Gingerbread houses on display at museum

The purpose of this column is to let readers know what is coming up at the two Douglas County Historical Society museums. When you know what's coming, you can plan to attend those events that interest you. However, there comes a time when we need to pause, look back and say thanks.

I know you know that the historical society and the museums are nonprofit. But did you know that we receive no funding from the state, county or local governments? Any operating money we have, we had to earn ourselves. That's why we seem to always have a fundraiser or two going on.

But have you also noticed that we offer a number of events at no charge? Our lecture series is a perfect example. We offer that free to the public because we are here to promote local history. The monthly photo contest is another example as is Student Day where we do not charge for admission.

We do what we have to do to keep our doors open, but we also give you back a great deal because we are not about the money. We are about preserving the history of our great county and state.

All that having been said, we at DCHS want to thank you the people of Douglas County for your support over this past year. We especially thank you for your support just last weekend. We raised over $200 with our photos with Santa and we sold 18 tables for the tea.

Thanks also go to Santa for his tireless smiles with the kids and to the photographer and the photo developer for their work in turning out the best pictures. Thanks also to the ladies who organized, furnished and served the tea and to Laura Springs Antiques, Eliza's Closet and the models for the great fashion show. There were a lot of people involved in making last weekend a success. I won't mention any names for fear of leaving one out.

Now that the tea is over, the Carson Valley Arts Council gingerbread houses are on display in the main gallery. They will be there until Saturday, Dec. 15, when there will be a reception for all the participants from 1 to 3 p.m. Come in and see the gingerbread houses and the Christmas trees and vote for your favorites.

The December photo contest is also under way. This is the perfect month to get out and take a picture of what December in Douglas County means to you. There is so much to choose from: cloudy days, sunny days, maybe even snow if we're lucky. There are all the festivals, Christmas lights and all the parades and pageants in the parks. So get out there and take pictures.

The Main Street Bookstore is selling See's Candies gift-wrapped for the holidays. There are all kinds of great Christmas gift ideas in the store. Because we are a nonprofit organization, you pay no sales tax on your purchases. If you are a member of DCHS, you also get a 10 percent discount on all purchases.

The next big event at the Carson Valley Museum in Gardnerville will be the melodrama. Last I heard there were all kinds of behind the scenes things to get involved in, if you have an interest in the theater. And, there are a couple of characters still not cast, so if you have any acting aspirations, please call the director, Sue Smith at 782-6725.

If you have any questions about anything mentioned here, please call the Douglas County Historical Society at the Carson Valley Museum in Gardnerville at 782-2555. Visit our Web site at historicnevada.org. And if you have the time, the museum is always looking for interested volunteers.

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