Past Issue
» Great Nevada Picture Hunt 2009 great nevada picture hunt
September/October 2009
Images of Nevada’s striking landscapes still comprise the majority of entries into our annual photo contest. Out of the hundreds of submissions into our Wide Open category, a snow-covered state park captured our Nevada hearts. This year, a new Adventure category emerges, replacing Living. The other four categories—City Limits, Wide Open, People, and Events—return for another year.
» Feature the gold state
September/October 2009
Mining has been a key player in Nevada’s history since before statehood in 1864, and all indications point to it remaining just as important for many years to come. As Tim Crowley, president of the Nevada Mining Association puts it, “If it isn’t grown, it has to be mined.”
» City Limits child’s play
September/October 2009
Kids love to have fun. Parents love when their kids participate in educational activities. Everyone loves a win-win situation, which Lied Discovery Children’s Museum achieves by combining the two elements.
» Wide Open desert mosaic
September/October 2009
Death Valley National Park is all about extremes: It’s the hottest and driest region in the United States and the largest national park outside of Alaska. Death Valley is also about the splendor of the starkly beautiful dunes and canyons. But the most pleasant and peaceful surprise is that it seems to be absent of sound.
» Cravings quality and quantity
September/October 2009
Throughout John Ascuaga’s five decades as a casino owner he has never lost his passion for food and beverage service. His Sparks resort, John Ascuaga’s Nugget, is one of Northern Nevada’s largest hotel-casinos and home to eight unique eateries.
» Tour Around Nevada pahrump
September/October 2009
Pahrump, 62 miles west of Las Vegas, has indeed grown up, blossoming to a community of more than 30,000. “When I moved out here, there were probably 150 people,” says Hafen, who became a broker in the early 1980s when development began to boom in the area. Although it might be a stretch, given the population, to call it rural, Pahrump still hasn’t lost its small-town feel. “I can drive all over Pahrump Valley very comfortably, even though we have three traffic lights,” Hafen says sarcastically. “I know a lot of people, and it has a good climate—it cools down…
» Business putting the envy in “nv”
September/October 2009
About seven years ago, Scott Dunseath was telling his friend his mailing address. Upon reaching the “Reno, NV” part, the two realized the link between “NV” and “envy.” It became a running joke; three years later, it became a business. “I’m sure I’m not the first guy to think about that, but I was the first guy to act on it,” Dunseath says.
» Gaming in with the inn crowd
September/October 2009
In October, Minden’s Carson Valley Inn hosts two unique gaming events—one that benefits a great cause and another that interjects an unusual twist: the ability to win other players’ money.
» History passing through the furnace
September/October 2009
William Lewis Manly and John Rogers filled their canteens with brackish water, loaded their rifles, and stuffed as much ox meat as they could fit into their makeshift packs. Striking west from near Furnace Creek Wash in early 1850, they shouldered the forlorn hopes of a dozen men, women, and children lost in the Nevada-California desert for three months.
» Events Spotlight tough enough?
September/October 2009
The world’s best bull riders converge on Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center for two weekends of grueling competition, October 30-November 1 and November 5-8. They will attempt to ride the most ferocious bucking bulls on the planet in an effort to win the most coveted prize in their sport: a Professional Bull Riders World Championship.
» Shows Spotlight greg london
September/October 2009
Greg London, master impressionist, actor, comedian, musician, and star of ICONMAN, one of the longest-running shows in the history of Sammy’s Showroom at Harrah’s Reno, is fast becoming just that—an icon. ICONMAN is a comedic story about an entertainer who wants to find his own voice but has other voices inside him.
» People
Q&A with John Ascuaga
John Ascuaga, president of John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks and one of the most recognized Basques in Nevada, has emphasized care, quality, and integrity since the casino-hotel opened as a 60-seat coffee shop in March 1955. The mantra has proved successful for the 54-year-old property, which features eight award-winning restaurants.
Ascuaga was born in Caldwell, Idaho, in January 1925. His father, Jose, was a Basque sheepherder from Spain who came to America in 1914. Jose and his wife, Marina, had four children. In 1952, Ascuaga met an important figure in his life: restaurateur Dick Graves. He eventually became food manager for Graves’ Idaho properties, and in 1954 he was named food director for Graves’ Nevada restaurants. Ascuaga’s duties included managing a small casino-café called Dick Graves’ Nugget, which opened in Sparks on March 17, 1955.
