Everyone is pitching in for flood victims

The Northern Nevada Region is still pouring out its collective heart - and hopefully its collective wallet - to the flood victims in Fernley.

At Piper's Opera House in Virginia City, just about every musician in town turned out Saturday for a performance and silent auction held to benefit the flood victims.

Lacy J. Dalton, David John and the Comstock Cowboys, Richard Elloyan and the Back Forty bluegrass band were the most well-known of the talent, but those who got there at the 3 p.m. start got to hear some of the town's lesser-known but accomplished musicians.

There was Doug Tarrant, a guitarist who once played with "The Comets" among many other major bands in the 1950s and '60s, cowboy poet Gene Skaug and Buck and Bob, who also are known as Bobby Kittle and Stogie. Kittle is a longtime Virginia City singer and also announces the parades in town. Stogie is a Western Swing Hall of Fame-honored sax player.

There was even an impromptu band that would start playing if someone was late, calling themselves, appropriately enough, the "We Fill In The Slot" band, made up of Jesse James, Glenn Buschine, Steve Neil and Will Strickland.

Tim Fackler, who put together a compilation CD of Virginia City musicians, also performed a few tunes, as did pianists Squeek LaVake and John Kirin.

All told, the event raised more than $4,000 for Fernley flood victims, and was just the beginning of the efforts that are still coming up to help out. If you have a chance to attend these events or match donations, please do.

Remember the concept of karma, whatever you throw out will come back to you.

Or, as the Bible puts it, "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."

Other flood benefit events include:

• The Fernley Senior Center is sponsoring a Community Pasta Feed from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Feb. 8. Cost is $5 for adults and $2.50 for seniors and children under 12. On the menu is pasta, salad, garlic bread, dessert and a beverage. For more details call 575-3370.

• Nice N' Tidy Specialist in Carpet and Upholster Care provided air blowers to Fernley homeowners so they could dry out their homes.

• Patricia Glover of My Mimi's House Day Care watched the children of flood victims who needed to clean their homes.

• Access Automated Door Systems offered free garage door and free opener inspection services.

• Frontier Financial Credit Union is offering low interest rate loans to victims of the recent Fernley flood. Call 824-8072 or 824-8071.

• H&R Block in Fernley is offering free copies of the previous year's tax returns to flood victims. Call 575-510.

• Wells Fargo is offering assistance to Fernley flood victims on a case-by-case basis. The bank also donated $10,000 to the local Red Cross.

• D & D Overhead Door of Reno is offering free garage and door service to flood victims. Call 747-1346, ext. 122.

• On Wednesday a "Drop in the Bucket" event was held during the Family Swim Night session at the Fernley Pool, and another will be held today during Open Swim and Teen Night sessions. Donations dropped in the bucket are swimmers' admission to the session. Pool lifeguards and the Sharks Swim Team will hold a Buddy Swim-A-Thon from 9-10 a.m. Saturday, with swimmers seeking sponsors to pledge donations per lap. Call 575-2121.

• Terrible's Rail City is the site of a fundraiser for flood victims from 5-8 p.m. Saturday at the Ale House inside Terrible's Rail City in Sparks. A $20 donation at the door and will get you a Rail Ale, hors d'oeurvres, entertainment and entrance to a silent auction, but you have to be 21. Call 954-2270.

• Nevada Wood Preserving Inc. donated $2,500 to its neighbors in Fernley to assist with disaster relief efforts.

• The Reno/Sparks Association of Realtors, the Nevada Association of Realtors, the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors, the Sierra Nevada Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors Relief Foundation has given the Community Foundation of Western Nevada has donated $90,000 to assist flood victims.

• The Eldorado Hotel and Casino and Alice Radio 96.5 will donate a portion of Thursday's ticket sales for "Forbidden Broadway" to the flood victims. Callers who purchase Forbidden Broadway tickets for the Jan. 25 show must say the words "Fernley" or "Alice" at the point of purchase. All proceeds from their ticket sales will be donated to the Fernley Flood Victim Fund.

• Even the IRS is helping by offering extensions for taxpayers in the affected area.

• Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 881-7351.