Nevada history comes alive at 'Mills Creek' for 28th annual Rendezvous

Visitors and locals will get a chance to experience the Old West this weekend when history comes alive in Mills Park.

"The Carson City Rendezvous is going to be the coolest re-enactment event ever, and the best part is, it's free to the public," said Rich Crombie, president of NV Shows, LLC. "We're turning the whole park into a settlement this year called Mills Creek."

The 28th annual Carson City Rendezvous - a living history and re-enactment event celebrating Nevada's early days of the mid- to late-1800s - is coming back to Mills Park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Crombie explained that there will be buildings set up throughout the park with attractions such as a stagecoach station, the Pony Express with a post office building and a general store - even a church will be set up in front of a Civil War cemetery, complete with headstones at the horseshoe pits.

"There will be a couple of other town buildings throughout the settlement, so as you walk through the park, you'll feel like you're walking through a settlement," Crombie said.

The Rendezvous opens at noon Friday with a Friday Night Round Up. This kick-off party will take place from 7-9 p.m. right inside the park at the main stage. There will be food, fun and music from Rick Hays & American Steel, costumed characters and Wild West excitement.

Events will play out through the weekend, but one of the most dramatic will be a Civil War twilight battle at 8 p.m. Saturday, he said.

Another new event will be a re-enactment of Abe Lincoln's swearing in as the 16th U.S. president in honor of the 150th anniversary of his 1861 swearing in.

Opening ceremonies are Saturday morning at 10 a.m. in the big field at Mills Park.

A highlight of the weekend will be a Civil War Ball, one of the most popular and widely attended events of the era, Crombie said. The ball starts at 9 p.m. Saturday in the Pony Express Pavilion, complete with period ball attire, a dance master and all of the traditional dances of the day. Attendees can come in period costume if they prefer, but it is not required.

There are numerous other shows, attractions and activities going on all weekend long, including:

• Live western musical entertainment, rope tricks, clowns and cowboy poetry.

• Gunfight skits from the Nevada Gunfighters.

• Traditional Native American Village with crafts, food, drumming, dancing, demonstrations and storytelling.

• Civil War battle re-enactments and military campsites.

• Mountain Men encampment where visitors can throw a tomahawk, shoot a cannon, see frontier living displays and trade goods with authentic frontier traders of the day. Authentic campsites, teepees, lodges and weaponry of the day will all be on display.

• Dutch Oven cooking demonstrations with free samples all day long.

• Stagecoach rides provided by the TNT Stagelines.

• Letter deliveries by the Pony Express.

• Railroad Museum display to include a railroad camp, and a real hand car on 100 feet of track.

• Living legends like Robert E. Lee, Kit Carson and more.

• Gunfights include a lively take of the Old West's rugged banditos and rough riders who also made it across the West.

• Buckaroo Kids Stick Rodeo so even the toddlers can get into the action.

Other entertainers throughout the weekend will be Sourdough Slim, Tom Hiatt, Rendezvous favorite Karen Quest with her rope tricks and comedy act, and musician and magician Larry Elliott.

Hours for the Rendezvous are Friday from noon-9 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Log onto www.carsoncityrendezvous.com for more information or call 775-846-1130.

U.S. naturalization slated

At least 39 of Nevada's immigrants will be treated to a truly American experience at 10 a.m. Saturday at Mills Park as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers naturalize them during the Carson City Rendezvous opening ceremonies.

USCIS Reno Field Office Director Monica Toro will administer the Oath of Allegiance, and a variety of historical figures will join her to present certificates of naturalization to each new citizen.

The 39 candidates hail from the following countries: Bangladesh, Canada. Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, India, Iran, Lithuania, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Senegal, Spain, Tonga, and Trinidad and Tobago.

For more information, call Mariana Gitomer at 213-830-3835.