Armed Forces Day will be celebrated in Churchill County on May 21. The Churchill County commissioners approved a $2,000 donation request to the Fallon Armed Forces Day event. From left are Commissioner Justin Heath, Essie Burriss from the Armed Forces committee, and Commissioners Greg Koenig and Pete Olsen.
Four authors will speak on successive Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at the Churchill County Museum. Copies of their books will also be on sale.
The May 18 speaker is Daniel Quinley, who learned much about his father as a child from rummaging through containers looking at medals and letters written during the war from his father to his beloved, Margaret. He said his father never wanted to talk about the war.
In his adult life, Dan Quinley took the letters and wrote a book that came out in 2014 — “Forever: A true story of love and war” — which revealed a love affair that began with a blind date in 1936, continued through World War II and into their later years to Fallon.
Steve Ranson, the coordinator of the project, “Legacies of the Silver State: Nevada Goes to War,” has had a longtime interest in World War II veterans. He will wrap up the lecture series on May 25.
Ranson retired as editor/general manager of the Lahontan Valley News in 2017.
Legacies contains more than 70 stories on World War II veterans who have some type of Nevada tie. Ranson, Beaton and former LVN owner David C. Henley have interviewed scores of World War II veterans and learned more about them and how they helped the war effort.
The museum’s War Comes Home: The Legacy is part of Cal Humanities' current “War Comes Home” initiative, a thematic program designed to promote greater understanding of veterans and explore how war shapes a community.
The Churchill County Museum exhibition is based on the work of the Center for American War Letters (CAWL) and is presented by Exhibit Envoy. Andrew Carroll, the Director of CAWL and an award-winning and New York Times bestselling author, and John Benitz, associate professor in the Department of Theatre at Chapman University, co-curated the exhibition.
The exhibition explores the joys and hardships that returning soldiers and their families face during homecoming, as expressed through private letters and email correspondence. Spanning conflicts from the Civil War through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and displayed on 13 interpretive panels, War Comes Home: The Legacy explores the shared themes of wartime separation, the adjustment to life back at home, and the costs of war.
This exhibition runs through May 29 and offers a space to write letters to currently deployed service members.
The Churchill County Museum is located at 1050 S. Maine Street in Fallon and is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, and has a $5 suggested donation.
Fallon Armed Forces Day
Fallon’s Armed Forces Day celebration is May 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Churchill County Fairgrounds.
Organizer Essie Burriss said the second annual event will honor the veterans currently serving.
This family friendly event encourages Churchill. County residents and people from surrounding communities to support the military.
Burriss said U.S. Senate candidates and U.S. Army veteran Capt. Sam Brown will be a featured speaker. Brown will center his talk on being a soldier and serving in Afghanistan where he was severely burned by an IED. Other guest speaker are Ken Gray, a Lyon County commissioner who served in the U.S. Air Force, and Churchill County Sheriff Richard Hickox.
Burriss said information booths with military tie-ins will also be at the Armed Forces Day celebration.
The event features a craft fair and vendors, food, a poker run, honor garden, family games and entertainment. There will also be a cornhole competition, bounce house, face painting, a petting zoo, many games and fun for all ages.
A Poker Chip Run and motorcycle games are also planned.
For information, call Essie at 775-315-6571.
Top Gun Raceway has taken an active role with the Armed Forces Day activities.
The raceway is bringing a number of racecars to the event, and a car show featuring vehicles from the exhibitors in the surrounding area is also planned. Rattlesnake Raceway will also have racecars at Armed Forces Day.
During the day, Top Gun will hand out tickets and free passes and have shirts for sale.
Spectators will also be able to select the Best of Show.
Among the sponsors are the Dolan Automotive Group and Lithia Chrysler-Jeep.
For information on entering a vehicle, contact 775-298-1534 or topgundragstrip@yahoo.com..
VFW Post 8071 presents May 14 concert
VFW Post 8071 is promoting a fundraising concert in Virginia City from noon to 6 p.m. on May 14.
The event will take place at the Virginia City Fairgrounds. The headliner, Todd Allen Herendeen, is well known in the South as singer, songwriter, entertainer and a patriot. He is doing a four-state, cross country tour to raise money for the VFW Post 8071 building project. This is all the result of a chance meeting between Todd and one of our post members. You can learn more about Todd at https://www.toddallenshow.com/
B-29 Superfortress visits Minden
A rare World War II era B-29 Superfortress is scheduled to visit Minden-Tahoe Airport this month.
The B-29 Doc History Restored Tour is scheduled to be in Carson Valley on May 24-26.
The big bomber will arrive at Minden-Tahoe Airport May 23, and will be available for ground and cockpit tours noon to 4:30 p.m. May 24 and May 25
“This tour will give warbird fans in these areas a unique opportunity to see one of only two B-29 Superfortresses still airworthy and flying today,” said B-29 Doc Executive Director Josh Wells. “Our mission with the B-29 Doc History Restored Tour is to tell the stories of the men and women who designed, built, flew and maintained these magnificent machines that helped deliver victory over oppression during World War II. We are dedicated to honoring the men and women who have served our nation, and who continue to fight to protect freedom at home and abroad.”
Admission for ground and cockpit tours at Minden-Tahoe will be $10 per person or $20 per family.
Operation Battle Born
The Truckee Meadows Veterans Club of TMCC is partnering with the University of Nevada, Reno Wolf Pack Veterans to execute Operation Battle Born: Ruck to Remember 2022 in honor of the fallen heroes from the Global War on Terrorism.
Over the course of three days, veterans and volunteers from across the state will take turns carrying two rucksacks that share nearly 7,000 service member dog tags to include the 58 fallen Nevadans that have made the ultimate sacrifice since Sept. 11. In their honor, the march begins from the Nevada State Capital to the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley.
Participants will be asked to challenge themselves physically and mentally, facing the heat and the weight of the fallen heroes on their backs. Help us as we march for those who fought and sacrificed for our freedom.
You can email Operation Battle Born Ruck to Remember at operationbattleborn@gmail.com or call the TMCC Veteran Services at 775-337-5612. The webpage is www.eventbrite.com/e/operation-battle-born-2022-northern-nevada-registration-registration-315742924587.
The dates and time are May 28 beginning at 8 a.m. from the state capitol building to May 30.
Mustang 22 charity poker tourney
The 12th Mustang 22 Memorial Charity Poker Tournament is May 14 at the Reno Elks Lodge, 597 Kumle Lane, in Reno.
The committee is soliciting donations for charity events and any amount is greatly appreciated. For every $50 the committee collects, they sponsor a young man or woman from any of the services who would like to play. Anything we receive over and above goes straight to the charity fund for future scholarships.
To donate, go to the webpage (Mustang22Memorial.com). On the Home page you will see a donation option toward the bottom where you can donate any amount.
The Mustang 22 Memorial Charity Poker Tournament begins at 4 p.m. for drinks, dinner at 5 p.m., and playing to start at 6 p.m.
The cost is $50, which includes a steak dinner provided by the Elks Lodge; the cost for non-playing guest is $35.
The easiest way to pay is by going to our website at "Mustang22Memorial.com", click the tab under "EVENTS" and you'll see the flyer attached.
The Mustang 22 Memorial is an IRS 501(c)3 non-profit, EIN 32-0314602.
