Rain doesn't put a damper on Virginia City's Sesquicentennial

It may have rained on their parade, but Virginia City came out Saturday to celebrate its 150th birthday.

Gov. Jim Gibbons was on hand to present a proclamation in honor of the town that put Nevada on the map, both in terms of official statehood, as well as that famous burning map on the television show "Bonanza."

Participants in the parade braved the rain and below normal temperatures as they made their way down C Street. Men in uniform, ladies in Victorian dress, antique cars and horses helped entertain the crowd, while children who lined the covered boardwalks scrambled for candy tossed from the street.

The parade was the centerpiece of a three-day celebration that took two years of planning, according to Joe Curtis, one of the people who put the event together. The celebration continues today.

"It's been a long effort to get everything together, and it's taken a lot of work on a lot of people's part, but we finally got it done," Curtis said.

The weather took its toll on some of the outdoor events, but other activities like the Victorian fashion show and melodrama play "Hand Full of Nickels" at Piper's Opera House went off as planned, giving attendees an entertaining shelter from the storm.

"It would be better if the weather had cooperated, but I'm really surprised how many people came out," Curtis said.