Community news briefs for week of July 1

Community Wide Reunion Aug. 16-17

It’s a celebration weekend and also the 10th anniversary of the Community Wide Reunion on Aug. 16-17 to not only honor the classes of Churchill County High School but also bring the community together for an afternoon and evening of un, camaraderie and music.

The Class of 1964 is celebrating its 50th reunion, and Mayor Ken Tedford will recognize the graduates.

In addition to the Class of 64, the other classes that have confirmed their attendance are: 1950s, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1994, 2004 and 2014.

The first day of the reunion begins with a 7 p.m. concert at the Fallon Theatre with the River Rogue band. Other graduates or classes are also planning dinners or other social events for that night.

Saturday begins with a free breakfast at the Oats Park Arts Center’s Lariat Patio and a Show-n-Shine Car Show and antique tractors display in front of the center.

From 10 a.m. to noon, visits will be able to tour the Cottage Schools, the Douglass House, the Fallon Police Department and the Fallon Churchill Volunteer Fire Department and tour the Fallon City Hall with Tedford.

The Churchill County Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For those who want to splash in the pool from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., a free swim at the City Pool and the New Splash Pad area is planned.

The Fallon Theatre will also have tours of our historic theatre between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday. Community karaoke follows from 2-4 p.m.

The Frey Ranch Distillery tours from noon to 4 p.m.

The reunion time for people to gather at Oats Park begins at 4 p.m. Extra parking will be available at E.C. Best Elementary School.

People are encouraged to bring their own chairs, and some classes will have tents set up. During the afternoon visitors will be able to purchase food, ice cream, coffee, beer and wine, or they may pack a picnic. Other activities include a photo booth, face painting, balloon art, reuniting with friends and other fun-filled activities.

The evening caps off with a free concert with Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley.

Ribbon cutting for mobile clinic

USDA Rural Development (USDA RD) Under Secretary Basil Gooden, USDA RD Nevada State Director Lucas Ingvoldstad, and leadership from the Fallon-Paiute Shoshone Tribe and the Fallon Tribal Health Center (FTHC) recently had a ribbon cutting for USDA RD’s $672,950 investment in a mobile clinic serving the Fallon Paiute Shoshone, the Lovelock Paiute and the Yomba Shoshone tribes.

Without a mobile clinic, medical staff would make weekly trips in multiple vehicles covering 112 miles to provide needed medical service to members of the Lovelock Tribe. Providers traveled 230 miles round trip to treat patients of the Yomba Tribe. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical staff and tribal members would wait outside, often in extreme weather conditions, to provide essential COVID vaccines and treatment. This mobile health clinic will offer accessible care options, including vaccinations, boosters, and healthcare education for staff and for tribal members.

Fallon Cantaloupe Festival

The Fallon Cantaloupe Festival & Country Fair is Aug. 23-25 at the Rafter 3C Complex.

From sewing to quilting, growing fruits and vegetables to flowers, photography, crafts, and upcycling/recycling, there is something for everyone.

Visit FallonCantaloupeFestival.com/competitions for information.

Churchill County Library

The Churchill County Library is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Summer programming is back for June and July. Dive into a variety of free events and programming.

Special events:

Summer Reading Program kicked-off June 1. The last day to log reading activities is July 31 with a grand prize drawing on Aug. 2. Paper reading logs are available at the library, or you can track your reading in Beanstack, an online app you can use on your phone or computer.

Additional Summer Reading Program activities include:

Reading with Rover on July 11 at 3:30 p.m.

Presentation by local 4-H kids on July 16 at 2 p.m.

The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival performers present a showcase on July 30 at 2 p.m.

Sen. Jacky Rosen’s office representative will be at the library July 11 at 1 p.m. for “office hours.”

Light refreshments served.

Elementary Book Club meets July 26 at 3:30 p.m. in the Library Annex at 3 p.m. for those in grades 3 through 5. Reserve your book to take home at: bit.ly/CCLElementaryBookClub

Basketball summer skills

Churchill County Parks & Recreation is offering a Basketball Summer Skills Series.

Upcoming fourth-12th graders are welcome to join one or all three training sessions, sharpening their game and making friends along the way.

If you're interested, visit churchillcountyrecreation.org.

Greenwave Games

Greenwave Games will host two gaming-related summer camp classes for youth in fourth-12th grades July 22-26 at the Churchill County High School vocational building, room V-11. Cost is $100 per course.

Esports camp will meet 9 a.m.-1 p.m. each day. Campers will play against high school esports competitors using Blizzard, Riot, Epic and Nintendo and learn about earning scholarships through tournament play.

Game development camp will meet 2-6 p.m. each day. Campers will learn to use Blender and Unreal Engine 5 to program and create assets for their own games.

For information and registration, email instructor Aaron Holt holta@churchillcsd.com.

Adult Chautauqua Theatre Program

The Adult Chautauqua Theatre Program is returning this month.

This year's theme will be pioneers, including pioneers in any field you can think of (as long as they have a tie to Churchill County). Classes begin July 10 at 4 p.m. and the final performance on Oct. 12. For information, go to https://buff.ly/4em9PTm or contact education curator Jennifer Jones at jennifer.jones@churchillcountynv.gov or 775-423-3677 ext. 4

For those unfamiliar, Chautauqua is a tradition wherein participants research a historical figure and take on their persona for a short (approximately 5-10 minute) performance.

This year’s theme will be pioneers, including pioneers in any field you can think of (as long as they have a tie to Churchill County).

The Churchill County Museum is now open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. 

Books, Bites and Beverages postponed

Books, Bites and Beverages scheduled for Aug. 9 at the Churchill County Library has been postponed until September.

This popular fundraiser for the Churchill County Library is an event for all to enjoy.

Sponsored by the Churchill Library Association, the fundraiser includes wine, refreshments and the opportunity to support the library and have a good time.

Pennington Life Center

Stop by the Pennington Life Center in June for the many activities planned for the month.

Cards, crafts, exercise, games, discussion on voting, welfare representative available to answer questions, Medicare representative and computer assistance are just a few of the activities and resources available at the Pennington Life Center in July.

Plenty of good eats at the Pennington Life Center: All are welcome to partake. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays. Cost is $6 for those under age 60 and a suggested donation of $3 for those 60 and older.  

Pack Picnics on the Quad

Pack Picnics are back in July so we look forward to seeing you, your friends and family out on the Quad at the University of Nevada, Reno. Pack Picnics on the quad dates are July 10, 17, 24 and 26 from 6-8 p.m.

Sierra Pacific Federal Credit Union is sponsoring the picnic watermelon.

Nevada Farm Apprenticeship program

Applications are open until July 31 for the Nevada Farm Apprenticeship program.

The full position description and application instructions are available here: https://naes.unr.edu/dfi/publication.aspx?PubID=5054

The Nevada Farm Apprenticeship Program will prepare participants to become farm owner operators in Nevada. Through their engagement, apprentices will gain practical knowledge, contacts, and experience required to operate a small outdoor fruit and vegetable farm (approximately $25,000 - $350,000 gross farm income).

From October 2024 to September 2025, two successful applicants will be hosted as Farm Apprentices at the Desert Farming Initiative (DFI) within the Experiment Station of the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources at the University of Nevada, Reno. The program emphasizes certified organic and climate-smart practices.

Apprentices will receive on-farm training at DFI and partner farms; work through a science-based curriculum; and manage farm space with support of instructors. At the completion of the first year, apprentices will have the opportunity to apply to develop and manage their own incubator farm at DFI (subject to a successful application for a second year and available funding).

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