Gingerbread houses and Christmas trees at museum

Have you voted for you favorite gingerbread house yet? The reception announcing the winners is 1-3 p.m. Saturday at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville. Come in and vote and come back Saturday to toast the winners.

While you're there, vote for your favorite Christmas trees as well. Vote with quarters, or whatever money you happen to have. The winning tree is the one that receives the most money. We'll show you the winner right here in this column.

You still have time to stop into the Gardnerville museum and Christmas shop at the Main Street Bookstore, where there is a 10-20 percent discount on most merchandise during December. While you're there, pick up your copy of our 2010 calendar which features all your winning photos taken over the past year. These calendars make great gifts for anyone who loves the beauty of our valley.

December certainly affords you a range of things to photograph for the December photo contest. So far we've had everything from snow to pogonip to ice and slush. Take your best shot, then print it up or e-mail it to the address below. We are looking for that one photo that really says December in Douglas County. Deadline is Dec. 31.

The melodrama is coming soon. Tickets go on sale for the 2010 melodrama titled "Hotel Minden II" and subtitled "The Divorce Mill" on Jan. 2. Performances are scheduled for Jan. 29, 30 and 31. Last year we sold out of tickets two weeks early, so grab your tickets soon. You can stop by the Gardnerville museum or call 782-2555 and charge tickets to your credit card. Friday and Saturday evenings are dinner performances and Sunday is our hot dog matinee. 

This year's intermission olio will feature last year's villain Daniel Gaughan along with his son Daniel II with a musical interlude. Remember the jail scene? That's our Daniel and we'll get to hear more of him this year.

Tickets are now on sale for our drawing for the Alice Cardelli Swett painting of "Wild Bunch," a band of mustangs in our Nevada desert. The painting was donated to DCHS by the family of Marge Bay and has been appraised at $1,500. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20. Come in and see this magnificent painting and purchase your tickets.

Nominating packets for the 10th annual Women's History Remembering Project may be picked up at the Gardnerville museum starting Jan. 4. The Douglas County Historical Society is asking you to nominate a woman that you feel has made a significant historical contribution to the quality of life in Douglas County. The women will be honored at a public reception on March 20.

For 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.com or 790-1565.