Performers in the Churchill County Museum’s second annual Chautauqua Theatre, ‘Nevada’s Pioneering Spirits,’ answer audience questions. From left: Mel Glover, Jennie Mader, Jessica Rowe, Glen Perazzo, Tom Jones, Deb Stewart, Pam Duarte and Jennifer Jones.
Sara Dowling | NNG
The Churchill County Museum held Saturday its second annual Chautauqua Theatre as performers used costumes and dramatic monologues to bring “Nevada’s Pioneering Spirits” to life on stage at the Fallon Theatre.
The program featured Pam Duarte as Alice Ramsey, Jennie Mader as Mary Daisy Allen, Jessica Rowe as Ada Keddie, Deb Stewart as Dr. Virginia Smith, Mel Glover as Willie Capucci, Tom Jones as Ira H. Kent and Glen Perazzo as Sam Short.
The figures represented roughly 100 years of history and a range of subjects including aviation, politics, architecture, medicine and automobiles. Participants of the museum’s Chautauqua program spent several months researching their presentations using items such as newspapers, old documents and conversations with family and friends of their chosen persona.
Jones said he has visited with members of the Kent family to learn about Ira Heber Kent, a man he calls a “fundamental pioneer” for Fallon.
“He’s the visionary that these locales needed a hundred-and-some-odd years ago and a pillar of the community,” Jones said. “Knowing that the Kent legacy and family still goes on here really kind of excited me.”
As a nurse herself, Stewart felt drawn to study Smith, the first female doctor in Fallon at a time when it was not generally accepted that women should be allowed to become doctors.
“I was blown away by how little was known about medicine all the way up until 1930,” Stewart said. “We had no penicillin or anything to treat infections and that’s why (Smith) was so crazy about keeping everything clean.”
For information about future Chautauqua classes for adults and youth call Education Curator Jennifer Jones at 775-423-3677, ext. 4 or visit the museum at 1050 S. Maine St.