Kirstin Lambert smiles in front of the flag on her float in the Virginia City Parade. Photo by Rick Gunn
The Carson City area is getting ready to celebrate America's 226th birthday with a variety of traditional events.
Fourth of July festivities range from a carnival and fireworks at Mills Park to a concert in Genoa, a parade in Virginia City and a barbecue Gardnerville.
The annual "Pops in the Park" is back at Mormon Station Park in Genoa.
Park Ranger Lynne Frost said the event has been popular for several years because it has a mellow, relaxing atmosphere.
The Reno Philharmonic Orchestra will play from 5 to 7 in the evening. The park will be full all day long with other events.
There is a silent auction scheduled for 1 p.m., and a band will be playing at 1:30.
For the children, there will be an "instrument petting zoo." Frost said volunteers are bringing instruments, such as violins and cellos, and letting the children play with them, with an instructor on hand.
"It's a good way for kids to learn," she said.
There will also be clowns and face painting.
Frost said there will be no dogs allowed in the park, and low-back chairs are recommended.
Mills Park, in Carson City, also has a day of events planned for the Fourth. The annual carnival begins Thursday and runs until Sunday. Thursday through Saturday the carnival will be open from noon to midnight. Sunday it closes at 10 p.m.
Tickets are $18 per person for an all-day ride pass. Individual tickets are also for sale.
Mike Hughes, fair manager, said moms can ride all day Sunday for free.
"Moms can relax," he said. "It's her independence day."
On Friday and Saturday, Hughes said, there will be a special performance by Spiderman on the main stage at noon.
There will also be plenty of food, drinks and crafts.
The fireworks show will begin at 9:15 p.m. and is free to the public. Hughes said the fireworks will be shot off from the high school, and the best place to view them is from the park.
Across the street from Mills Park, in the parking lot of Commercial Truck and Auto Sales, there will be a concert by two modern Christian bands.
The concert begins at 5 p.m. and will go until the fireworks.
Vincent Vernaza, owner of Commercial Truck and Auto Sales, said the parking lot was one of the best places to view the fireworks.
The concert is free to the public.
For a step back in time, Virginia City is the place to celebrate the holiday.
A parade will start at noon. The grand marshal is former Storey County District Attorney Virgil Bucchianeri.
The parade is an annual tradition on the Comstock and entries are taken at the Fourth Ward School until the parade begins.
The Second Amendment Concert and barbecue is from 4-9 p.m. at Miners Park. After the barbecue, there will be a fireworks show at the park. Tickets for the concert and barbecue are $25 at the park. Children 12 years old and younger are half price. To see the concert only it is $10, and to see the fireworks only from inside the park it is $5.
The Nevada State Railroad museum will also celebrate the holiday. From Thursday through Sunday, the museum will bring the Inyo locomotive outside for train rides. The locomotive is 127 years old and has been featured in more than 30 movies. It was also the train pictured in the old "Wild, Wild West," television series.
John Frink, with the museum, said the Inyo train is the oldest operating locomotive in the country.
"It's the most beautiful steam locomotive ever built," he said.
The Inyo train will run for about an hour in the mornings, beginning at 11 a.m. It will remain outside until 4 p.m. for people to see and photograph.
Frink said some other passenger trains will also be brought out for rides over the holiday weekend as well.
To ride the train, adult tickets are $2.50 and children's are $1. Children under 5 are free.
Sharkey's Casino, in Gardnerville will be holding its first barbecue from noon to 6 p.m. There will be watermelon eating contests and balloon tosses, along with other old-fashioned events.
South Lake Tahoe is another place nearby to spend the holiday. The annual "Lights on the Lake," will begin at 9:45 p.m. and last about 30 minutes. Fireworks will be launched over the lake from a floating dock. The grand finale will be made up of more than 2,000 shells and pyrotechnical fountains.
FOURTH HIGHLIGHTS
Noon -- Carnival, Mills Park
Noon -- Parade, Virginia City
5 p.m. -- Pops in the Park, Genoa
9:15 p.m. -- Fireworks, Mills Park