May 7, 2025, Letters to the Editor

Thanks for supporting the Invitational Horse Parade

Editor:

The Invitational Horse Parade featured at this year’s Genoa Western Heritage Days was a huge success, despite a few gusts and sprinkles. A big thank-you to the Carson Valley community for “cowboy’n and cowgirl’n up” and coming out in large numbers to support the parade and day time events. 

All the participants and volunteers involved had a wonderful time showing off their horses, ponies, mules and wagons and being a part of Western Heritage, which is such a large part of our communities culture and history. 

For the third year, it was an honor to organize, lead, and bring this day event to Genoa Western Heritage Days. 

Each year this parade grows, and so does the support. It is so exciting to be a part of it and watch it take on a life of its own, the parade has doubled in size from the first year. 

I look forward to its continued success and growth. We have some amazing equestrians in our area that come together to share the culture of “The West” with the community. And it was an honor to recognize fourth-generation Carson Valley rancher Russell Scossa as our 2025 Grand Marshall. I want to extend a big thank-you to Dan Aynesworth, Terri Schultz, Gayle Vassar, Mo Parga and the GWHD Steering Committee for the support and guidance. As well as our new partners this year The Genoa Cemetery and our continued partners Kinsey Way Property Owners, Sierra Shadow HOA, Friends of Genoa, and Town of Genoa. 

I appreciate all of them and their willingness to work with us each year. I also want to thank the following for stepping up to help make this parade happen and go off with out “a hitch”: Sheriff Dan Coverley and his captains and deputies, Douglas Country Sheriffs Office, DCSO Mounted Posse, DCSO Citizens Patrol, TMCC EMT Program, Nevada Highway Patrol, Nevada Department of Transportation, Douglas County, East Fork Fire District, and Road Safe Traffic Systems. 

The parade was also a success because of the community members that volunteered their time to help coordinate and stage the participants, the DHS Football team who set out and put away all the bales of hay. We would not have been able to make it all come together without each and every one of you. 

The Invitational Horse Parade is a wonderful display of Western Culture and the Carson Valley coming together to put on a superb and successful event. Bravo and thank you to all involved and all who supported the event.

Krissie Haliwell

Parade Organizer

Genoa

Birthday memory

Editor:

This is a letter to my granddaughter-in-law remembering the birth of her third son as told to me by her husband, my grandson:

It was the night of March 26, when my wife woke me to tell me she was in painful labor. We have 4- and 5-year-old sons who were asleep. My wife is a nurse, and she was going to be induced March 30 as we live in a rural area, not close to a hospital.

I sprang into action as we had packed our bags in anticipation of the March 30 induction. Within a matter of minutes, (nearing midnight) the boys were strapped in their car seats, and we were off to the hospital about one hour away. Within moments, my wife said we must pull over as she felt the baby’s head crowning. I found a “chain-up” area where I could pull over, putting the interior lights on, turning the heater up and going to the passenger side of the vehicle. The boys were quiet and respectful of the moment from the back seat. I prepared my wife for birthing in the front seat. She dialed 911 and the operator got our approximate location on the highway and said an ambulance was on its way and hung up. I thought to myself, if I don’t do this right, I could lose my wife, my child and the mother to my two sons. The child, my third son, was born within a few pushes, but the umbilical cord was short, and I couldn’t lay my son on her lap. I wrapped my new son as best I could and held him to keep him warm while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

Within what seemed like eternity, the ambulance arrived, and they were able to clamp off the cord and my wife and son were transported with my other sons and I following to the hospital, where we were all joined as a family again.

My third son was small, but healthy. Because he wasn’t born into a sterile environment, we all stayed at the hospital for two days before being able to come home as a family of five.

I’m so proud of my sons who, from the back seat of our vehicle, maintained their respect of the situation. My new son is now 1 month old and growing by leaps and bounds. My wife is doing great as the mother of three sons. What a new and special bonding we all have from that experience.

Beverly Giannopulos

Minden

Thanks for supporting Horizons for Hope Gala

Editor:

On behalf of Expand-Able Horizons, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who made our Horizons of Hope Gala an overwhelming success. Expand-Able Horizons is a non-profit organization committed to enhancing the lives of adults with developmental disabilities, and this gala was an important step in raising critical funds to support that mission.

We were honored and humbled by the outpouring of support from our community. First and foremost, thank you to our guests who attended the event and gave so generously, both through your presence and your enthusiastic participation in our silent auction. Your energy and kindness helped create an unforgettable evening and a meaningful impact.

We are incredibly grateful to our event sponsors, whose support made the gala possible. Our Platinum Sponsors—Brown & Brown Insurance, Curbside Screeners, and Park Ranch Meats, our Gold Sponsors—Daniel’s and Minden Lawyers, our Silver Sponsors—Angus Towse and Greg Lynn, and our Bronze Sponsors—The Ross Family and Metcalf Builders. We’d also like to thank our Advertising Sponsors: Carson Valley Meats, Charles Kitchen Realty, Les Schwab Tire Center, Sharla Hales – Douglas County Commissioner, Millennium Medical Day Spa, Cioffi-Hochgurtel Real Estate Group, and the NBF Group, Inc. Your support is not only appreciated—it’s essential to the success of events like this.

We also extend a special thank you to the many donors who contributed items and services to our silent auction, we are incredibly grateful. Your contributions helped raise vital funds and added an element of excitement that brought guests together in a spirit of giving.

The evening would not have been complete without the joyful music provided by Jokota Wass—thank you for sharing your talent and setting the perfect tone for the night. We are also appreciative of La Mere Lutz Catering for the outstanding dinner, and our bartenders—Steve Thaler, Tim Bunting, Ron Sanchez, and Mike Tomasco—for taking care of our guests throughout the night.

To everyone who played a part in the Horizons of Hope Gala, whether as a sponsor, guest, donor, volunteer, or friend—we thank you. 

You have helped us move one step closer to creating more opportunities and brighter futures for adults with developmental disabilities in our community.

Keith Lewis

Expand-Able Horizons

Minden