Nevada 150 Announces Nevada Day Parade Details

The Nevada 150 Sesquicentennial Commission has announced that Las Vegas will join the Nevada Day celebration with a Nevada 150 commemorative parade. The October 2014 festivities include four Nevada Day parades to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Nevada’s statehood, including the first Las Vegas Nevada Day Parade planned as the largest Nevada Day celebration in Southern Nevada.

“Nevada Day is one of those unique celebrations that truly captures the heritage of our state's sense of community and spirit,” says Lieutenant Governor and Nevada 150 chairman Brian Krolicki. “While we thoroughly enjoy our parades and long-beard contests, it is a celebration of who we are. Being Nevada's 150th birthday only makes the day more meaningful.”

Las Vegas Nevada Day Parade
On Nevada Day, Friday, Oct. 31, 2014 at 10 a.m., the Las Vegas Nevada Day Parade will be held downtown along 4th Street. The parade is scheduled to last approximately two hours and will feature 150 entries and six categories: float, equestrian, marching band, motorized vehicle, walking group, and other. Cash prizes will be awarded for the following categories: Overall Best Of, Best Historical Significance, Best Float, Best Equestrian, Best Marching Band, and Best Vehicle. The parade will be produced by the City of Las Vegas and is made possible through a $100,000 grant from the City of Las Vegas Centennial Commission through its Las Vegas Centennial History Grant Program.

“Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world and we are excited to be hosting a fabulous     sesquicentennial parade to celebrate Nevada Day,” Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman says. “I want to     thank the Centennial Commission for contributing funding for this event to celebrate this major     milestone for our state.”

For additional information about the Las Vegas Nevada Day Parade please call 702-229-6672 or e-mail ecarter@LasVegasNevada.gov. To submit a parade application please visit lasvegasnevada.gov.  

Elko Nevada Day Parade
Also to be held on Nevada Day, Friday, Oct. 31, 2014, at 11 a.m. Elko hosts its 27th annual Nevada Day Parade. Chairmen Jim and Rose Conner, will start taking entries on October 1 until the day of the parade, and line-up will be handled by long-time committee members consisting of family and friends. The parade will run its usual route from the Crystal Theater to the Elko County Fairgrounds.  This parade is sponsored by the Elko Knights of Columbus Council #2511.

“Elko is truly proud of its Nevada heritage and we are Battle Born and Nevada Proud,” says Don Newman, executive director of the Elko Convention & Visitors Authority and Nevada 150 commissioner. “We look forward to celebrating Nevada’s 150th birthday in style at our annual Nevada Day Parade through downtown Elko”.

For additional information about the Elko Nevada Day Parade please call Rose Conner at 775-738-7991.

Virginia City Nevada Day Parade
To be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31, 2014, the Virginia City parade route travels down historic C Street starting at the Fourth Ward School. This year’s parade combines the annual Halloween entries along with those that celebrate the 150th anniversary of Nevada statehood. The parade, organized by the Virginia City Tourism Commission, takes place just before the Nevada 150 Masquerade Ball, a Nevada 150 signature event, held at Piper’s Opera House. The 19th century mining bonanza known as the Comstock Lode turned Virginia City into one of the most important industrial cities between Denver and San Francisco. The riches from Virginia City led to the early development of Western Nevada and the Silver State’s entry into the union on October 31, 1864. 

“The gold and silver from Virginia City played a huge role in Nevada becoming the 36th state,” says Deny Dotson, director of the Virginia City Tourism Commission. “We are excited to host the Nevada Day Parade in conjunction with our Nevada 150 Masquerade Ball, right here where it all began in Virginia City.”

For additional information about the Virginia City Nevada Day Parade or Nevada 150 Masquerade Ball please visit visitvirginiacitynv.com or call 775-847-7500.

Carson City Nevada Day Parade
The 2014 Carson City Nevada Day Parade takes place on Saturday, Nov. 1 in our state’s capital; this year's parade theme is “Happy 150th Birthday Nevada.” The day kicks off at 8 a.m. with a hot air balloon launch near the Carson Mall on Carson Street (weather permitting). At 10 a.m., a military flyover signals the start of the parade.

This annual tradition features over 200 entries, including local law enforcement, public officials, floats, marching bands, a variety of entertainment, and even the occasional surprise celebrity appearance. The parade begins at the intersection of William and Carson Streets, and concludes approximately at the intersection of Stewart and Carson Streets.

