January photo contest entries needed

So far this week, there have been no further changes to our winter schedule. And once we put away the stage and props for the melodrama, things should get back to normal - whatever that is. We are an historical society and I'm not sure there is a normal around here.

Next Thursday, Jan. 31, is the deadline for photos for the January photo contest. Whatever photos you have that represent January in Douglas County are eligible. There have been a couple of weather events, the big snow storm at the beginning of the month and that memorable Monday pogonip. Then there is the still piled up snow on the north side of all the houses in town. Bring us your photos. We need a winner for our 2009 calendar.

Saturday, Feb. 2, is the next Student Day. Ralph Chizek discusses the ancient pictographic Hebrew language - where it came from, how it was used and its effect on present day languages. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. with free admission for all students accompanied by an adult. Chizek's lectures are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 14, Bob Nylen, curator of history at the Nevada State Museum, speaks on the treasures of the Nevada Mint, part of the continuing free monthly lecture series at 7 p.m. in the downstairs meeting room of the Gardnerville museum. Come early or stay late. The Mainstreet Bookstore will be open before and after the lecture.

Even though we are in the midst of winter, we still have a lot going on. The Record-Courier's new commemorative book, "Looking Back: Douglas County, Nevada," is now on sale in the Mainstreet Bookstore. This is a hardbound pictorial history of the generations of families who have lived, and still live, in Douglas County. This book is guaranteed to be a collectors' item in the years to come.

In addition, we need some information from you readers. We are missing copies of some of the Douglas High School yearbooks. If you have old yearbooks you would be willing to donate, call 782-2555.

Second, we need to know when the tiger became the Douglas High School mascot. We are assuming it was in the early 1950s, but let us know if you know for sure.

Coming in March is the Women's History Remembering Project. The reception honoring six Douglas County Women is 2-4 p.m. March 2. You still have time to nominate the woman of your choice to receive this honor. Call 782-2555, or Marlena Hellwinkel at 782-2010, for more information on nominations.

In keeping with the Women in History theme for the month of March, Student Day will include an encore reading of Grace Dangberg and Bea Fettic Jones' "A Portrait of a Pioneer Lady" and the lecture series features Marilyn Newton speaking on her book, "Alkali Angels," a collection of photos and stories about Nevada's graveyards. Look for both publications in the Mainstreet Bookstore.

If you have any questions about anything mentioned here, please call the Douglas County Historical Society at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center 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.