Photo winner announced

The winner of the Douglas County Historical Society's July photo contest is Kathleen Belles. Her whimsical portrait of patriotism is reminiscent of the Iwo Jima Memorial in Washington, D.C. Congratulations to Kathleen and thanks to all who entered the contest.

We are also pleased to announce the winners of last Saturday's Taste of the Towns. Best Shop in a runaway vote was Three Rooms Gallery. Best Discovery was Battle Born Wine with Bravo Cafe a very close second. And Best Taste, Best Atmosphere and Best Overall went to the perennial favorite, the J T Basque Bar & Dining Room. Congratulations and thanks to all our winners and to everyone who participated.

The biggest winner is you the public who support your local museums. Your participation in our fundraisers and your memberships keep our doors open and new displays coming. We live in a wonderfully historic valley and we enjoy bringing you that history in our museums. We thank you for your support all year around, but especially for those who supported us at this year's Taste of the Towns.

If you missed your chance to pre-order our 2010 calendar, it is now on display in the Main Street Bookstore in the Gardnerville museum. Come on in and pre-order your copies soon. We plan to have your calendars in your hands in plenty of time for Christmas giving.

That means that the August photo contest is now underway. August is the last month photo to finish our 2010 calendar so it can go to the printer. September will start a whole new year's calendar. Find something that says August in Douglas County and get a photo of it into this column by e-mail or to the Gardnerville museum by 4 p.m. Aug. 31.

Also coming up in August are this summer's last two swap meets Saturday and on Aug. 22. It's time to think about emptying out those cupboards and clearing out that garage. Booth space is only $10 in advance. There is no admission charge to shop.

The lecture series continues at 7 p.m. Aug. 13 at the Gardnerville museum. Pat Hickey, former columnist for the Nevada Appeal and editor/writer for the Nevada Journal, will speak about his new book, "Tahoe Boy," a narrative of his experiences growing up around the lake. Admission is free for DCHS members and $3 per person for non-members.

For any questions, contact the Douglas County Historical Society at www.historicnevada.org or at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville at 782-2555. Remember, DCHS and its two museums in Gardnerville and Genoa don't receive any regular state or county funding. It's up to our members and friends to help us keep our doors open.

Contact Ellen Caywood at in2my2cats@yahoo.comor 790-1565.