Thanks and congratulations to all those involved in the Douglas County Historical Society's Student-Senior Day this month. The presentation of "Portrait of a Pioneer Lady" was a huge success with a total of about 70 people attending the two performances. Bea Fettic Jones, one of the authors of the play, was interviewed at the morning performance and she was delightful. Look for her interview as well as a video of the play on local Channel 16 in the near future. Historical society members will receive an e-mail announcing the time and date.
Other things happening this month include the historical society's March photo contest. What does March in Douglas County mean to you? Take a photo of it and send it to this column or deliver it to the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville. The deadline for entries is 4 p.m. March 31. The winner will be announced in The Record-Courier as soon as possible after that deadline.
Also, mark your calendars for the Women In History Reception on Saturday, March 28. This reception is open to the public and admission is free. Be sure to attend as some very special women will be honored for their contributions to life in Douglas County.
Our next Student-Senior Day will be Saturday, April 4, at the Gardnerville museum. Washoe tribal members will offer a guided tour or the recently renovated Washoe Room. In addition, Lynda Shoshone, program coordinator for the Washoe Language Program, will regale us with Washoe stories.
Meanwhile, the exhibit committee is working overtime getting the Genoa Court House ready for the season opening on May 2. They have installed an antique typewriter exhibit in the upstairs courtroom. They are in the process of reworking the Snowshoe Thompson room. And they are working on a timeline giving the history of Carson Valley including Gardnerville, Minden, Genoa and the Immigrant Trail along Foothill Road.
There will be other improvements and changes you might not notice if you haven't visited the museum in a while. The doll room has been rearranged to better display the antique furniture and dolls. There are new window treatments in some of the rooms. Just because the Court House Museum is closed from October to May doesn't mean the exhibit committee is idle. Those ladies are always in the midst of some project which will make our museums even better.
May 2 is the opening for the Genoa Court House Museum. It is also Snowshoe Thompson Day and the first Student-Senior Day to be held in Genoa. Don Thompson will tell Snowshoe stories as he has for the last four years. There will be the singing of the Norwegian national anthem and the hoisting of the Norwegian flag. This is the time when everyone is Norwegian for a day!
If you have any questions about anything mentioned here, please call the Douglas County Historical Society at 782-2555. Visit our Web site at www.historicnevada.org. Remember, DCHS and its two museums in Gardnerville and Genoa 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 at 790-1565.
