on June 23. The Airflow Club of America held its national meet in Carson Valley for the first time, attracting members from as far away as New Zealand.
n The 14th annual Wacky Waddlers Wiver Wace was a success. All 1,200 rubber ducks were sold by race time, with proceeds going to the Carson Valley Community Food Closet.
n The 146th anniversary of the Pony Express was celebrated with the National Pony Express Association's Pony Express Re-ride across the country non-stop for 10 days. Riders were greeted in Genoa.
n The Genoa Home and Garden Tour stepped up its event this year with some of the visitors getting a lift from a surrey.
n The Sharkey Begovich Swing For a Cure took place for the fourth year, earning more than $42,000 to help build the Carson Tahoe Cancer Center at the Carson Tahoe Medical Campus in Carson City.
n The Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center reception was well attended. Residents, old and new, were able to see the new Minden Centennial room, loaded with photos and Minden memorabilia.
n A 24-year-old Gardnerville resident was accepted into the Marine Corps Officer Candidates Course program. Tomasa Kizer's family gave her a going-away party on Memorial Day, prior to her leaving for Quantico, Va.
n The Carson Valley Pops Orchestra performed at St. Gall Catholic Church. "From Tales of Vienna to Tango Argentino," included a raffle.
n Wine, food and music were on the agenda at A Taste of Genoa at The Orchard House.
July
n The Minden Elks annual carnival started on a Wednesday at Lampe Park and continued through the weekend.
n Local artists were inspired by a photograph of Carson River and created 28 pieces of artwork from it. The art was on display at the Brewery Arts Center Gallery and then moved to The Record-Courier for a show and reception.
n Carol Nageotte, the Douglas County Public Library's "Miss Carol," told stories weekly beneath the trees at Lampe Park.
n Carson Valley teenager Rachael Lambin wrote a first-person account of her whirlwind trip to New York City as one of the winners of the prestigious Do Something BRICK awards.
n Pops in the Park was held at the Orchard House in Genoa, featuring a performance of "Schindler's List" by Andrew McIntosh of the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra.
n The Mumbo Gumbo Concert in the Park may have drawn the biggest audience ever, as indicated by the 984 ice cream sandwiches that were sold.
n The Dakota Organization presented Terrence McNally's "Lips Together, Teeth Apart," July 14-16 at the CVIC Hall in Minden.
• Several local officials and candidates took to the stage July 14-15 for "The Curse of the Hanging Tree" in Genoa.
nThe World War II 357th Fighter Group held a reunion on July 8 at the Minden-Tahoe Airport. The "Yoxford Boys" are just a handful of pilots and crew who flew the P51 Mustangs that eventually brought the German Luftwaffe to its knees during World War II.
August
•The Family Support Council hosted its annual Western Shindig on Aug. 6 to raise money for domestic violence prevention.
nThe foothills went back to the days of knights and nobles at the Genoa Renaissance Faire.
nGuitarist, singer and songwriter Michael Gulezian performed at Minden Village as the first in a series of Comma Concerts coming to Carson Valley.
nNyle Nation, author of "The Pine Nut Chronicles" and Topaz Ranch Estates resident for 40 years, died.
n Participants who strolled the downtown area during The Taste of Gardnerville were able to taste food from local restaurants and listen to live music while shopping.
nThe Hot August Nights Poker Run attracted 522 classic automobiles on Aug. 3 at Minden Park.
nAbout 300 pieces of equipment were on display at the 11th annual Antique Tractor Show on Heybourne Road.
n Two personal stories of breast cancer were told, one by a survivor and the other by a husband and father left to carry on after the death of his wife, Shelli Hodges. The storytellers hoped to attract people to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.
nThe American Cancer Society Relay For Life event at Lampe Park exceeded organizers' hopes for fundraising. The event raised more than $84,000, which was up $30,000 from the previous year.
n The Carson Valley Active 20-30 Club third annual Truck Pull took place at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
• The Valley Cruisers Car Club presented its annual Main Street Event. Friday featured a dinner/dance with 680 meals served by the food committee. Saturday and Sunday 250 classic cars were shown at Lampe Park.
• The Sierra Nevada Mormon Pioneers visited Genoa's Mormon Station.
•A reception at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center was held to honor a lifetime of a Carson Valley artist Mimi Jobe's work.
nThe Families for Effective Autism Treatment of Carson Valley held a fundraiser earlier this month, raising approximately $85,000 for autistic children. FEAT treasurer Wendi Fauria and her brother, FEAT president Greg Semas, hope to make enough money to build a center for autistic children some day.
•Reiko Hervin, whose artwork is featured at East Fork Gallery, had one of her paintings chosen to be in the watercolor series book, "Splash 9 - Watercolor Secrets."
