Despite rumors to the contrary, Dayton Valley Days will go on this year in downtown Dayton, said organizers.
"People were saying Dayton Valley Days was dead and wasn't going to come around this year," said Bob Hastings, a member of the Dayton Unit advisory board of the Mason Valley Boys & Girls Club. "The reports are all false. We are moving ahead bigger and better than ever."
The advisory board has worked closely with the Dayton Valley Days Committee on organizing the two-day event going into its 23rd year.
Hastings said there are already 70 vendors signed on thus far, and for the first tinme ever, the Mason Valley Boys & Girls Club is sponsoring an International Chili Society-sanctioned Chili Cook-Off and an amateur chili cookoff, with the proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Club. First-, second- and third-place prizes will be award in the professional category, and the amateur cooks will compete for the People's Choice award, which will be determined by the tasters.
This year's theme is "Celebrating Lyon County's Sesquicentennial," emphasizing the role Dayton played in the development of Nevada.
Festivities kick off on Sept. 17, with a parade down Dayton's historic Pike Street.
The Dayton Valley Car Club will also host a Gold Creek Show-N-Shine Classic Car Show. Other events include Boomerang's silent auction, adult and children's games, a pet parade, vendor booths and a pancake breakfast.
For information, go to daytonvalleydays.org
Lyon County has created a Sesquicentennial Medallion minted in .999 pure silver, copper or bronze, now on sale to the public. To order a coin, go to sites.google.com/a/lyon-county.org/lyon-county-sesquicentennial-celebration/