“For more than 75 years, the Nevada Day Parade has been an institution and a source of pride for Nevadans,” says Ken Hamilton, president of Nevada Day Inc., a not-for-profit 501c3 organization. “With this year being the 150th anniversary of Nevada's statehood, it's a wonderful opportunity for Nevadans and visitors to come be a part of our state's history.” 

More than just a parade, the Nevada Day celebration continues all weekend long, with dozens of special events taking place all around Northern Nevada. To learn more about Nevada's longest running celebration of statehood, visit nevadaday.com.

For more information on the above scheduled parades or to view all other upcoming events for the Nevada 150 celebration, please visit nevada150.org. Additional communities wishing to host a parade or other events may submit an event application by visiting the above website.

Sales for Second Nevada Sesquicentennial Medallions Begin Soon

Wells Fargo Announced as Commemorative Medallion Sponsor

Orders for the second of four commemorative medallions marking Nevada’s 150th birthday begin Monday, February 10 through the Nevada Legislative Gift Shop (LGS). Wells Fargo has been announced as the official sponsor of the commemorative medallions.

“I am thrilled to welcome Wells Fargo as the newest sponsor of our celebration; Nevada and Wells Fargo have an incredible and unique shared history,” says Lt. Governor and Nevada 150 Commission Chairman Brian Krolicki. “The design of the second medallion, depicting a miner, truly captures the history and impact mining has had on or state.”

Each one-ounce collector’s medallion is made from pure Nevada silver from the Coeur Mine in Rochester on the historic Coin Press No. 1 at the Nevada State Museum. Depicting a Nevada miner on the front side and the Nevada Sesquicentennial logo on the back side, the silver medallion is available to the public at $100.50 each. The copper medallions have the same design as the silver medallions and are available for purchase at $15 each.

Beginning February 10, orders for the sesquicentennial medallions can be made through the Legislative Gift Shop website or in person at the LGS, located at 401 South Carson Street in Carson City.

Sales of the commemorative medallions help fund the Nevada 150 events and year-long celebration. Throughout the year, four different medallions will be released at different dates for purchase.

For more information about Nevada 150, visit nevada150.org.

James Lee Reeves is Nevada Proud

You would be hard pressed to find anyone more passionate about Nevada than Virginia City musician James Lee Reeves. All you have to do is search his name on iTunes, and you'll discover his 2012 album, "I'll Take Nevada," which contains seven can't-get-'em-out-of-your-head country songs about the Silver State. You can also purchase his single, "Shiny Side Up (Dirty Down)," an anthem for Nevada's mass motorcycle culture that shows up in droves at such annual events as Reno's Street Vibrations.

Reeves is a Nevadan through and through. Before he settled into his handmade log home in the Virginia City Highlands, he made a name for himself 25 years ago on the Las Vegas Strip. "I lived in Mount Charleston for four years, and then I moved to Vegas because I worked there as an entertainer/comedian," says Reeves, who performed as Milo Tremley from 1988-94. Tremley's hilarious redneck ensemble would have made Larry the Cable Guy envious.

Luckily for Nevadans and Nevada lovers, Reeves continues to write Nevada songs. Before 2013 came to a close, he wrote "Battle Born, Nevada Proud," an homage to Nevada's sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) year of 2014. He also recorded "Nevada Magazine," which salutes the official state publication's nearly 80 years of service.

The third new song is a Nevada-ized version of Hank Snow's Classic "I've Been Everywhere," made famous of course by Johnny Cash. Reeves' version, based on a 2010 Editor's Note by Nevada Magazine's Matthew B. Brown, is titled, "We've Been Everywhere (in Nevada)."

You can hear all three new songs below.

"Battle Born, Nevada Proud" Or click here


"Nevada Magazine" Or click here


"We've Been Everywhere (in Nevada)" Or click here

Nevada Magazine Continues Sesquicentennial Celebration

January 1936

Nevada Magazine’s January/February 2014 issue, featuring the Carson City Capitol building on the cover, is now available on newsstands throughout Nevada. This publication marks the 78th anniversary of Nevada Magazine, which debuted as Nevada Highways and Parks in January 1936. See all 78 years of cover images here.

Featured in the current edition are a statewide Nevada Day photo gallery, as well as Part III of author and historian Ron Soodalter's eight-part series on the history of the Silver State. Soodalter explains how bombastic journalists such as Mark Twain, the rise of the railroads, and the birth of Nevada’s university system all merged to make Nevada prosperous in its early years of statehood. The issue is also the third of eight Sesquicentennial Special Editions that Nevada Magazine will produce through November/December 2014.

