Beans for Brains Knitting and Crochet Scholarship Program

Last year's winner Emma Coates,
wearing her crocheted cheeseburger dress.

Jimmy Beans Wool, a leading online retailer of yarn and fabric out of Reno, is now accepting applications for its annual Beans for Brains scholarship program for the 2012-2013 academic school year. 

Through the generous donations and efforts of Jimmy Beans Wool, The Yarn Group, Vogue Knitting Magazine, Tahki Stacy Charles, Classic Elite Yarns, Knitting Pure and Simple, Rowan, Red Heart Yarns, Universal Yarns, Lorna’s Laces, and Knitter’s Pride Needles, awards will be distributed to five outstanding students this year. Each award is worth $2,250.

Applicants must be a knitter or crocheter, submit a personal photo of themselves holding their original knitting/crochet design or a photo of a recent and completed knitting/crochet project and complete an application. The merit-based award is open to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who will be attending an accredited institution for the 2012-2013 school year. Applicants may be pursuing a degree in any field.

This is the third year that Jimmy Beans Wool has supported the pursuit of higher education through the Bean for Brains scholarship program, with almost 3,000 applicants last year. The goal of Beans for Brains is to help provide opportunities for higher education to people in the knitting and crochet community. "Paying for college is a major financial challenge for many people and every little bit helps," says Jimmy Beans Wool owner Laura Zander. “This is an investment in our industry and in our future.”

Interested students can review the scholarship requirements and download the scholarship application form here.

Completed applications are due by April 15, 2012 and must be submitted via email to scholarship@jimmybeanswool.com.

Winners will be notified beginning no later than June 1, 2012.

Discover Your Nevada Launches

Gov. Brian Sandoval and Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki. Photo by Bob Conrad

Governor Brian Sandoval, Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki, representatives of the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, and local media came together at the Wilbur D. May Museum in Reno today to officially launch the new Discover Your Nevada campaign.

Sandoval said the program's main purpose is to encourage visitation within the state. "We're excited about the prospect of Nevadans discovering their own state," he said, after he announced that Krolicki and himself will do some discovering of their own. The governors will make three separate journeys together this spring: one to Gerlach and the Black Rock Desert area, a second to Fort Churchill State Park and the Dixie Valley area, and a final excursion down U.S. Highway 95 and across the Extraterrestrial Highway with a stop in the town of Rachel.

The Governor quipped in making a reference to the "Road to.." movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Details of those itineraries will be announced on the official Discover Your Nevada website, where Sandoval will maintain a blog. He also promised plenty of Tweets and fun.

The governors' travels are just the beginning of Discover Your Nevada. The campaign also incorporates public participation, in which you can nominate your favorite Nevada treasures online now through March 18. Voting begins March 19, and the treasures will ultimately be dwindled down to six (the number of tourism-designated territories in the state) and announced in early May.

"This is our chance to fall in love again with the State of Nevada," Krolicki said. "Stay-cation is the theme. Nevadans can put the family in the back of the car and hit the open road."

Both Sandoval and Krolicki praised Claudia Vecchio, Director of the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, for spearheading the new program.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to nominate your favorite Nevada treasure.

Vote in our Best of Nevada, win a trip!

Do you have a favorite hotel, restaurant, show, or event in Nevada? How about a museum, ski resort, state park, or place to take the kids? You can cast your vote in those and more categories in Nevada Magazine's 2012 Best of Nevada survey now through April 15. Not only is it a great opportunity to support your favorite attractions and businesses, one lucky voter will win a travel package to Elko, including two nights accommodations for two at Red Lion Hotel & Casino, plus dinner at the Aspens Bar & Grill. Vote now at NevadaMagazine.com!

See past Best of Nevada winners here.

In Nevada Magazine's March/April issue

Valley of Fire State Park,
Photo by Adam Smith

Nevada Magazine's current issue features a Nevada road trip and the state's prevalent motorsports scene. Last fall, Seattle photographer and brand-strategist Adam Smith spent two weeks traveling the Silver State. His assignment was to bring back stories that illustrate the soul of Nevada. Readers can enjoy photographs and entries from Smith's travel journal, including a day spent at Glaser Ranch outside Elko, ATVing on Sand Mountain, and riding the V&T Railroad.

Starting with NASCAR Weekend, held March 9-11 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nevada truly is a motorsports mecca. The story includes a Q&A with NASCAR standout Kyle Busch. Eight other speedways outside Las Vegas are covered, as well as three racing organizations — SCORE, SNORE, and BITD — that are instrumental to bringing some of the world's top off-road racing events to Nevada. For example, the Mint 400 comes to Las Vegas March 23-25, popular for tech inspection at Fremont Street as much as the racing.

Also in the issue are a story about Old Middlegate Station and a proud slayer of its famous Monster Burger, how to prepare for and survive in Nevada's wilderness should a crisis occur, Carson Valley's own George Ferris Jr. who went on to invent the Ferris wheel, and a guide to the Strip's newest resort, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Learn more about the issue in the below video.



In our Events & Shows editions, we feature Nevada rodeos and The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, which opens in Las Vegas on March 10. Readers can access the Las Vegas Events & Shows and Nevada Events & Shows publications, both produced by Nevada Magazine, for free at NevadaMagazine.com.