Celebrating the Virginia City way

Everybody loves a parade, perhaps nowhere better than in Virginia City.

But mix the traditional St. Patrick's Day procession with an event dedicated to a part of a sheep's anatomy not normally discussed in polite company, and you have one heck of a party.

The St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday included everything from young Irish dancers to aging war veterans, characters in historical costumes to custom hot rod's, entertaining the crowds on C Street.

But the big draw was the annual Mountain Oyster Fry, which featured cooks trying to make the tastiest testicle concoctions for judges and the public.

People waited in long lines to sample the fare from the five booths, with names like Castration Station and Wanda's Surf & Snack Shack. Some eagerly gobbled up the tasty morsels, while others cringed to get past the knowledge of where they came from.

Actually, these mountain oysters came from veal instead of sheep, since herders have changed they way they remove the testicles, which doesn't allow for them to be saved for cooking purposes. But that didn't seem to make much difference to the squeamish.

Henry Jones, dressed in a chef's hat and green slippers, was cooking mountain oysters in a deep fryer for the Montana Huckleberries booth, with Alex and Sage Atriedes handing them out to customers.

"These are sweet, homemade balls," Jones laughed as he scooped out another batch for the waiting customers. "They taste good. They are delicious. But we are running out of the special sauce."

The beer and festivities prompted more testicle jokes than one could count, most of them unprintable.

Even though the skies were cloudy the temperatures un-summerlike, crowds filled the sidewalks, shops and saloons.

Nicki Wilson of Sparks was in charge of Wanda's Surf & Snack Shack, which was named after a blue VW bus. Her crew sold out their 27 pounds of oysters in only 45 minutes, leaving them plenty of time to celebrate their sixth year of cooking for the festival.

"It's a blast every year," Wilson said.

Wilson's team won the award for the best use of flavors. Best overall taste and best booth awards went to the Casterelli family of Reno, who operated the Castration Station. Montana Huckleberries won the best presentation award.

Contact reporter Kirk Caraway at kcaraway@nevadaappeal.com or (775) 881-1261.

But the big draw was the annual Mountain Oyster Fry, which featured cooks trying to make the tastiest testicle concoctions for judges and the public.

People waited in long lines to sample the fare from the five booths, with names like Castration Station and Wanda's Surf & Snack Shack. Some eagerly gobbled up the tasty morsels, while others cringed to get past the knowledge of where they came from.

Actually, these mountain oysters came from veal instead of sheep, since herders have changed they way they remove the testicles, which doesn't allow for them to be saved for cooking purposes. But that didn't seem to make much difference to the squeamish.

Henry Jones, dressed in a chef's hat and green slippers, was cooking mountain oysters in a deep fryer for the Montana Huckleberries booth, with Alex and Sage Atriedes handing them out to customers.

"These are sweet, homemade balls," Jones laughed as he scooped out another batch for the waiting customers. "They taste good. They are delicious. But we are running out of the special sauce."

The beer and festivities prompted more testicle jokes than one could count, most of them unprintable.

Even though the skies were cloudy the temperatures un-summerlike, crowds filled the sidewalks, shops and saloons.

Nicki Wilson of Sparks was in charge of Wanda's Surf & Snack Shack, which was named after a blue VW bus. Her crew sold out their 27 pounds of oysters in only 45 minutes, leaving them plenty of time to celebrate their sixth year of cooking for the festival.

"It's a blast every year," Wilson said.

Wilson's team won the award for the best use of flavors. Best overall taste and best booth awards went to the Casterelli family of Reno, who operated the Castration Station. Montana Huckleberries won the best presentation award.

Contact reporter Kirk Caraway at kcaraway@nevadaappeal.com or (775) 881-1261.