Carson City
Defensible Home contest offered
Carson City residents have a chance to make their homes safer from the threat of wildfire in the Defensible Home Contest. Participants have a chance to win up to $4,000 in landscape improvements to make their homes more fire safe. UNR's Cooperative Extension and the Bureau of Land Management are teaming up to sponsor a contest.
Participants must demonstrate a need for defensible/survivable landscaping on their property. For those chosen as winners, a plan will be agreed upon and a contractor will be hired to do the work.
Contestants must submit their names to UNR's Cooperative Extension Carson office at 2621 Northgate Lane, Suite 12 by May 15.
For information and a list of criteria, call 887-2252.
State program to assist seniors with insurance questions
The State Health Insurance Assistance Program will hold a special event today from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Carson City Senior Citizen Center to help seniors determine which insurance program is best suited for them.
Once they've made a choice, volunteers will help them enroll in the Medicare Part D program. Call 328-2673.
Video game tournament planned
Game Crazy will be sponsoring a Halo 2 tournament to be held at noon Saturday at Sparky's in Sparks, 1450 E. Prater Way, and at the Boys & Girls Club of Western Nevada, 673 S. Steward St. in Carson City.
Proceeds go to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Western Nevada. Cost is $10 to sign up. Registration is available early on the day of the tournament, and preregistration is available at any Game Crazy location.
The Carson City Game Crazy is at 444 E. William St. Call 885-9300.
Methodist Men hold annual yard sale
The annual Methodist Men's Yard Sale will take place from 7 a.m.-noon Saturday at 412 W. Musser St. Proceeds go to benefit local programs. There will be a pancake breakfast by the United Methodist youth group. Pancakes and breakfast fixings will be available and donations will be accepted. Funds raised at breakfast go to support 2006 youth programs. Call 883-6541.
Virginia City
Chili cook-off, parade set for Cinco de Mayo
Cooks participating in the Virginia City Chili Cook-off, part of Virginia City's Cinco de Mayo fiesta, will begin cooking at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.
Tasting begins at 12:30 p.m. and tickets are 50 cents each or 12 for $5. To enter into the cook-off you must pay a fee: $10 for salsa, $20 for chili verde, $30 for red, and a $42 membership fee for non-members.
The Cinco de Mayo parade will begin at noon. To join the parade or for information call 847-0311 or 847-4FUN
"Between Fences" exhibit planned
The traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition "Between Fences" will be shown at the Historic Fourth Ward School with associate other events throughout Virginia City on Saturday. To see the exhibit, catch the student art exhibit at St. Mary's Art Center Check in at the school at 9 a.m. The Historic Fourth Ward School and Nevada Humanities Committee have collaborated to bring this exhibition to Northern Nevada. Call 847-0975.