Carson Valley rancher Russell Scossa, in red, celebrated his 80th birthday last weekend as grand marshal of the Invitational Horse Parade on Saturday. He rode on the Silver Saddle Ranch wagon.
The rain spared Genoa’s Western Heritage Festival for the most part on Saturday as thousands of spectators gathered in Nevada’s Oldest Town.
Cloudy skies kept conditions cool through the day in town, with an occasional breeze rolling through threatening to bring rain, but only a few drops turned up.
“I think the biggest story was our incredibly good luck when it came to the weather,” said Friends of Genoa’s Gayle Vassar. “All week long, event organizers kept logging into various weather apps, and the predictions weren’t good. At worst, it was going to rain all weekend. At best, the clouds were supposed to burst right when the horse parade started.”
At one point earlier in the week the forecast was calling for snow levels to drop with rain in the Valley.
“But in the end, Western Nevada’s notoriously fickle weather delivered an almost-perfect day, and the town was abuzz with cowboys and cowgirls of all ages enjoying live music, cowboy poetry, historic reenactments and kids games,” Vassar said.
The main attraction was the third annual Invitational Horse Parade which featured fourth-generation rancher Russell Scossa, who served as grand marshal.
There were more than a dozen entries in the parade including the Reno Rodeo Chuckwagon and Miss Nevada.
Sheriff Dan and Sarah Coverley led the parade on Jacks Valley Road and onto Main Street around 2 p.m.
“The Horse Parade, with 70 horses, was the highlight of the day,” Vassar said. “Parade organizer Krissie Haliwell outdid herself in putting together an event that showcased Nevada’s horse and ranching culture. Grand Marshal Russell Scossa celebrated his 80th birthday over the weekend and was serenaded with a enthusiastic round of ‘Happy Birthday’ by concert goers on Friday night.”
The ticketed events including both town hall concerts, and the progressive dinner sold out early. Vassar said two dozen people attended Gary Allegretto’s harmonica workshop on Sunday.
Nevada equestrian explorer Samantha Szesciorka and steed Sage arrived at Mormon Station State Historic Park to have her Nevada State Parks Passport stamped.
She was the first person to complete the passport challenge entirely on horseback. The challenge requires getting stamps while visiting 15 state parks. Visitors who complete the challenge win a free annual pass to all Nevada State Parks.
Members of the Washoe Tribe conducted a basket weaving demonstration on the front porch of the Courthouse Museum, where entrance was free for Family Day.
The museum was packed with visitors after the parade.
There were several Chautauqua performances, including by the Douglas County Historical Society’s Young Chautaqua at the Genoa Town Church. Kim Harris and Mike Olson portrayed Alice and Will James. James is a member of the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame, who had four books turned into movies.
“We were happy with the audience turn-out,” Harris said on Tuesday. “The feedback is that people enjoyed learning about (or more about) Will James. Many did not know of his levels of achievement as an illustrator and author. Also, there were many who had his most acclaimed and award winning book ‘Smoky the Cowhorse’ as a child. We thought it was the perfect venue to tell their story.”
They were followed up by Steve Hale as Gen. John C. Frémont.