Photos needed for December contest

Before this glorious time of year is over, I want to pass on some thank-yous from the Douglas County Historical Society. Thanks for supporting us and this column, for supporting our events and the Main Street Bookstore. DCHS wishes you a Happy New Year.

Did you take pictures of your wonderful Christmas for our December photo contest? You still have a couple of days to submit photos of December in Douglas County. We are hoping for great photos this month.

We have a lot of events coming in January. Student day will be January 5. As usual, all students get into the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center free when accompanied by an adult. The featured speaker will be Ralph Chizek, past professor of ancient languages. He will speak on the ancient pictographic Hebrew language. The museum will be open 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Mr. Chizek's presentations will be at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The lecture series resumes on Thursday, Jan. 10. Chris Bayer will be speaking on "Profits, Plots and Lynching." Chris is a banjo player and is also the director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) in Carson City, which appoints advocates to children going through the court process. In June he was awarded Citizen of the Year 2007 for his work with CASA. The lecture starts at 7 p.m. and is free to the public. The museum and the Main Street Bookstore are open before and after each lecture in our series.

Young Chautauquans begins its ninth year with an informational meeting for students, parents and mentors on Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. at the museum. All students grades 4 Ð 12, are welcome, including those from private schools or home schooling. These young people will start training to depict historical characters and will perform at Mormon Station State Park in June.

Of course, by the time we hit January, the January photo contest will be in full swing. This is the same as the other contests, only this time we need your photo of the perfect January in Douglas County. Your photo could be of Lake Tahoe or of the Valley from Kingsbury Grade, Topaz Lake or the Pine Nut Mountains. What best says January in Douglas County? Take a photo of it and bring it in.

Don't forget that the melodrama will be presented Jan. 25, 26 and 27 in the main gallery of the museum. Tickets are on sale at the main desk and are limited due to space. The Friday and Saturday night shows include dinner and the Sunday matinee includes a picnic lunch. This event always sells out so get your tickets soon. Call 782-2555 for further information.

Once 2008 is here, we will begin work on our back yard barnyard area. We plan on taking the back yard of the Gardnerville museum and turning it into a replica barnyard complete with all the implements one would find in such a setting. Soon we will be going out to collect vintage farm equipment and start building enclosures so they can be exhibited. This is an exciting project, one that will truly reflect our rural heritage.

Interested in this or any other upcoming project? Call or come in and volunteer. We need your help.

If you have any questions about anything mentioned here, please call the Douglas County Historical Society at the Carson Valley Museum in Gardnerville at 782-2555. Visit our Web site at www.historicnevada.org. And if you have the time, the museum is always looking for interested volunteers.

-- Contact Ellen Caywood at in2my2cats@yahoo.com or at 790-1565.