'Curse of the Hanging Tree' swings into town this weekend

Tonight and Saturday night are your chances to see this year's performances of "The Curse of The Hanging Tree." This is a re-enactment of a famous crime, trial and hanging in Genoa not all that many years ago. Was the crime really worth the death penalty? Was the trial rigged? Was the hanging justified? You can answer those questions by attending a performance.

Tickets are very limited as the venues are small. Performances will be at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. today and at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday. If there are tickets left, grab them; the performance is worth every dime. It's history, it's spoof and it's a lot of fun. Call 782-2555 right now to see if you can still get seats.

Saturday is the next in the summer swap meet series which continues with swap meets on Sept. 13 and 27. These are your final opportunities to clean out all those buried treasures in your garage. With the holidays coming, these will also be great opportunities for crafters to show and sell their wares. Hope to see you there.

The next Student-Senior Day at the museum is Sept. 6. Last week our agenda wasn't quite set, but now it is and we have a real winner for you. Bob Moore, Pony Express re-rider, will be one of our guests. He will speak about mustangs and the outstanding mustang exhibit in our main gallery.

Bob is bringing a really important guest " his own mustang Casey, that will be in the parking lot for all the students and seniors to meet. Casey may not speak to us, but what a treat to get to meet him. Remember, students and seniors get into the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville for free and Bob Moore will speak at 11 a.m. and again at 1 p.m.

On Sept. 11, the Douglas County Historical Society's lecture series will feature Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs Director Michael Fischer who will portray John Sparks. The lecture series is also open to the public for free and the Main Street Bookstore will be open both before and after the lecture for your browsing and buying pleasure.

Next week is the first week of school and the last of the August photo contest. We are looking for that one photo that best represents Douglas County in August. So take a photo of whatever you think is August and send it on in. The deadline is 4 p.m. Aug. 30. You may bring a print copy of your photo to the museum or e-mail me a copy. The winner and runners-up will be announced in the Sept. 5 column.

If you have any questions about anything mentioned here, please call the Douglas County Historical Society at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville at 782-2555. Visit our Web site at www.historicnevada.org. Remember, DCHS and its two museums do not receive any regular state or county funding. It's up to our members and friends to help us keep our doors open.

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