ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS

Virginia City events

Mark your calendars and save your appetite for the 23rd annual Rocky Mountain Oyster Fry and St. Patrick’s Day Parade, March 15, in historic Virginia City.

Each year this historic town presents a full-on Irish testicle festival where more than 20 cooks compete for bragging rights in one of northern Nevada’s most popular tasting contests. More than 3,000 people come to sample this “delicacy,” take part in the Leprechaun Bar Crawl and watch the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

For more information on Virginia City, Nev. visit online or call the Virginia City Tourism Commission (VCTC) at 775-847-7500.

Cowboy poetry

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is turning 30 in 2014, and the nation’s greatest celebration of the American West, its people, culture and traditions, will turn its focus to the future of the region.

Between Jan. 27 and Feb. 1, in Elko, the Gathering will present poetry, music, fine western gear, films, workshops, dances and discussions with a clear focus on encouraging the next generation and working together to ensure the sustainability of the occupational and artistic traditions of the rural West.

The theme of the 30th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is Expressing the Rural West — Into the Future!

Through performances of poetry and music, thought-provoking films and fruitful discourse, artists and audiences of all ages will share their art and their opinions on meeting the challenges of rural life in the modern West.

In particular, the next generation of cowboy artists will present their work and discuss their brand of ranch life — with one hand on the reins and the other on the cell phone.

More than 50 poets, musicians and musical groups from the U.S. and Canada will perform on seven stages at four different venues.

The line-up includes cowboy poets Baxter Black, Paul Zarzyski, Waddie Mitchell, Yvonne Hollenbeck, Joel Nelson, Doris Daley, Pat Richardson, Randy Rieman and many others.

Music is as integral to the Gathering as poetry; the musical line-up includes Ian Tyson, Michael Martin Murphey, Riders In The Sky, Don Edwards, Dave Stamey, Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys, Caleb Klauder Country Band, Martha Scanlan and more. Scroll down for a full list of participating artists and their hometowns. Visit www.westernfolklife.org for full bios.

Special guests this year include renowned animal welfare advocate, professor and author Temple Grandin, who will deliver the keynote address, and Stephanie Davis and her Trail’s End Ranch Radio Show, broadcasting poetry, humor and wisdom from a fictitious radio station on the range. A special exhibition will celebrate the new renaissance of western artistry among young gearmakers and visual artists.

Fleischmann Planetarium

Since 1963, as the Fleischmann Atmospherium, the Planetarium has welcomed people of all ages.

Special events, lectures, fulldome planetarium shows and retro pricing through January include Friday Vintage Live Sky Tonight Star Talks from 6-7 p.m.

Join the Planetarium for a weekly, fulldome look at what’s up in the sky tonight, presented the way we used to back in the day in our vintage Skies Over Nevada series. Live Star Talks are $7 adults and $5 children ages 3-12, seniors 60 and over, and UNR faculty, staff and students; shows are free for Planetarium members.

Take a weekly look back at every decade since 1963, with the Planetarium’s special guest speakers past and present. The schedule includes tonight: Arthur Johnson — our director (1973-2002) and “voice of the Planetarium” — on the 1980s, the return of Halley’s Comet and our cool time capsule that accompanied the event

Friday Travels-Through-Time Talks are $7 adults and $5 children ages 3-12, seniors 60 and over, and UNR faculty, staff and students; shows are free for Planetarium members. For the full schedule of 50th anniversary events, , visit http://www.planetarium.unr.edu/50th_Events.html

University exhibit

Artspace: “Detour” by Elizabeth Ferrill runs until Jan. 23 at 144 West St., Reno

Visiting professor Elizabeth Ferrill will exhibit recent prints that exemplify her studio research in the use of pochoir. The method uses a thin sheet of material such as paper, plastic or metal with letters or a design cut from it to produce art prints. Admission is free.

Sesquicentennial clothing

Official merchandise of the Nevada Sesquicentennial celebration is now available for purchase.

With items ranging from apparel to accessories, shoppers can purchase items through The Flag Store Sign & Banner, located in Sparks, and the Legislative Gift Shop in Carson City as well as many Nevada State Museum and State Park gift shops.

Nevada 150 merchandise includes: shirts, outerwear, hats and gift items. Merchandise sold through The Flag Store Sign & Banner can be purchased online at http://www.eventflags.com/Nevada-150-Anniversary-Apparel-and-Gifts/ or at the store at 155 Glendale Ave., Sparks.

In addition to selling Nevada 150 apparel, the Legislative Gift Shop is also selling the Nevada Sesquicentennial Commemorative Medallions.

The first design of the copper medallion and the second minting, first design, of the silver medallion are available for sale through Jan. 31.

Nevada 150 merchandise and medallions can be purchased online at https://www.leg.state.nv.us/app/lcbstore/a/c-127-nv-150-merchandise.aspx or by visiting 401 South Carson St., Carson City.

For those looking to show their Nevada Pride on the road, the Nevada Sesquicentennial license plate is a great gift suggestion this holiday season. Nevada residents can reserve a license plate online at www.dmvnv.com or in the DMV office. The limited-edition plates will be available for purchase through 2016, making the Battle Born plate a commemorative item for Nevadans.

For more information about Nevada’s Sesquicentennial celebration, please visit www.nevada150.org.