Update: Candy Dance Arts & Crafts Faire this weekend

Preparations are over and at 7 a.m. today the Town of Genoa closes and two hours later transforms into the Candy Dance Faire.

Four miles east of town, on Highway 395, the Nevada State Police will be working road closures an hour earlier than usual for the event that typically draws around 30,000 people to Nevada’s Oldest Settlement over the weekend.

“Drivers will not be able to turn from northbound Highway 395 to Genoa Lane between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.,” Transportation Spokeswoman Meg Ragonese said of the weekend. “Southbound Highway 395 will also be reduced to one through lane during the same hours.”

Picking a route into Candy Dance is important, because it determines how visitors will get out.

Drivers heading east on Genoa Lane will be able to turn onto southbound Highway 395 but if they’re headed back north, they’ll have to find a spot to safely make a U-Turn or drive to one of Minden’s two roundabouts.

Like any neighborhood sale, there will be folks who come in early, and Candy Dance is no exception. Those who find themselves in town early and hungry will find the Masons serving breakfast in their Hall in downtown Genoa.

Later in the day, the Genoa Volunteer Fire Department will be selling beer and Italian sausage sandwiches.

There will be plenty of food and drink options, according to Genoa Town Manager Jody Brunz, with 40 food and beverage vendors.

Visitors should bring cash in case the automated tell machines run out. While vendors may take credit cards, the WiFi is always a little sketchy in town and with thousands of phones in town for the weekend it might be worse.

The high temperature in Carson Valley is forecast to hit 90 degrees this afternoon, but it will be in the 60s in the mornings.

For the second year in a row, an image taken by Minden photographer Jay Aldrich is front and center on the Candy Dance poster.

The photo of the Kinsey House at night celebrates the location of the first Candy Dance Arts & Crafts Faire in 1974.

Aldrich has been taking photos in and around Genoa since the mid-1970s. The poster was designed by Genoa native Jennifer Hollister.

A half-century later, the Candy Dance Faire is the main fundraiser for Nevada’s oldest town, supporting road maintenance and keeping up the historic buildings.

Copies of the poster will be available at the town offices.

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The annual Candy Dance in Genoa is observing several anniversaries this year.

It has been 105 years since the first dinner dance to raise money for Nevada’s oldest town. The arts and crafts fair that kicked the fundraising into high gear is celebrating 50 years.

This weekend, Foothill and Jacks Valley roads and Genoa Lane are closed to accommodate some 30,000 visitors expected to swell the tiny town’s population.

From a review of The Record-Courier’s pages regarding Carson Valley’s single biggest event, it has been around 25 years that the Candy Dance has closed the town.

Candy Dance goers not only fill the three official lots around town, but park on either side of all three routes entering town, snarling traffic for miles.

Traffic controls also affect Highway 395, four miles east of town, where the Nevada State Police prevent left turns onto Genoa Lane with one lane turning right. Candy Dance traffic from the south is directed onto Muller Lane.

Fields on Ranch 1 provide the vast majority of the parking space with the Genoa Cemetery having at most a couple of hundred spots that fill up early both mornings and stay that way.

Shuttle service from all three parking lots starts at 8:30 a.m. and continues until the event closes each day. Parking is $10 cash at the lots and volunteers working them aren’t carrying change or a means to take a card, Town Manager Jody Brunz said.

It’s not a bad idea to bring cash to the event, Brunz said.

“Even though there will be ATMs on-site, it is best to bring cash in case the machines become overloaded,” she said.

With thousands of people expected in town over the weekend, volunteers are pleading with people not to bring their pets.

“Dogs are not allowed for the safety of the faire goers, as well as the animals themselves,” Brunz said.

Visitor information will be available at the kiosk at Main Street and Genoa Lane or the Visit Carson Valley trailer on Genoa Lane. There will be a vendor directory and map available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The volunteer-made candy that gives the event its name will be on sale at the Town Hall. The fudge sells out quickly. Shoppers are encouraged to bring a cooler for the event, which will see sunny skies and a high around 88 degrees.

The 2024 Candy Dance features 411 vendors selling crafts, art and food. The event raises the lion’s share of the town’s annual budget.