Firework celebrations planned for Carson, Virginia cities

Skies above Carson City and Virginia City will light up in celebration of the nation's independence this Fourth of July.

In Genoa, the sounds of patriotism will ring through the air.

From fireworks to concerts and picnics and other activities, there will be no shortage of Fourth of July celebrations in the area.

-- Festivities in Virginia City will begin around noon with a parade through town.

"It's fun, funny and patriotic," said Sandra Tetz, of the Virginia City Chamber of Commerce. "There's going to be unusual entrants of all kinds."

Live music will be playing throughout the day and barbecues will be fired up.

The fireworks will begin at dusk in Miners Park.

-- The annual Fourth of July Cavalcade of Spectaculars will start off with a bang at Mills Park in Carson City on July 3 with the Royal West Carnival opening at noon and running through midnight, and continuing on Friday.

At dark, the fireworks show will begin at Mills Park, sponsored by The Greater Nevada Credit Union and The Atlantis Hotel & Casino.

The carnival will continue July 5-6 and will be open from noon to midnight both days. Special all-day ride passes are available each day of the event for $18.00 which allows you to ride all rides all day as many times as you wish.

A special free attraction this year will be the Pennzoil Vrooom Virtual Reality Experience where performer Jay Leno explains some of the basics of a car's engine in a taped video presentation.

Participants are then placed in an Indy racing car for a trip around the race track including a pit stop. The eight-minute experience will run each day of the fair until 8 p.m.

-- The 127-year-old locomotive "Inyo" will also be on display for the July Fourth weekend at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City from 10 to 11 a.m.

The exhibit features detailed models as the backdrop for a series of stories about the historic locomotive that once served Northern Nevada and the Comstock.

-- The Sierra Philharmonic League will present the patriotic "Pops in the Park" concert featuring the Reno Philharmonic. The concert will be performed at Mormon Station State Park (northeast corner of downtown Genoa), and is free to the public.

The park opens to the public with food, drinks and a silent auction at 3 p.m. on July 4. The Philharmonic's performance will begin at 5 p.m. and will conclude in time for all to drive home and catch the fireworks.