View Genoa's past in home and garden tour

Once you see past the gaming, you will find Nevada rich in the history of the past. There are towns that exist in the state that many people are unaware of, Genoa is one of them. It boasts being Nevada's oldest settlement and is one of the rare towns that didn't spring up from mining.

It was founded in 1854 and in its 153-year history, Genoa has had its share of colorful characters, Mark Twain, Lucky Bill Thorington, Snowshoe Thompson to name a few and President Ulysses S. Grant is rumored to have slept here. Genoa has been the site of several movies such as "Charlie Varrick," "Misery," "Honky Tonk Man" and other made-for-TV movies.

Every year, Genoa taps into this history with the Home and Garden Tour. This year it will be held June 3, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is a self-guided tour throughout the town. There will also be a walking tour map of the Historic Genoa Cemetery.

Starting at noon, there will be gardening lectures conducted by Dave Ruff of Greenhouse Garden Center in Carson City (a master garden center.) Ron Brown will speak all day on the growing and care of orchids. Dan McClure of Nevada's Own will take over at 1 p.m. and speak about the plants he has developed to grow in our high desert region.

This year's lineup will include, in part, the Dake House (one of Nevada's oldest houses,) a 140-year-old Oriental poppy garden, a collection of 1890s saddles, including a G.S. Garcia & the Young Cottage. This year there will be 14 sites on the tour, both historic and contemporary.

A horse and carriage ride has been added (for an additional fee) for those people who want to experience the tour in a different way. Each site has a story to tell.

This year's proceeds will benefit, in part, the Carson Valley Pops Orchestra. Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased at Antiques Plus in Genoa, the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce located in the museum in Gardnerville, the Greenhouse Garden Center in Carson City, or send a SASE to Martha Williams, P.O. Box 89, Genoa, NV 89411.

For more information about this event, visit the Web site www.genoaevents.com or call 782-4951.