Get ready for Nevada Day

Get ready for the first official, voter-approved three-day Nevada Day weekend.

Well, that's a bit of an overstatement.

The three-day Nevada Day weekend approved by voters actually begins next year, when the last Friday of October becomes the official Nevada Day and the celebration continues on Saturday and Sunday.

And you have to admit that, when you look at the schedule of events for this Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Nevada Day still seems to be mostly a one-day celebration because almost everything is happening on Saturday. (Except for the Mills Park carnival, and don't forget the hand-car races on Sunday at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.)

Nevertheless, when the actual, truly three-day Nevada Day weekend gets here in 2000 we are confident there will be plenty of activities spread out over the holiday.

In fact, it will be something of a relief not to have to try to pack everything into one day. So much goes on that it's nearly impossible to get to all of it.

We also must admit to sadness at the passing of the historic Nevada Day, Oct. 31, the date that marks Nevada's entrance to the Union in 1864. There have been some breaks in the annual celebration, but it's been pretty regular since the 1930s.

This is Nevada's big day, and it's especially Carson City's big day. There is no celebration like it in the state.

Take pride in Nevada - that's the spirit of the occasion.

We like to think Carson City is a showcase for Nevada values: small-town familiarity; an Old West flavor enjoyed by people with progressive ideas; the freedom to roam wide-open spaces; and parades in which horses still, we hope, outnumber politicians.

Happy Nevada Day(s).