I know it has been 10 years since I first heard Highway 756, also known as Gilman Avenue and Centerville Lane, referred to as the Highway to Heaven.
First Baptist Church Pastor Adam Barkley has a far better name for it - "Church Row."
It will be about a year before it comes to fruition, but the Baptists will join the Methodists and the Catholics along that route that long ago Valley Lutherans followed to reach the first Trinity.
The church is wrapping up services in its present location, across from Douglas High School at the end of the month.
Adam said the new church has a building permit and will begin work soon.
"We've had three signs up over the years," he said. "One rotted and we had to put up another and we've ."
In the meantime, the church, which has about 80 regular attendants, will be meeting at Minden Elementary School.
"Ken Stoll, the principal, agreed to let us use his school," he said.
Sweetwater Land and Home of Gardnerville will be building the new church.
"Our goal is to build as much debt free as we can," he said. "We do church to minister to people not to pay a mortgage."
Adam looks forward to being next to St. Gall.
"We know we have a lot of fellowship with that body," he said. "There's enough of a difference between St. Gall and the Baptists not to have a whole lot of changing seats, but be close enough to have a good relationship. Christ is at the center of both of our faiths. We both have a firm foundation in the gospel and that's the core of the Christian faith."
He even suggested group activities for the three churches.
"People could start at United Methodist for hors d' oeuvres, have the meal at St. Gall and come to us for dessert," he said. "I'm seeing some fun things happening on church row."
The construction process is never easy and it has taken the Baptists two years to get to this point.
They've been preparing for the move since the first proposals came forward for the property at 88 and 395 two years ago.
The original purchaser Dennis McDuffee, allowed the church to stay here rent free as has the new purchaser.
"Both owners have been very gracious with us," he said. "They've both allowed us to stay here, even past the contractual date."
In the meantime, the congregation is looking forward to their addition to Church Row.
In the meantime, the Baptists are holding Sunday school at 9:15 a.m. with the main service starting at 10:30 a.m.
-- n n
Friends of Patrick Wilson are gathering at the Wild Rose Inn in Genoa 6 p.m. today to remember the former volunteer firefighter and bartender.
"Patrick met a countless number of people and he could not go anyplace without running into at least one person he knew," wrote his widow Elizabeth Martin. "That is one of the things he loved the most. He truly loved his home in Genoa and always looked forward to coming back after a trip"
It was while he was working at the Genoa Bar that he met Elizabeth.
"Patrick served as a volunteer firefighter in Genoa for many years and was extremely proud of that experience," she said. "He spoke of it often. He was also a member of E. Clampus Vitus and the International Chili Society where he competed regularly in chili cook-offs."
Patrick moved to the Valley in 1980 to work for Bently Nevada and retired in 1990. He died at his home on Aug. 6.
-- n n
It has been 18 years to the day since my first byline appeared in The Record-Courier. It was for a fatal accident on Highway 395 through the Pine Nuts. I'd moved to Northern Nevada two weeks before, and my first column, which didn't appear until the following Thursday, was entitled "Just say no to the feds." No introduction, no story about where I was from or what I was doing here. Bam, there I was. In those days The R-C came out on Thursdays. It was a weekly in transition with only Joyce Hollister and Dave Price to guide those of us who were still new to the Valley.
I've been a Nevadan for the vast majority of my life and even during those brief stints when I lived somewhere else, my heart was in the Silver State. Every day I drive to work, I'm thankful this is the place I live.
-- Kurt Hildebrand is editor of The Record-Courier. Reach him at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or (775) 782-5121
