A tale of two parties

Lyon and Storey counties need to get together on a party some day.

Being something of a Christmas party connoisseur, and having the good fortune to attend the parties of both Storey and Lyon counties, I found each fairly reflected the county's character. To combine them would be awesome.

Storey County officials made no bones about how important the county party was: They moved their final meeting of 2006 from the courthouse to the Historic Fourth Ward School ballroom. As soon as the meeting adjourned, the huge, sliding doors dividing the ballroom were opened to a sumptuous catered buffet and an open bar.

Heather Beaupre's Secret Service Catering produced a buffet that included brie, goat cheese stuffed tomatoes, bleu cheese in sun-dried tomatoes, pork tenderloin sandwiches with honey mustard and sausages in cranberry mustard sauce, topped off with assorted chocolates complete with a chocolate fountain.

Not that Storey County is populated with folks with rich taste, just with folks who know how to party.

At Lyon County's holiday bash in the Mason Valley-Yerington Fire Station, there was no bar, but lots of food. Lots and lots of food. Real all-American stick-to-your-ribs fare.

Three types of potato salad, three types of pasta salad, chicken, meatballs, pasta, vegetables, breads, chips, dip and some things I didn't recognize, but that didn't last long.

The event was potluck, and it seemed every county worker in Lyon is a great cook.

There were multitudes of desserts, too: cookies, brownies, pies, cakes, cupcakes, and some things I didn't recognize, but also didn't last long. Judging from the dessert offerings, there are probably more talented bakers per square mile in Lyon County than anywhere else I've been.

Storey County has more saloons in it's five-block main street than anyplace else I've been.

Lyon County is kind of the breadbasket of Western Nevada, with farms and ranches stretching for miles.

So it's not surprising that Storey had more drinks and Lyon had more eats.

If folks from these two counties ever get together on a party, I'll be sure to attend.

•••

Lyon County has agreed to a new policy on expenditures and revenue for the fairground and events centers that will not include the Lyon County Fairgrounds in Yerington.

Any revenue earned by events centers will be put back into capital improvements, Comptroller Josh Foli said. He said right now it only applied to the Dayton Valley Events Center, but could apply to any new centers. Foli was concerned that any profits from the events didn't have a specific account.

"It is written broadly enough that if an events center is built, say, in Silver Springs, we won't have to have a separate policy for each center," he said.

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.