You know fall is coming when the leaves begin to turn, the nights get cooler, and Dayton residents come out to celebrate the historic town's Old West heritage.
The 19th annual Dayton Valley Days, a street fair and celebration, will be held Sept. 15-16 in Old Town Dayton, featuring a parade, art show, silent auction, vendors galore, entertainment and family fun.
This year the event's theme will be "Travel Back to Old Dayton," with organizers tipping their hats to the Dayton Station, the town's old rail depot, which the Historical Society of Dayton Valley will be working to restore.
A faux train will offer rides to visitors, and other forms of transportation used in the past will be part of the event, including the Emigrant Trail, Pony Express, Carson and Colorado Railroad and the Lincoln Highway, all of which passed through Dayton.
Grace Ricci, 80, whose family were among the area's first settlers, will be the grand marshal for the parade, scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 15.
She said she was honored to be grand marshal. Ricci is a member of one of Dayton's oldest families; her in-laws came here in 1910.
She married her husband, Joe, in 1953, and they had two boys. They worked the ranch, like her husband's father before them, and now she and her younger son, Joe Jr., still look after the ranch, located west of Dayton Valley Road.
She is very active in the community and serves as treasurer for the Historical Society of Dayton Valley, and still keeps a garden.
"This year I haven't raised as much, with the water situation," she said. "I usually pump out of the ditch for my garden, but this year I have to pump out of the well because the river is dry."
She still managed to plant zucchini, potatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic and pumpkins, she said.
No trip back in time is complete without authentic Western music, which this year will be provided by David John and the Comstock Cowboys, who will perform two special dinner shows at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15. The steak dinners will be provided by Chuck's Old West Grill.
Tickets for the dinner shows are $25 each, and purchasing two tickets gets a third ticket free. Seating starts 30 minutes before the show. Call 246-1630 for tickets.
The streets will be lined with vendors of all kinds, from treats in the food court to crafts to antiques to informational booths, including local students warning against drug and alcohol abuse. The Stand Tall Don't Fall teens from Dayton High School will have five booths, according to organizer Lavurne Jeffreys.
Cars and motorcycles from the good ol' days will line Main Street for the Gold Creek Show-N-Shine classic car show on Sept. 15. Sign-ups, limited to the first 100 cars and 50 motorcycle for the show begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Daytona Casino and includes participation in the parade. For show applications, call Dennis Lindsay at 246-1628.
Other events are a pancake breakfast from 7-9 a.m. both days, provided by the Daytona Casino; a fast-draw exhibition and contest by Cal Eilrich; a climbing wall offered by the National Guard; and children's games put on by Central Lyon Youth Connections.
A silent auction will be held in the Dayton Community Center on Pike Street both days.
Proceeds benefit the Lyon County Search and Rescue and the preservation of Dayton's history.
• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.
SCHEDULE
Sept. 14
4 p.m. - Vendor arrival and set-up until dark on Pike Street
Sept. 15
7-10 a.m. - Pancake Breakfast at the food court
8 a.m. - Vendor booths open
8:30-9:30 a.m. - Gold Creek Show-N-Shine sign-up at the Daytona Casino
8:30-9:30 a.m. - Parade sign-up at Terrible's Casino
9 a.m.-3 p.m. - United Blood Services blood drive; T-shirts to the first 50 donors.
9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. - Boomerang's silent auction
9 a.m.-3 p.m. - Child Find by Lyon County Sheriff's Office & VIPs
9 a.m.-3 p.m. - National Guard climbing wall
10 a.m. - Parade begins at Terrible's Casino
10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. - Gold Creek Show-N-Shine on Main Street
11 a.m.-3 p.m. - Old Melodeon Minstrels band
11 a.m.-4 p.m. - Children's games by Central Lyon Youth Connections
11 a.m.-4 p.m. - Club Fast Draw Competition featuring Cal Eilrich
11:30 a.m. - Museum Lecture: "The Emigrant Trail"
12:15 p.m. - Museum Lecture: "The Pony Express"
1 p.m. - Museum Lecture: "The Carson & Colorado Railroad"
1:45 p.m. - Museum Lecture: "The Lincoln Highway"
5 p.m. - Seating for dinner and concert
5:30-6:30 p.m. - David John and the Comstock Cowboys - 1st show
7 p.m. - Seating for dinner and concert
7:30 p.m. - David John and the Comstock Cowboys - 2nd show
Sept. 16
7-10 a.m. - Pancake Breakfast at the food court
8 a.m.-3 p.m. - Vendor booths open
9 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. - Boomerang's silent auction
9 a.m.-3 p.m. - National Guard climbing wall
9 a.m.-3 p.m. - United Blood Services blood drive; T-shirts to the first 50 donors.
9 a.m.-3 p.m. - Child Find by Lyon County Sheriff's Office & VIPs
9 a.m.-3 p.m. - Child car seat checks by Central Lyon County Fire Protection District on Main Street
10 a.m.-3 p.m. - Children's games by Central Lyon Youth Connections
11 a.m.-2 p.m. - Old Melodeon Minstrels band
CALL: Dennis Lindsay at 246-1628 to join the Gold Creek Show-N-Shine car show and Fred Atkinson at 246-1630 for tickets to the concert and other information.