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.

Archers Take Aim at Wasting Arrows Indoor Range

STORY & PHOTOS BY ERIC CACHINERO

There's something about archery that evokes an almost primal sense in people. It is astonishing that an art, which is tens of thousands of years old, has evolved so much technologically, yet has essentially remained the same. From the days when bows and arrows were fashioned and fletched from wood, sinew, and feathers to a modern system capable of extreme accuracy and precision, archery has been—and will continue to be—a respected sport for many years.

Wasting Arrows—the only indoor archery range in the Reno/Sparks area—allows archers of all skill levels to experience the draw of archery for themselves. After hearing various friends and colleagues buzz about the facility, I'm elated that I finally get to visit Wasting Arrows to experience what all the hype is about.

Having shot a bow only a few times in my life, I'm eager to learn more about the sport. After Deana and Lystra Pitts—the very knowledgeable owners of Wasting Arrows—give me the rundown on safety information and archery basics, I'm ready to shoot. Though certainly not a dead-eye, I fling a few arrows down my lane, which luckily, stick into the target.

The facility caters to a large number of people, offering 22 archery lanes; private and group lessons; equipment rental and purchase; and league and tournament shooting. Wasting Arrows also accommodates birthday parties, special events, and holiday-themed events. "For Halloween, we had people in costume shooting at zombie targets," Lystra says. "And for Christmas, we're going to do a Christmas ornament shoot." He adds that they're planning a special Thanksgiving "turkey shoot," with a frozen turkey as the grand prize, a chicken as second, and a Cornish game hen as the third place prize.

Deana and Lystra are USA Archery, National Field Archery Association, and National Archery in the Schools Program certified instructors, and their skillful teaching methods show on the facilities' "Robin Hood wall." The wall acts as a display for visitors who shot two arrows with such precision that one arrow is shot directly into the shaft of another arrow.

Although I leave without achieving any "Robin Hood" shots, I walk away very happy with my visit, and much more knowledgeable about archery.

Wasting Arrows is open to the public daily from noon to 5 p.m. on Mondays, noon to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Hourly rates start at $12, with equipment rentals at $5.

PLAN YOUR TRIP
Wasting Arrows
8975 Double Diamond Parkway
Reno, NV 89521
wastingarrows.com, 775-240-8749