Volunteer opportunities open at museums

We are definitely into fall, no matter what the calendar says. Leaves are turning on trees all over the valley. Time to start thinking about pulling out the sweaters and jackets and leaving the tank tops in the back of the closet until next year.

Fall can also be a time of reflection on the past year. While you are reflecting on 2010, think about the Douglas County Historical Society and the many programs and events we bring you each year. Let us know which ones you love and what kind of events you'd like to see more of. We're looking for your suggestions and we're looking for your help.

There are several new ideas on that proverbial drawing board. While we'd love to carry out every idea given to us, we need your help. There have been suggestions for us to put on an old time country fair. We'd love to bring you a fair, but we can't do it without you stepping forward and volunteering to help. We need people willing to give of their time and talent so we can offer everyone the great events we have brought you in the past.

In addition to new ideas and new people, we need your commitment to the preservation of the history of this valley. A lot has happened here in a relatively short amount of time. Those of you who are new to Carson Valley might be surprised and pleased to learn about the history of your new home. Stop in your local museums. Enjoy our exhibits. Join us in preserving the past and arranging great events for the future.

The Oct. 14 lecture in our continuing lecture series will feature Sue Coleman, a Washo weaver, who will be demonstrating the art of basket weaving. Sue learned basket weaving from her mother, Theresa Smokey Jackson, in the late 1980s. Together they gathered willow, which they stripped, cleaned and made into thread. Her first basket was the bicoos, Washo for cradleboard. Over the years, she has challenged herself with round baskets, burden baskets, seed beaters and winnowing trays, in addition to cradleboards, in a variety of styles.

Sue was also inspired by her ancestors, such as her great-great grandmother, Sara Mayo, known for her famous "territorial" basket. Traditionally, native peoples' baskets were used to gather, prepare, cook, and store native foods, for rearing children, for gift giving and for ceremonies. Weaving almost died out in the Washo tribe; now there are only a handful of weavers left. Admission for the 7 p.m. lecture is free for DCHS members and $3 for non-members. For more information call the Gardnerville museum at 782-2555.

Contact 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.