Gingerbread house winners announced

Merry Christmas, everybody. May the joys of the Christmas season be with you throughout the coming year.

Thank you for all your support during the past year. Thanks for coming out for our Holiday Gala and for voting for your favorite trees and gingerbread houses. Voting on the gingerbread house display was completed last week and we are pleased to report that the Peters-Jacobsen family won the Peoples Choice Award - Best of Show. Their homage to the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center captured the hearts of the visitors. A selection of gingerbread houses will still be on display through the month of December.

We hope to announce the Christmas tree winners right here in the next week or two. If you missed this year's Gala and all the festivities, mark your 2011 calendars right now for next year's events. It's always the first Saturday in December.

Parents, if your kids are interested in plays, acting or the like, Douglas County Historical Society's Young Chautauqua program begins with an informational meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 11, at the Gardnerville museum. Students in grades four through 12 are invited to participate. Attend the Jan. 11 meeting to find out what is involved and how your child can participate.

The DCHS lecture on Thursday, Jan. 13, will feature Bob Stewart. Bob has worked in the office of Gov. Mike O'Callaghan and was public affairs officer for the Bureau of Land Management. After retiring in 2001, Bob got interested in the report that Mark Twain (Sam Clemens) had set a forest fire at Lake Tahoe in 1861. Bob's research showed the actual claim Clemens held as well as other interesting facts about the trails, people and places in 1861 Nevada. The lecture will be held upstairs in the Gardnerville museum at 7 p.m. Admission is free for DCHS members, $3 for non-members.

Melodrama rehearsals will be underway soon. Once we really get going, we promise to sneak more information to you in this column. We may even snap a photo or two to show you sneak previews. Meanwhile, have you gotten tickets for the performance of your choice? The melodrama is scheduled for Feb. 4-6 and tickets will be sold out well before. The Friday and Saturday evening dinner performances are $20 per person for DCHS members, $25 for non-members. The Sunday afternoon matinee tickets are $10 for DCHS members, $15 for non-members. Get your tickets at the Main Street Bookstore or by calling 782-2555 and charging your credit card.

Information about the Douglas County Historical Society at www.historicnevada.org or 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 keep our doors open.

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