ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS

CCMS one-act play competition

A handful of CCHS thespians are directing Churchill County Middle School students in the middle school One-Act Play Competition on Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. in the CCHS Theatre.   

“The Chocolate Affair” is directed by Elijah Southfield and Aaron McCormick, “Welcome Home” is directed by Kayla Washington and Brynne Christie, “And Then There Were None ... Except Two” is being directed by Valarie Hennessey and Will Copley, and Jessica Goudswaard is directing “Nobody Famous”.   

The public is invited to attend this evening of theatrical fun. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for CCHS students, $2 for younger students and senior citizens.

Loneliest art collection

For more than two decades, rural Nevada neighbors in Eureka have experienced a breadth of quality cultural events thanks to Wally Cuchine’s personal passion for the arts. The eclectic assemblage of art makes its debut at the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, in January.

As director of the Eureka Opera House for more than 18 years, Cuchine consistently presented first-class entertainment to residents and visitors. Known for his unflagging commitment to and support of artists, and his unswerving faith that the art and artists of Nevada are a valuable resource, he has acquired an unparalleled personal collection of Nevada art now called “Wally’s World.” 

The Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas, presents “Wally’s World: The Loneliest Art Collection in Nevada,” featuring 35 pieces of art from Cuchine’s collection through Feb. 28. Since U.S. 50 across the center of Nevada is described as the loneliest road in America, exhibit curator Jim McCormick titled the display to honor the art collection that took root on the highway through Eureka, between Carson City and Ely.

Virginia City events

Mark your calendars and save your appetite for the 23rd annual Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry and St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 15 in Virginia City.

Each year this historic town presents a full-on Irish testicle festival where more than 20 cooks compete for bragging rights in one of northern Nevada’s most popular tasting contests. More than 3,000 people come to sample this “delicacy,” take part in the Leprechaun Bar Crawl and watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Nevada Magazine’s sesquicentennial celebration

Nevada Magazine’s January/February 2014 issue, featuring the Carson City Capitol building on the cover, is now available on newsstands throughout Nevada. This publication marks the 78th anniversary of Nevada Magazine, which debuted as Nevada Highways and Parks in January 1936. 

Featured in the current edition are a statewide Nevada Day photo gallery, as well as Part III of author and historian Ron Soodalter’s eight-part series on the history of the Silver State. Soodalter explains how bombastic journalists such as Mark Twain, the rise of the railroads, and the birth of Nevada’s university system all merged to make Nevada prosperous in its early years of statehood. The issue is also the third of eight Sesquicentennial Special Editions that Nevada Magazine will produce through November/December 2014.

The magazine is encouraging Nevadans and Nevada lovers to share what they love about the Silver State. Send an e-mail to editor@nevadamagazine.com, (preferred); write a letter to: Editor, 401 N. Carson St., Carson City, NV 89701; or call 775-687-0602; and tell us why the Silver State is special to you. Submissions — due by September 2, 2014 — will be for possible publication in a “150 Things We Love About Nevada” special November/December 2014 edition.

Also featured in the January/February 2014 issue is a cover story about the icons of Nevada, including the Capitol, bighorn sheep, Hoover Dam, the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Nevada” sign, and more.

Cowboy poetry

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is turning 30 in 2014, and the nation’s greatest celebration of the American West, its people, culture and traditions, will turn its focus to the future of the region.

Between Jan. 27 and Feb. 1, in Elko, the Gathering will present poetry, music, fine western gear, films, workshops, dances and discussions with a clear focus on encouraging the next generation and working together to ensure the sustainability of the occupational and artistic traditions of the rural West.

The theme of the 30th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is Expressing the Rural West — Into the Future!

Through performances of poetry and music, thought-provoking films and fruitful discourse, artists and audiences of all ages will share their art and their opinions on meeting the challenges of rural life in the modern West.

In particular, the next generation of cowboy artists will present their work and discuss their brand of ranch life — with one hand on the reins and the other on the cell phone.

More than 50 poets, musicians and musical groups from the U.S. and Canada will perform on seven stages at four different venues.

The line-up includes cowboy poets Baxter Black, Paul Zarzyski, Waddie Mitchell, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Joel Nelson, Doris Daley, Pat Richardson, Randy Rieman and many others.

Music is as integral to the Gathering as poetry; the musical line-up includes Ian Tyson, Michael Martin Murphey, Riders In The Sky, Don Edwards, Dave Stamey, Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys, Caleb Klauder Country Band, Martha Scanlan and more. Scroll down for a full list of participating artists and their hometowns. Visit www.westernfolklife.org for full bios.

Special guests this year include renowned animal welfare advocate, professor and author Temple Grandin, who will deliver the keynote address, and Stephanie Davis and her Trail’s End Ranch Radio Show, broadcasting poetry, humor and wisdom from a fictitious radio station on the range. A special exhibition will celebrate the new renaissance of western artistry among young gearmakers and visual artists.

University exhibit

Artspace: “Detour” by Elizabeth Ferrill runs until Jan. 23 at 144 West St., Reno

Visiting professor Elizabeth Ferrill will exhibit recent prints that exemplify her studio research in the use of pochoir. The method uses a thin sheet of material such as paper, plastic or metal with letters or a design cut from it to produce art prints. Admission is free.

Fleischmann Planetarium

Since 1963, as the Fleischmann Atmospherium, the Planetarium has welcomed people of all ages.

Special events, lectures, fulldome planetarium shows and retro pricing through January include Friday Vintage Live Sky Tonight Star Talks from 6-7 p.m.

Join the Planetarium for a weekly, fulldome look at what’s up in the sky tonight, presented the way we used to back in the day in our vintage Skies Over Nevada series. Live Star Talks are $7 adults and $5 children ages 3-12, seniors 60 and over, and UNR faculty, staff and students; shows are free for Planetarium members.

Take a weekly look back at every decade since 1963, with the Planetarium’s special guest speakers past and present. The schedule includes tonight: Arthur Johnson — our director (1973-2002) and “voice of the Planetarium” — on the 1980s, the return of Halley’s Comet and our cool time capsule that accompanied the event

Friday Travels-Through-Time Talks are $7 adults and $5 children ages 3-12, seniors 60 and over, and UNR faculty, staff and students; shows are free for Planetarium members. For the full schedule of 50th anniversary events, visit http://www.planetarium.unr.edu/50th_Events.html