September
n The Douglas County Children's Theater presented "The Music Man Junior" over two weekends at the Dance Workshop Performing Arts Center.
n Art and music were featured at a Comma Concert in Minden Village, where Michael Powers performed. Concert promoter Doug Reynolds said he is planning five or six more concerts at the outdoor venue next year.
nThousands of people poured into downtown Minden for the 22nd annual Minden Arts and Crafts Street Celebration.
n Gardnerville photographer Pam Brekas entered 10 photographs in the Nevada State Fair and came home with seven awards.
October
nThe Silver Spirit All-Stars cheer and dance club is heading for the national championships after winning the regional competition in mid-October.
• On Oct. 7, the artists in the community held their annual Scarecrow Festival and the Family Support Council of Douglas County offered customers a chance to build their own costumes at the Costume Patch in Minden Park.
• Gardnerville's Old Town Days returned Oct. 7-8 with Civil War living history camps, breakfast, hay and pony rides, entertainment by David John and the Comstock Cowboys, Union and Confederate battles and a dance.
• The annual Fall Family Festival Pumpkin Patch was Oct. 7. The event, sponsored by Douglas County 4-H and the parks and recreation department, featured carnival booths, a fun-run relay race, silent auction, food and a costume contest.
• The Record-Courier offered the public a chance to submit photos for the 2007 Carson Valley Almanac. The catch was the pictures had to be taken on Oct. 25.
•At the DAWG'S Day animal awareness event on Oct. 7, attendees were able to post "bail" to release local celebrities from a cage. The event at the Douglas County Fairgrounds benefited the Douglas County Animal Shelter.
• The Carson Valley Sertoma Club's Oktoberfest took place at a new location in 2006, at Heritage Park in Gardnerville.
•The Haunted Weekend was Oct. 20-22. Ghostly apparitions of area pioneer settlers visited for the Gardnerville, Genoa and Carson City ghost walks, as well as the Genoa Cemetery Tour.
•Between the Candy Dance and the Peddlers' Faire, about 40,000 shoppers chose from more than 400 arts and crafts booths over one weekend in Genoa.
nThe Carson Valley Pops Orchestra performed a concert "From Mozart to Broadway" at the CVIC Hall, under the direction of Danny Yale.
nThe "Go To Bat World Series Party" was presented by the Coalition for a Boys & Girls Club in Carson Valley.
n Other events in the Valley were: the Kids & Horses Therapeutic Riding Center pumpkin patch, the Town of Gardnerville and Valley Cruisers Rockathon Car Show and Swap Meet, the Douglas County Sheriff's Mounted Posse and Great Basin Equine Medicine and Surgery, Inc., equine clinic and the Minden/Douglas Elks Lodge luau.
• The annual A Touch of Class craft fair was held in the Gardnerville Ranchos.
nThe Markleeville Artists Autumn Open Studios tour, "Changing of the Leaves" took place. The tour included the studios of 18 artists, as well as a fall display by Mother Nature.
NThe Carson Valley United Methodist Church and the Carson Valley Community Food Closet held craft fairs on the same weekend.
•More than 130 senior citizens were treated to a United Service Organizations Veterans Day celebration featuring songs from World War II and performances by school children at the Douglas County Senior Center. This was the seventh year for this annual event.
nThe Douglas County Public Library in Minden featured musicians in a Trinkle Brass Works educational program. The musicians played in a brass ensemble of 15th and 16th century instruments.
The second annual Gardnerville Carson Valley Christmas Season Kickoff to took place at the Heritage Park pavilion. Carson Valley Community Theatre performed "Santa's Little Helper Part Two - There's No Time Like the Presents."
December
n Celebrations included the 11th annual Parade of Lights. The over-all winning float in the parade was Gardnerville Tumbleweeds Gymnastics. Minden Park's gazebo and Christmas tree were lit as in previous years.
•More than 1,000 people attended the St. Gall Catholic Church celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The festivities included Aztec dancers and a procession to the altar.
• Northwest Martial Arts and The Record-Courier sponsored a gift drive for troops stationed in Iraq. 119 boxes were shipped to soldiers and Marines who will spend Christmas in remote areas of a foreign land.
• A group of senior citizens gathered for a dinner presented in their honor. Most were graduates of the Douglas County Nevada TRIAD Seniors' Law Enforcement Academy.
n Members of the Minden-Douglas Elks Lodge No. 2670 gathered to put together baskets and distribute them to 10 senior citizens. Basket program chairman Bob Allgeier said, "... it makes you feel what Christmas is all about."
n For the past eight years, Christmas dinner has been served at St. Gall Catholic Church for those who need someone to share the holiday. Rita Hill has organized this Christmas Day event each year. Page B1
* The Dakota Organization presented its first variety show, featuring the talents of local performers. The show was a benefit for the Alzheimer's Association.
n After all the sorting and wrapping for Project Santa Claus, 261 families, 605 children picked up their presents at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