January/February 2014
Photo: Matthew B. Brown

The magazine is encouraging Nevadans and Nevada lovers to share what they love about the Silver State. Send an e-mail to editor@nevadamagazine.com (preferred); write a letter to: Editor, 401 N. Carson St., Carson City, NV 89701; or call 775-687-0602; and tell us why the Silver State is special to you. Submissions — due by September 2, 2014 — will be for possible publication in a “150 Things We Love About Nevada” special November/December 2014 edition.

Also featured in the January/February 2014 issue is a cover story about the icons of Nevada, including the Capitol, bighorn sheep, Hoover Dam, the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada" sign, and more.

The Southern Nevada riverside town of Laughlin, the historic Techatticup Mine in Eldorado Canyon, a number of influential black leaders from Nevada’s past and present (to celebrate Black History Month), and the ghost town of Metropolis are also highlighted in the pages of the current issue.

Nevada Magazine Covers Mining's Past & Present

An overview of Coeur Rochester, Inc.'s Nevada mine, northeast of Lovelock.

Nevada Magazine’s November/December 2013 issue, featuring former president Abraham Lincoln on the cover, is now available on newsstands throughout Nevada. In it are parallel feature stories: one about the logistics of modern mining in the state and a partner piece that focuses on Nevada's mining history and how the innovative and lucrative Comstock district propelled Nevada into statehood on October 31, 1864.

Lincoln was president during the Civil War, when Nevada become a state, earning it the "Battle Born" moniker. This is the second of eight Sesquicentennial Special Editions the magazine will produce through November/December 2014. The State of Nevada celebrates its 150th birthday in 2014.

Also highlighted in the issue are the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Museum and Visitor Center, Fort Churchill State Historic Park, Sand Springs Pony Express station, the Frank Sinatra Jr. kidnapping of 1963, a roundup of 2013 Nevada Books, and The LINQ, an open-air retail, dining, and entertainment district now under construction on the Las Vegas Strip.

The magazine is currently offering a number of great holiday gifts, including the Historical Nevada book, the 2014 Nevada Historical Calendar, and our special 75th-Anniversary Edition of 2011. Find out more at nevadamagazine.com, or by calling 775-687-0610.

Nevada Magazine Gets Into the Sesquicentennial Spirit

This old-time photo of the Nevada Magazine staff was taken in August 2013 at Priscilla Pennyworth's in Virginia City.

Release of Historical Nevada book and Historical Calendar coincides with Nevada Day weekend celebration.

Nevada Magazine staff will be selling the new Historical Nevada book and 2014 Nevada Historical Calendar on Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26 in Carson City during the Nevada Day festivities. Look for the booth at the Nevada State Museum in the main concourse on Friday from 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m., and on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be an additional booth on Saturday, during the Nevada Day Parade, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the Paul Laxalt State Building.

In honor of Nevada’s 150th birthday in 2014, Nevada Magazine has published a special book titled Historical Nevada: 150 Memorable Images in Celebration of the Silver State's Sesquicentennial. This 159-page publication is a great way for Nevadans and Nevada enthusiasts to celebrate the state's heritage. The cover shows the Virginia & Truckee Railroad as it was in 1876 Carson City.

Each book is $29.95 if purchased in person, and the magazine will accept Visa and MasterCard. If ordering online or via phone, the book is $29.95 plus a $6 shipping and handling fee. To order, visit nevadamagazine.com, or call 775-687-0610. Nevada state employees can get the Historical Nevada book for $25 by e-mailing carrie@nevadamagazine.com or calling 775-687-0610.

The 2014 Nevada Historical Calendar is also produced by Nevada Magazine. An 1876 scene of the Carson City Capitol appears on the cover. The 2014 calendar features many images from Nevada’s first decade of statehood, including a few from the early days of the Comstock, famous writer Mark Twain's cabin in Aurora, an 1860s photo of Austin, and an 1870s photo of Eureka.

Each calendar is $14 if purchased in person. If ordering online or via phone, each calendar is $14 plus a $4 shipping and handling fee. To order, visit nevadamagazine.com, or call 775-687-0610. Nevada state employees can get the 2014 Nevada Historical Calendar for $11 by e-mailing carrie@nevadamagazine.com or calling 775-687-0610. Purchasers can also bundle the book, calendar, and a Nevada Magazine subscription by taking advantage of various special offers available at nevadamagazine.com.

