» Wide Open Little Finland
May/June 2012
Hobgoblins, gnomes, and goblin gunships. A raptor, a roaring beast, and a dinosaur. Monsters, dragons, Pokémon creatures, and Jaws. A cougar, a stalking lion, a teapot, an alligator, Little Dumbo, and giant mushrooms. There’s even an arch shaped like a heart and a miniature version of Utah’s Landscape Arch.
» Wide Open Historical Markers
May/June 2012
To begin the process of changing the actual markers, the State Historic Preservation Office is asking for donations. Refurbishing the markers will open a new chapter in a program that has done such great work in promoting the state’s heritage while welcoming its visitors.
» Cravings Campo
May/June 2012
Since opening in November 2011, Campo has quickly climbed the ranks of the most popular eateries in downtown Reno. Though most new restaurants experience an initial phase of inflated visitation, it is safe to say that Campo’s popularity can be attributed to more than honeymoon allure.
» Cravings Adele-icious Family A-fare
May/June 2012
Café at Adele’s has been a Carson City landmark on par with the Capitol and Governor’s Mansion essentially since Paul and Adele Abowd opened it in 1977. And while Adele’s isn’t a seat of government, decision makers from around the state often fill its seats and attest to what has made the eatery one of Nevada’s favorites for 35 years.
» History Nevada State Prison
May/June 2012
In 2011, Nevada’s government officials decided to shut down the prison, citing reports that claimed NSP was more expensive to operate than other facilities and that the prison needed structural upgrades that were too costly to justify. Now, the prison is emptied of its charges—what happens to NSP, only the future knows.
» Nature Burrowing Owl
May/June 2012
The Red Rock Audubon Society, based in Las Vegas, in conjunction with the Pahrump Volunteers, has begun to study the burrowing owl with the help of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Pahrump. The study is focused on breeding habits using what Christiana Manville, a biologist with the USFWS, calls citizen science.
» Events Spotlight Festival Season
May/June 2012
Changes for downtown Reno’s annual whitewater kayaking event are in store for 2012 as the Reno River Festival announces the addition of former freestyle kayak world champion Ruth Gordon-Ebens as director. The ninth annual festival also makes a move to June 15-17, aiming for consistently warmer temperatures.
» Shows Spotlight Elvis Rocks Mesquite
May/June 2012
The third annual Elvis Rocks Mesquite event returns to the CasaBlanca Resort, June 21-23. Fittingly, three days of singing Elvis Presley songs from the ‘50s, ’60s, and ’70s is capped by an Elvis look-alike (and sing-alike) competition.
» Know Your Nevada We Invite You to Discover Your Nevada
May/June 2012
On March 1, I had the pleasure of standing with Governor Brian Sandoval as we kicked off the Discover Your Nevada campaign, challenging Nevadans to explore their own state and discover their favorite destinations. Through my travels around the state, I have compiled a list of my own.
» Web Extras Austin in 3D
May/June 2012
In mid-March, we received an interesting e-mail from architecture and history buff Claudio Grassi, a Venice, Italy man who has rediscovered Austin, if you will. The town, named for Austin, Texas, was first settled in 1862—which of course means it is home to a number of historic buildings.
» Web Extras Annie Mancuso
May/June 2012
Annie Mancuso is among Virgin River Hotel Casino’s favorite customers—and for good reason. Born Annie Marie Gottone in 1904, the energetic former resident of Flushing Long Island, New York, spent her 108th birthday with her family and friends at the Mesquite resort before playing her favorite penny slot machine and having the time of her life
» Web Extras Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
May/June 2012
In three previous Boston Marathons and nearly 30 other marathons, Lily would have been somewhere near the finish line to give me that hug immediately. Not this year. This year she was at home in Sparks, battling cancer, while her little brother ran the Boston Marathon on behalf of the American Cancer Society.
» Web Extras Solar Eclipse
May/June 2012
Eclipse chasers and Nevadans in a gigantic swath of Silver State spanning from Reno to Goldfield and Ely to Mesquite will have a chance to see for themselves what drove Homer’s sinister prose on Sunday, May 20 when an annular solar eclipse crosses overhead.
» Feature Motorsports Mecca
March/April 2012
Considering attendance woes nationwide—Indianapolis Motor Speedway saw crowds for the Brickyard 400 plummet from 270,000 in 2007 to less than 140,000 in 2011—it is no small feat that Las Vegas continues to fill seats. “Vegas is a lot like Talladega [Alabama] since it’s a destination race,” says NASCAR standout and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch. “People come from all over the country to have fun in the city and take in a race at the same time.”
» City Limits The Cosmopolitan
March/April 2012
Sandwiched between CityCenter and The Bellagio, The Cosmopolitan utilizes its slice of the Strip well with a unique vertical focus that is contrary to the traditionally large footprint of Las Vegas mega resorts.
» Wide Open Surviving Nevada’s Beauty
March/April 2012
Every year thousands of outdoor enthusiasts are drawn to Nevada by the rugged beauty of its high mountains, sweeping valleys, and remote backcountry. Others passing through arrive by happenstance. Regardless of reason or circumstance, those who accept Nevada’s hospitality must be prepared to reckon with myriad contingencies that could place them in harm’s way.
» Cravings Mmm…Burgers
March/April 2012
“Middlegate, Montello, Mina…” we said in unison. Then, it hit us. Simultaneously we exclaimed, “Mmm…” delighted at the aptness of the alliteration. Though we couldn’t make it to all of the Silver State’s marvelous “meateries” ourselves, a handful of burger runs confirmed our fans’ flattering findings: Delicious burgers are as plentiful in Nevada as sagebrush.
» Nature Rainbow Trout
March/April 2012
The rainbow trout is native to rivers and lakes of North America, west of the Rocky Mountains, but its reputation as a hard-fighting (they have a tendency to leap repeatedly when hooked) and tasty game fish has led to its introduction throughout the world. The strain of rainbow trout native to Nevada is known as the redband trout.
» History Ferris and His Big Wheel
March/April 2012
Born in 1859, George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. came across the plains with his family in 1864 from Galesburg, Illinois and settled near Genoa. Ferris was drawn to the Carson River, and, on hot afternoons, he would climb on his pony and clop down to the water. Local lore maintains that it was the handiwork of William Cradlebaugh that drew Ferris to the riverside.
» Events Spotlight They Call the Thing Rodeo
March/April 2012
More than 20 annual rodeos in the Silver State draw cowboys and cowgirls from across the country, and the big ones such as June’s Reno Rodeo and Las Vegas’ National Finals Rodeo in December are just the loop in the lasso. From north to south, east to west, high school to professional, Nevada is rodeo.
