Wrestling tourney coming to new MAC in Carson City

News Monday of a wrestling tournament in May at Carson City’s new athletic center stole center stage from a complaint about a second car show coming to town in June.

The city Visitors Bureau board learned from staff that a tournament for wrestlers ages five to 18, under auspices of the Nevada Wrestling Association, would be held the second weekend of May in the $8.3 million multi-purpose athletic center (MAC) slated to open late this month. Director Joel Dunn and Kyle Horvath, bureau marketing and social media manager, disclosed it and Dunn said 350 youths were expected to compete.

The meeting had opened with a complaint lodged during public comment by Lorretta Marcin, president of Karson Kruzers. She said she learned on Dec. 4 that car show Rockabilly Riot would be held June 23-25 at Mills Park. She said Karson Kruzers had planned its own event at Fuji Park on June 25 and she would have appreciated communication on the other event coming into the city the same weekend.

“That’s why I’m here,” she said. “I’m venting.” She said she understands the city wants to attract various events, but locals should be keyed in. She said she was unsure if the Kruzers event would be held, but Dunn promised to work with her group to see if coordination wouldn’t help pull off both events without problems.

Later he told the board he believed, and still does, that “we can have complementary events in Carson City.” He did acknowledge after several board members encouraged more communication efforts that he hadn’t confided the three-day car event was coming to the local organization.

“I have to wear the fact that I didn’t reach out to the Karson Kruzers,” he said. Board member Stan Jones had said something was missing, the local group was “very resentful” and there should be no such surprises.

Dunn reported four of five grants sought were received from the Nevada Commission on Tourism’s Travel Nevada program for amounts totaling $21,000. Among them was a $5,000 grant, to be matched with the same amount locally, for marking of events at the new MAC facility near the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Nevada on Russell Way.

In another report, he said year-to-date lodging room revenue exceeded 12.6 million, up from more than $11.5 million in 2014. His report showed that was a 9.5 percent boost.