In addition, Nevada Magazine is hosting Nevada Photographers Day II, October 25-27. The magazine is inviting all photographers, statewide, to capture the Nevada Day spirit from our small towns to our big cities. Show and tell a memorable story that takes place in Nevada only during this 72-hour period. Submissions and detailed photo descriptions (names, place, time, etc.) are due to snebeker@nevadamagazine.com by Monday, November 11 at 5 p.m. For more information, visit nevadamagazine.com.

Reno Man Wins Nevada Magazine’s 2013 Photo Contest

Nevada residents sweep Grand Prize and 2nd through 4th Places.

"Light Glyphs," by Neil Lockhart

Neil Lockhart, owner of Neil Lockhart Photography based in Reno, is the Grand Prize winner of Nevada Magazine’s 36th annual Great Nevada Picture Hunt photo contest — the feature story in the publication’s September/October 2013 issue.

The winning image, titled “Light Glyphs," is an epic nighttime scene of Lagomarsino Canyon. One of the state’s most intriguing collections of petroglyphs, the site is located in the Lousetown area north of Virginia City. “The image was created by light-painting the rock formations with a large portable spotlight, as well as a small Mini Maglite for the glyphs themselves,” says Lockhart, who has a passion for night photography. He strategically included the Milky Way. “I can only imagine how bright the light of the stars must have been at the time the glyphs were created,” he adds.

In addition to the Grand Prize, there were 2nd Place, 3rd Place, and 4th Place winners in the magazine's 2013 photo contest. Carson City resident Jarrod Lopiccolo took 2nd with his stunning "Life Guard Off Duty" photo, taken at Sand Harbor on Lake Tahoe's northeastern shore. The 3rd Place photo, "Rhyolite Ghost Town" by Wayne Posner of Las Vegas, also landed on the cover of the current issue. Like Lockhart, Posner used a light-painting effect on the "Ghost Rider" sculpture at Rhyolite’s Goldwell Open Air Museum. Rhyolite is a ghost town in southwestern Nevada, not far from Beatty.

Reno resident Michael Lindberg took 4th Place with his photo of Sand Mountain Recreation Area, titled "Star Dust." The gigantic pile of sand, east of Fallon, is a popular ATV destination. “I went in February 2013 during a cold weekend in hopes of seeing zero motorized vehicles,” Lindberg says. “Unfortunately, there were still plenty of people, and I had to hike all over to find sand that had not been touched. Luckily my sweat and determination rewarded me with this scene.”

To view the winning images and Honorable Mentions, pick up the September/October 2013 issue at national bookstores and where magazines are sold in Nevada, or visit nevadamagazine.com. Look for information in a future 2014 issue covering submission rules for the 2014 photo contest, or check back regularly at nevadamagazine.com.

Also in the September/October 2013 issue

Photo by Wayne Posner

The current issue is also Nevada Magazine's first Sesquicentennial Special Edition. Nevada is celebrating its 150th birthday in 2014, so the magazine will honor the sesquicentennial over the next eight issues, through November/December 2014. Author and historian Ron Soodalter is writing a series of history stories that covers Nevada's past. Part I of Soodalter's two-part "Pre-Nevada" series covers the Indians, explorers, miners, and settlers who paved the way for Nevada's rise to statehood.

Also highlighted are a southwestern Nevada ghost-towns tour, spectacular fall images, more on the changing face of downtown Las Vegas, and a new tavern in Reno that pays homage to Nevada's birth year of 1864.

Historical Nevada Book Now Available

In honor of Nevada’s 150th birthday in 2014, Nevada Magazine is publishing a special book titled Historical Nevada: 150 Memorable Images in Celebration of the Silver State's Sesquicentennial. This 160-page publication is a great way for Nevadans and Nevada enthusiasts to celebrate the state's heritage. The cover shows the Virginia & Truckee Railroad as it was in 1876 Carson City.

The book also pays homage to Nevada Magazine's annual Nevada Historical Calendar, because the 150 images showcased are the most intriguing and memorable from 36 years of calendars (1978-2013). "We carefully scanned and edited the photos to preserve their original attributes," says Nevada Magazine Publisher Janet Geary. "We know you will enjoy this nine-decade journey through the different eras that shaped Nevada and helped create the state we know and love today."

