Memorial Day Weekend will be even busier than usual in Virginia City.
Last month the commissioners approved the Dapper Memorial Day Run, which organizer Dan Norby expects to bring about 1,000 motorcycles into town. The traditional Celebration of Heroes parade honoring fallen veterans will be on May 24 at noon, and on May 25, about 100 people in 50 Ford Mustangs will be in town for a car show.
The Reno Mustangs Car Club will hold their "PonyTrails" event, part of the "Restomods in Reno" car show, from 1 to 3 p.m. May 25 in a parking lot on D and Mill streets in Virginia City.
"We're having 300 cars down at Atlantis on Memorial Day weekend that is over on Sunday at noon, and one of our excursions we're trying to do is take people up to Virginia City so we can see the place," said organizer David Thompson.
He said Mustang owners were driving in from all over the West and as far away as Illinois.
"We have 75 cars already registered and none are local," he said.
The group filed for a special event permit just after the motorcycle event approval, and the issue will be heard at an upcoming Commission meeting.
On his application, Thompson described the event as about 50 cars, primarily classic Mustangs, and 100 people to park in Virginia City and tour the town.
About 300 Mustangs will be in Reno for the weekend, according to the permit application.
The Dapper Memorial Day Run was a controversial event, and was approved by the Storey County commission on a 2-1 vote. Commissioner John Flanagan was opposed.
Commissioner Greg "Bum" Hess, said he probably still would have voted in favor of the motorcycle event had he known about a possible car show.
"You want to get quality people up here," he said.
Storey County Sheriff's Lt. Chris Parsons said the department won't have a problem with additional tourists.
"We can handle anything that comes our way," he said. "Tourism is not a problem for us. That's what we do."
Contact Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 881-7351.