Genoa museum opens for season Saturday

CARSON VALLEY, Nev.

Saturday is opening day of the Genoa Court House Museum, Student-Senior Day for May and Snowshoe Thompson Day all wrapped into one. Don Thompson relates history and stories about Snowshoe at 11 a.m. Douglas County Historic Society members receive a 20 percent discount on merchandise in the museum and non-members get a 10 percent discount.

If you're not a DCHS member, now is the time to join. A family membership gives you, your family and your summer visitors a great place to go. Just pack a picnic lunch and head out to either the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville or the Genoa Court House Museum. Tour the exhibits, visit the bookstore and enjoy a picnic lunch. Beautiful Mormon Station Park is across the street from the Court House Museum and there are picnic tables on the grounds of the Gardnerville museum. This is a great outing for very little expense.

Tickets for this year's historic barn tour are on sale now at $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Being a member of the historic society saves you money. The money saved will be enough to pay for the special tour of the Dangberg Home Ranch barn. This is a special opportunity for you to tour one of the most historic ranches in Carson Valley. Call 782-2555 or stop by the Gardnerville museum to get your membership and barn tickets soon.

Barn tour tickets come with a raffle ticket to win the signed and framed photo of the Trimmer barn in Genoa with a poem written by cowboy poet Ken Gardner for this year's barn tour. The raffle winner will be announced at the ice cream social after the tour. Not able to go to the barn tour this year? Raffle tickets are on sale at the reception desk at the Gardnerville museum for $1 each or six for $5.

It's time to think about your entry for the May photo contest. What does May in Douglas County mean to you? Is it flowing trees against a background of snow-capped mountains? Whatever you think of in May, snap a photo of it and enter it into the May contest. The April contest winner will be announced in next week's column.

We hope all Douglas County Historical Society members and volunteers enjoyed the reception last weekend. We can't thank all of you enough for all you do for your local museums, but we sure tried. What a lovely event that was. Thanks to Grace Bower and the trustees for a wonderful evening.

For any questions, contact the Douglas County Historical Society at www.historicnevada.org or at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center in Gardnerville at 782-2555. Remember, DCHS and its two museums in Gardnerville and Genoa don't receive any regular state or county funding. It's up to our members and friends to help us keep our doors open.

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