2-year-old Rose Jeppson enjoys her very first train ride Saturday morning in Carson City.
Friday through Monday
RSVP is sponsoring its 24th annual Independence Day Carnival & Celebration July 1-4 in Mills Park. The event includes live music by Jake Armer and the Hotdogs, and, of course, a synchronized fireworks display set to a patriotic musical score on Monday. The event will be broadcast on Wild 102.9 FM with a live radio remote from Mills Park. Discount coupons for $5 are available at RSVP’s office and booth. All proceeds help seniors remain independent. For more information, contact Executive Director Susan Haas 775-687-4680, ext. 2, or go to www.nevadaruralrsvp.org.
Saturday through Monday
The Nevada State Railroad Museum’s Independence Day celebration Saturday through Monday will offer train rides and other activities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. A parade of trains, featuring Steam Locomotive No. 25, the McKeen Motor Car and the historic wood-burning Inyo, will be at 9 a.m. Sunday and Monday. Additionally, the Glenbrook will be under steam and operating demonstration runs. Alternating runs between the McKeen Motor Car and the No. 25 are planned from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, allowing visitors to ride both trains. All-inclusive wristbands offering admission to the event, museum and unlimited train rides are available for $15 for adults; $10 for museum members; $5 for children 4-17. Children 3 and under are free. For more information, call 775-687-6953, ext. 224.
Sunday
Desperado, an Eagles tribute band, and Darin Talbot are set to take the stage at the Carson Nugget on Sunday. Talbot will kick off the concert at 7; Desperado will play at 7:45 p.m. Doors open on the second floor ballroom at 6:30 p.m.
Monday
“240 Years of Freedom” is the theme of Fernley’s July 4 celebration, which kicks off with a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. and doesn’t end until the live country music stops at midnight. In between there’s a night of fireworks and a day that includes fun for all ages. The pancake breakfast will be at the Fernley Masonic Lodge. It ends just before the parade starts down Main Street at 10 a.m. After the parade, festival goers can find the rest of the festivities at the Out-of-Town Park, which includes the classic car show-and-shine. The flag-raising kicks off the event at 1 p.m., followed by an afternoon of competitions including a greased-pig contest, watermelon-eating contest and horseshoe contest. There will be vendors offering everything from food to jewelry to glow items. The park also will include a mechanical bull ride, water slide, trampoline and DJ Frias will provide music until Nevada Hazzurd plays at 6 p.m. The 40-minute fireworks display starts at 9:30 p.m. For more information, call 775-575-7163, or Google “Fernley Fourth of July.”
Virginia City’s celebration starts at noon with its annual Independence Day parade Monday down C Street. The parade, which is about an hour and half long, starts from the south at the Fourth Ward School. Throughout the day, the V&T Railroad will operate 35-minute round trips to Gold Hill. The V&T long line from Carson City arrives at 11:30 a.m. in Virginia City, departing at 3 p.m. Museums will be open, and merchants and saloons will be serving up treats and drinks. The 17th annual David John and the Comstock Cowboys Second Amendment Concert will be at 6 p.m. in the parking lot across from the Bucket of Blood Saloon. The free concert resumes at 7:45 p.m. Prizes, including a Hawken 50-caliber muzzle loader, will be raffled off at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available starting at 9 a.m. at the booth in the center of town near the Virginia City Visitors Center. Shooting off at the Virginia City Arena and Fairgrounds at 6,200 feet, Virginia City’s fireworks display after dark is one of the region’s longest displays with visibility from nearly anywhere in town. For more information, go to VisitVirginiaCityNV.com, or call the Virginia City Tourism Commission at 775-847-7500.
Celebrate Independence Day by listening to live bluegrass, Americana and old time music at Genoa’s Americana Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday. A children’s parade will begin at 11 a.m. and water games in the stockade will start at 1 p.m. Other activities include: face painting, watermelon seed spitting, raffles, and bluegrass/old time music jamming. The Carson City Symphony & Chorus will perform at 4:30 p.m.
The Carson Valley Pops Orchestra is bringing back its traditional Independence Day concert at 11:30 a.m. Monday at Heritage Park in Gardnerville, immediately following the Gardnerville Fun Run. The Pops Orchestra will be joined by the Voices of the Sierra Choir, led by Rodger Banes. Attendees are welcome to bring picnics and blankets and lawn chairs. The Lions Club will be serving up hot dogs and hamburgers.
Submit Independence Day events to jmcmanus@nevadaappeal.com.