Another Candy Dance for the history books

As in decades past, it was the volunteers at the annual Candy Dance that were key to its success.

“Volunteers made a huge contribution to the success of the event,” organizer Gayle Vassar said. “For the faire alone, they filled 142 unique volunteer shifts - everything from candy and ice sales to helping as vendor hosts and staffing the information booth.”

Vassar thanked Carson Valley Middle School leadership students and their teacher Pam Higman for setting up 55 tables and 515 chairs for the dinner dance, and the Marines from the base in Bridgeport, Calif., for putting all the tables and chairs away once the Dinner Dance was over.

The leadership students also helped out with candy sales in the Town Hall.

While not quite that old, Candy Dance itself observed its 105th birthday over the weekend. It is the 50th birthday of the arts and crafts faire that takes over the town for two days.

Through fees from the 411 vendor booths in town, Candy Dance provides the lion’s share of the town’s revenue, which it then uses to support services in the oldest settlement.

While she thinks it was a successful event, Town Manager Jody Brunz said there’s always room for improvement.

“People have given some negative feedback about various aspects of the weekend, and I will take all of those under consideration,” she said. “There were the usual medical emergency issues and traffic back-ups due to the large attendance on Saturday.” 

Despite pleas, visitors brought their dogs to the craft faire and one even locked their dog in the car for hours, she said.

“We even had someone parachute into the parking lot,” Brunz said. “Almost all, with maybe the exception of about five vendors, that I spoke to did very, very well this weekend. Wifi was still an issue as it is every year.”

Historian and mapmaker Stan Paher set up his booth in Mormon Station State Historic Park on Saturday.

His most popular book, “Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps,” has sold 68,800 copies over the past 54 years, he said.

Former Genoa Town Board member Jenn King and friend Phoenix resident Michelle Hammer have been coming to Candy Dance for 20 years.

Over near the former Raycraft Hall, Town Historian Lisa Lekumberry was being interviewed for a travel piece for the Carson Valley Visitor’s Authority.