outdoor

We are honored to welcome outdoor writer and editor Don Quilici to the pages of Carson Now.

Quilici's stories and photos will be featured every Wednesday on our new Outdoors Page.

Don Q is famous around these parts to anyone who hunts or fishes. He was the outdoor editor for the Nevada Appeal for 22 years, and his weekly columns delighted readers regardless of their abilities with a gun or rod.

Joe Conforte, the former owner of the Mustang Ranch brothel a few miles east of Reno, has produced his autobiography as an ebook, his publisher has announced.

Titled “Breaks, Brains & Balls: the story of Nevada’s fabulous Mustang Ranch” the 464-page book details Conforte's adventurous life from his birth into the poverty of a Sicilian fishing village to a life of luxury in Rio De Janeiro.

Lake Tahoe has been ranked the No. 1 ski destination for the year by Rand McNally, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority announced Monday.

The ranking is based on travel bookings to the destination when compared to other winter locations throughout the United States and Canada. It is the latest recognition given to the region by the nation's top travel writers and publications, according to the LTVA announcement.

Don Quilici, outdoor editor at CarsonSports.com has posted some photos of his recent venture to his cabin in the mountains. Check it out here. Also click here to read up a column and some thoughts about outdoor travel over the past year. Don's wife, Elaine, has some wonderful photos to go along with the narrative.

Carson City planners today will consider a special use permit to install a series of solar panels at Eagle Valley Middle School.

Planners will also hear a special use permit request for improvements at the Brewery Arts Center and Performance Hall. The meeting is on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 1:30 p.m. at the Carson City Community Center Sierra Room, 851 East William. Click here to read the full agenda and here to watch it live.

A year-round supply of fresh leafy greens and other nutritious foods has been the wish of Penny Reynolds, culinary arts director for Carson High School. And now those hopes will soon come to be as The Greenhouse Project, a community-based greenhouse and garden, takes root in Carson City.

A ground-breaking ceremony held on Friday marks the beginning of a project that many believe will be a model for Carson City, the state of Nevada and the nation. Construction will begin next week.

Carson City officials will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 16, to reopen N. Roop Street following the completion of the reconstruction/widening project.

The ceremony will take place on N. Roop Street between William Street and Corbett Street. City officials will be joined by representatives of the Carson City Chamber of Commerce and representatives of the private sector firms which participated in the design and construction of the road. Following the ceremony, the traffic control barriers will be removed, and the road will be opened to public travel.

With all of the "Black Friday" shopping madness now safely behind us, Carsonsports.com Outdoor Editor Don Quilici has some Christmas gift ideas, chocolate included, for outdoor enthusiasts. Click here to read up on the Q's list.

After three years of planning, designing and fundraising, The Greenhouse Project will take root in Carson City with a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, December 3 at Carson High School.

Skiers and boarders know when it comes to predicting snow at Lake Tahoe, a wing, a party and a prayer never hurts.

Prepare yourself for a snow dance at the alter as the annual “Pray for Snow” party will happen on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at Fresh Ketch Restaurant in South Lake Tahoe. There will be live music, dancing, beverages and an avalanche of prizes.

The following obituary was submitted by Jeff Cowen, community liaison for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on the passing of spokesman Dennis Oliver:

DENNIS J. OLIVER
May 20, 1963 - November 3, 2010

If you're interested in getting away from home to spend some quality leisure time for an overnighter, a weekend or even longer, look no further than a neat hideaway that is open year round and close to Carson City. Click here to read the story by CarsonSports.com Outdoor Editor Don Quilici and click here for Don's weekly fall fishing report.

This week Carsonsports.com Outdoor Editor Don Quilici shares some sage advice on nut season. Not the political shelling going on, mind you, and definitely not of the mountain oyster variety celebrated annually in Virginia City. These nuts are of the pinion pine kind. Click here to learn where to find 'em, how to shell 'em and the best way to eat 'em.

Yep, there’s a new guy sitting in the corner office of Heavenly admin building on Kingsbury Grade — Pete Sonntag, one-time ski bum turned management of the giant resort at Lake Tahoe.

So maybe the era of ski bums isn’t over. They may not wear suits but they often are the people doing the suits’ job.

Carson City's newest recreation feature will be dedicated on Oct. 23, along with a Fishing Day, highlighting the opening of the one-acre Urban Fishing Pond.

The event, which runs from 7 a.m. to noon at the Carson City Fairgrounds at 601 Old Clear Creek Road, is free to the public. Sponsors include the Nevada Department of Wildlife, Carson City Host Lions Club, and the Carson City Parks and Recreation Department.

