A&E BRIEFS

OUTDOOR ART SESSIONS

Artsts young and older, experienced or new are invited to join Mary Rutherford, folk artist and volunteer at Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, for a community outdoor art session at the refuge this spring. Sessions are scheduled for Saturdays, April 2, 9 and May 7, 14 from 10 a.m. - 12:30p.m. at the Foxtail Lake pavilion, located about 3 miles along the Foxtail Auto Tour route. The sessions are free to the public, and you may attend more than one session.

Mary suggests bringing your own art supplies if you have them, and that all mediums are welcome. The refuge will have limited supplies for beginners wanting to experiment with water colors or colored pencils. Viewing scopes will be set up to bring the surrounding scenery up close to include in your artwork. Mary will be available to help guide your artistic creation and offer suggestions on techniques. Bring water, a snack and be prepared for spring weather conditions.

The refuge will provide display space for finished art projects at the annual Spring Wings Festival, set for May 20-21 at the Churchill county parks complex.

The Foxtail tour route begins across from the Stillwater Point parking area, about a 1/2 mile after entering the refuge on St Rt 116/Stillwater Road 17 miles east of Fallon.

Come out and learn more about your National Wildlife Refuge and all it has to offer while capturing the beauty and solitude of the Lahontan Valley marsh and mountains.

Please call to reserve a spot at one of these fun and creative sessions by calling 423-5128 ext 224.

CALLIGRAPHY INSTRUCTION

The Arts Center and WNC will present calligraphy beginning on March 28 and extending through April 18. The Monday night classes will be from 6-8 p.m.

Cathy Main will be the instructor, and the class fee is $206.

To register for the weekend arts classes, individuals can either register at the Parks and Recreation office at 325 Sheckler Road or call 775-423-7733 and use a credit card to pay registration. Sammons said registration must be completed prior to the class.

SPRING LECTURE SERIES

The Churchill County Museum’s spring lecture series begins Tuesday.

It will be held Tuesdays through April 12 from 6:30-8 p.m. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

The theme for this series is “Home Means Nevada” and will feature presentations focusing on unique perspectives about our “home” — in one sense or another — in Nevada.

Join Jack Hursh as he presents a detailed photographic journey through the period style restoration of 121 Vine Street, an 1860s-1870s carpenter gothic style house, thought to have been moved to Reno in 1892 from Virginia City.

Hursh will lead us through this project beginning with the removal of layers and layers of modern remodeling, unveiling the original layers still intact including many artifacts hidden in the walls, floorboards, and square nail construction. Also, illustrated in the slide show are the efforts taken to preserve and enjoy the mature, established gardens surrounding the house that really give the property that “old Reno” feeling.

(He is a direct descendant of the Hursh family of Fallon. His grandfather, Paul Hursh, grew up in Fallon. His brother was E.H. Hursh, the mayor of Fallon in the 1940s and the founder of E.H. Hursh Insurance. His great aunt was Nadine Hursh, the owner of the antique doll house on display in the museum. She was married to Merton Domonoske, who was also mayor of Fallon.)

NEVADA TRAVEL GUIDE AVAILABLE

Explore ghost towns, hike through bristlecone pine forests, enjoy world-class nightlife and entertainment, and relax in a hot spring while viewing the expansive desert landscape — there’s so much to do on a Nevada adventure.

The free 2016 Nevada Travel & Leisure Guide offers ideas and insights into planning a Nevada visit and is now available online and at area visitors centers.

“Nevada offers so many experiences, from music festivals in Las Vegas to cowboy poets in Elko to extreme outdoor adventure around Lake Tahoe to historic train museums,” Claudia Vecchio, director of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, said. “It’s a place where you can let loose, be yourself and embrace the ‘Don’t Fence Me In’ spirit. This new guide will help our guests navigate this great state, and return home with more stories than souvenirs.”

New to this year’s travel guide is a fold-out state map with details on “must-see” destinations, information on Nevada weddings and a suggested itinerary through Las Vegas’ midcentury modern neighborhoods. The guide also includes road trip itineraries along the Loneliest Road in America, the Great Basin Highway and the Las Vegas Strip.

The guide offers insights into four of Nevada’s “worlds” — World of Taste, World of Adventure, World of Originals and World of Wanderlust — as conveyed in TravelNevada’s recent marketing campaign. The guide encourages visitors to share their experiences via TravelNevada.com or on any social networking channel.

The cover design pulls directly from the marketing campaign and conveys a few of the unique characters people can meet while traveling through the state.

The 120-page guide won Best Special Project at the 2015 Nevada Press Association awards. It is produced by TravelNevada and Nevada Magazine.

The free guide is available at area visitors centers or by ordering through TravelNevada.com.

NEW NOVEL SET IN NEVADA

People familiar with the works of Nevada author, Mary Jean Kelso, and other readers have a new book to enjoy.

“The Love He Left Behind” is set in the Northern Nevada area of Pyramid Lake, Wadsworth and locations along the Truckee and Carson Rivers.

Kelso’s imagination takes the reader into the lives of homesteaders, cowboys and outlaws. She weaves romance, suspense and mystery into a believable story line of Nevada’s Old West.

“It’s probably only natural that I love writing Westerns. My family history goes back to ancestors who settled in many states as cattle ranchers and homesteaders as well as a man who ran for President, William Jennings Bryan. The DNA runs true. He was a prolific writer and persistent (a trait essential for an author). He ran for President three times and was an avid Statesman,” Kelso said.

While much of her family’s roots are in Texas, Kelso chose Nevada as her idea of living in the West and writing about life here.

Kelso, is the author of 25 books for children, tweens, young adults and adults. She is published in many formats including e-books, hardbacks, paperbacks, audio and Braille editions. Her topics are as diverse as her market. She, primarily, writes fiction but has published, along with her daughter, Wendy Whiteman, a genealogy book on her ancestors including her second great grandfather (Gordon C. Jennings) who was killed defending the Alamo. A Visual History Record of Gordon Cartwright Jennings’ Family.

Kelso’s books are available on line, in stores and through her website http://maryjeankelsoauthor.wix.com/mjkel. Contact her at mjkel@aol.com or look for her at author signings throughout Northern Nevada. She will be signing at the 16th Annual Home, Garden and Recreation Show in Fallon April 16-17.

Kelso will also sign books at the Grassroots Booth at the 14th Annual Nevada Women’s Expo in Reno the end of March (dates pending).

ART EXHIBIT

Churchill County Library is featuring the oil paintings of Kami Fielder through the end of the month.

Fielder, who began painting about 13 years ago, said she likes the colors of most subjects.

“The colors drive me to paint,” she said.

Many of her paintings on display at the library are rich in color.