From 1870s Virginia City to 1950s Las Vegas, Historical Nevada illustrates the Silver State's rise from a sparsely populated mining mecca into a world-renowned tourist destination. It also includes a Foreword by Richard Moreno, who was the Nevada Magazine publisher from 1992 to 2006. He has authored a number of Nevada history books, most recently A Short History of Carson City, and he is currently a professor at Western Illinois University.

Each book is $29.95 plus $6 shipping and handling. To order, visit nevadamagazine.com, or call 775-687-0610. Nevada state employees can get the Historical Nevada book for $25 by e-mailing carrie@nevadamagazine.com or calling 775-687-0610.

Nevada 150 Commemorative Silver Coins

Through September 1, visitors to the Nevada State Museum in Carson City will have a chance to witness a piece of Nevada's history in the making. In celebration of Nevada's sesquicentennial, 1,000 one-ounce NV150 commemorative coins will be made from a silver ingot, which is now on display at the museum. The 1,000-ounce bar of silver, mined from 4,000 tons of exclusively Nevada ore, will be melted down and stamped with the “CC” mint mark, honoring the state’s sesquicentennial which is Nevada Day, 2014.

The Coeur mining company near Lovelock donated the bar of silver to be used for the celebration. The mine has produced more than 130 million ounces of silver over 27 years, including the donated bar that is one foot long, six inches deep, and weighs more than 60 pounds.

The Northwest Territorial Mint in Dayton is in charge of melting the ingot to produce the coins. Coin sales will help fund the Nevada 150 events. Sale price is to be determined.

The museum is located at 600 N. Carson St. and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Admission is $8 for adults. Visitors who are 17 and younger and museum members are free.

150th-Anniversary License Plates

Governor Brian Sandoval has announced that the Nevada 150th-anniversary license plates will be available at metropolitan DMV offices beginning July 29, and rural offices beginning July 31. The Governor also announced that as of July 9, DMV offices will begin accepting orders for personalized 150th license plates. The license plate is a precursor to the year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of Nevada’s 1864 statehood.

"The 150th license plate is an important part of recognizing our state's 150th anniversary," Sandoval says. "The proceeds from the plate will go toward supporting the year-long celebration, and I am thrilled that at the end of this month, motorists will be able to show their support for our great state."

Standard plates cost $33.50, plus a $20 annual fee, and personalized plates cost $68.50, plus a $30 annual fee. Revenues from the Nevada 150 license plates will generate funds to support projects and events related to the Nevada 150 celebration.

Click here for more information on standard or personalized 150th-anniversary license plates.

Nevada's Sesquicentennial Celebration

Brian Krolicki and Brian Sandoval in Carson City.

Earlier today, Governor Brian Sandoval and Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki held a press conference after arriving by steam locomotive at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City. The governors addressed the celebration of Nevada's sesquicentennial, the unveiling of the Nevada Commission on Tourism's 2013 Discover Your Nevada campaign, and some important news about Nevada's state museums.

Governor Sandoval announced that many of Nevada's museums are upgrading, and all will expand their hours and days of operation. In celebration of the expanded museum operations, all seven Nevada state museums are offering two free admission days.

The free admission days are scheduled for July 6 and 20 and feature special programs, new exhibits, and unique opportunities. The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City is offering half-price train fares. The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson city is celebrating Independence Day July 4-7 and offering special outdoor locomotive displays and a chance to ride on a train pulled by the Virginia & Truckee (V&T) locomotive No. 25.

As part of the Discover Your Nevada campaign, the Nevada Commission on Tourism announced that beginning today, July 3, people can vote for their favorite activity, experience, or event in the state. Whichever activity, experience, or event gets the most votes will receive a plaque, a mention in a future issue of Nevada Magazine, and much more. Details can be found at travelnevada.com/discover, and by clicking on the Discover Your Nevada graphic below.

With Nevada's quickly approaching sesquicentennial, the governors announced the launch of the Nevada 150 campaign. With 150 events planned during the sesquicentennial year, the Nevada 150 campaign plans to "promote the independent spirit of Nevada through education, tourism, and history."

In lieu of the sesquicentennial, Governor Sandoval signed a law which authorizes sale of a special Nevada 150 license plate, which will be available for purchase through the DMV starting late July. Revenues from the Nevada 150 license plates will support projects and events related to the year-long Nevada 150 celebration.