Fall has officially begun and the Douglas County Historical Society and your local museums have a full slate of events for you. Add these to your list of great things to do while enjoying our gorgeous fall weather.
This weekend is the annual Genoa Candy Dance. If you have never been, come early and stay late. If you've been to Candy Dances before, you know what a treat this is. Be sure to stop by the Genoa Courthouse Museum. There will be a huge bookstore sale out front and the Cordes cousins will be selling their new book, "Frieda's Files."
Tickets are on sale at the Gardnerville museum for our annual Ghost Walks. Tickets are $5 per walk and will sell out fast. This fun event is filled with local history and lore.
Over the next weeks the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park features three Chautauqua performances. They begin at 10 a.m. and admission is free. On Saturday WNC professor Doris Dwyer portrays Donner Party survivor Margaret Breen. Breen, her husband and seven children were members of the ill-fated Donner Party. Due largely to her efforts, the Breens were one of only two entire families in the party to survive.
On Oct. 2, park ranger Mike Dinauer and community organizer Linda Conlin will portray Nevada pioneers Samuel and Eliza Buckland.
In 1859, Samuel Buckland established a ranch and a trading post on the Carson River along the California Trail in today's Lyon County. As Fort Churchill was dismantled in 1870, the Bucklands salvaged materials to build a two-story house which became an important stop for travelers.
On Oct. 23, Anita Watson portrays 19th century coloratura soprano Emma Nevada. She was born Emma Wixom in a mining camp near Nevada City, Calif., in 1859, and spent her childhood in Austin, Nev. She adopted the stage name Emma Nevada to honor her Western American roots.
Contact the Douglas County Historical Society at www.historicnevada.org or 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 keep our doors open.
Contact Ellen Caywood at in2my2cats@yahoo.com or 790-1565.
Western Nevada College professor Doris Dwyer gives Chautauqua presentation of Donner party survivor Margaret Breen, 10 a.m. Saturday, at a free event at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park.
Dwyer is a professor of history whose research focuses on women pioneers of the 19th century American West. She is known for her Chautauqua portrayals of women from this period. Her appearance is supported by the Nevada Humanities Committee, the National Endowment for the Humanities and NV Energy.
Chairs and shade shelters are provided by the park. Visitors are welcome to bring lawn chairs and encouraged to bring drinking water. Pets should be left at home.
The park is at 1450 Highway 88, a half-half mile south of the Carson Valley Swim Center. Information, park interpreter Mark Jensen, 783-9417 or parks.nv.gov