The Children's Museum of Northern Nevada has released its new promo video.

The museum is recruiting support for its two proposed expansions, the Third Floor extension and the more ambitious Outdoor Park. For more information or to donate to the museum, call (775) 884-2226 or visit cmnn.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIKzc7Ip9AM

Carsonsports.com Outdoor Editor Don Quilici, wife Elaine, and Elaine's Mom took a road trip recently to the California side of the Sierra, bringing back with them great photos, travel-tips and advice about how the 445 miles traveled in two days can get done in comfort.

Carson City Animal Services received a makeover on Saturday thanks to more than two dozen volunteers.

Through the Carson City Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class 2010, this top dog group put up fences, pounded nails and laid down coats of paint, sprucing up the Butti Way animal shelter.

With 17 Leadership Carson City class members present and student volunteers from Western Nevada College, the overhaul is designed to revamp the adoption area by adding new fences, outdoor furniture and dog-friendly shelters.

A Green Living Festival will be held at Lampe Park in Gardnerville from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The event, sponsored by the Sustainable Living and Renewable Energy Roundup, features informational workshops, exhibits and an interactive Discovery Center with fun activities for kids — making smoothies with the bike blender, baking in solar ovens, making your own butter, beekeeping presentation, activities by Master Gardeners and the Great Basin Outdoor School. The event is free to the public. 

Playgrounds are a pure joy to watch. Children experiment and dream with unbridled optimism. One elementary school in Carson City, by itself, houses over 600 future teachers, healers and leaders. It is a parent’s best dream to envision a bright, healthy, productive future for our children. Sometimes fear overtakes us, as we live with the daily reminders of our world’s very-real threats to those futures. Many of those fears are born of the very-real adult perspectives we have on environmental risks - like crime, drug use and violence.

The weekend's unseasonably cool weather will leave the Carson City and Lake Tahoe region overnight with a brisk punch instead of a whimper.
Low temperatures with patchy fog are expected through Monday morning, according to Carsonweather.com and the National Weather Service.

It didn't matter to the Carson High football team that the opposition was one of the Sacramento area's top teams. The Senators had an answer — on more than one occasion — and came away with an impressive 31-10 season opening victory at home against Del Campo on Friday night.

Parks 4 Paws, a nonprofit community group to develop designated dogs parks in Carson City, in conjunction with Carson City Parks and Recreation Department and the community pool will sponsor the second annual Pooch Plunge on Saturday, Sept. 18. Last year’s event was very entertaining to watch. It was debatable who had more fun – the dogs or their owners.
The event will held at the Carson Aquatic Facility Outdoor Pool, 841 N Roop St Carson City.

A plan to put up some new signs to spruce up a revitalized and remodeled Carson Mall is on the Carson City Planning Commission agenda on Wednesday.
The Carrington Company, which owns the mall, is asking the city to allow for more signs on the front and back ends of the mall, at the 1313 South Carson Street and the 1457 South Carson Street entrances.

Richard Elloyan, a colorful and renowned country western singer from Dayton will be performing his famous songs of Nevada's stories. Richard's songs are written through the poetry of his experiences of growing up in Virginia City, and reflect his love of Nevada and its cowboy heritage. The concert begins at 7 p.m. at Sierra Place, 1111 West College Parkway. Call (775) 841-4111.

Jazz Carson City 2010 will wind up this weekend with a Friday night appetizer followed by a Saturday and Sunday blowout.

It’s all under the umbrella of the Mile High Jazz Band, which offers a five-singer tribute to Count Basie Saturday night from 8 to 10 p.m. at the 3rd Street site.

Tonight

Carson City theater lovers have one more chance tonight to enjoy one of the better summer musicals playing in our town.

You don’t have to be a fraternity guy or sorority gal to enjoy "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," playing at the Carson City Brewery Arts Center’s outdoor theater beginning today and continuing July 24, 25, 30, 31 and Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m.

Join in the fun at Gold Dust West, 2171 U.S. Highway 50, and enjoy the sound of the Beatles. Food, beverages and a whole lot of Fab-Four fun. Outdoor concert opens at 6:30 p.m. Call (775) 885-9000.

JMark Cash presents the Chihuahua Desert Duet, an acoustic duet playing rock, folk, country and traditional Mexican music. The musicians will perform at Sierra Place, 1111 West College Parkway in Carson City. The duo invite anyone stop in, shake a hand or two, kick up a little sawdust and let out a hoot. This will be a fun-filled, outdoor musical evening. The event begins at 7 p.m. Call (775) 841-4111.