York to speak at annual museum ladies lunch

The annual Churchill County Museum Ladies Luncheon will be Sunday at 12:30 a.m. at the museum.

The day and time was changed because of Saturday’s funeral for retired educator Edward Arciniega. Tickets must be purchased in advance for $25.

Since 2005, the women of Churchill County have gathered to discuss an aspect of shared history over a delectable lunch and raise funds for the Churchill County Museum Association.

This year’s featured speaker, retired professor Bonnie York, will explore the historical theme “Home on the Range.” The lunch menu boasts a baked potato bar with all the fixings, green salad and a variety of fruit cobblers. There will also be door prizes, a raffle and silent auction.

“The (luncheon) committee members have been working hard to make this year special,” said member Ann Rapp. “We convinced Dan Ingram, the museum’s director, to be our master of ceremony and guide the program along. And the ladies of the committee will be in pioneer costume … We’ve got some great things going on with the museum, and this event will help underwrite those.”

York’s friend and former colleague, Sherry Black, director of Western Nevada College Fallon, said she is planning to attend.

“I make it a priority every year … Bonnie and I worked together at WNC as faculty members,” Black said. “She was one of the oldest and most well-respected faculty members we had … She really was one of the founding members of this campus.

“We’re a small campus, so we all work together as core faculty; everybody does a little bit of everything. The one thing that a lot of us appreciated at WNC was Bonnie’s absolute love for the bovines, you know … for her cows. Rarely did a day go by that she wasn’t telling us a story about them … She names her cows. And she loves her cows. It’s hysterical … But she truly is so passionate about them, so we all appreciated that fact, that she cared about them so much. They’re like people to her.

“If people haven’t been to the museum, and if they come to the luncheon, see it in-person, they’ll be impressed. The speakers are always great; you get the luncheon; you get to really see the museum and tour it if you have the opportunity. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to the museum and see what a gem it is for this community.”

Known as “The Best Little Museum on Highway 50, the Loneliest Road in America,” it opened on Independence Day in 1968. The museum offers displays, tours, programs and special events focused on collecting, preserving and sharing artifacts, photographs and other exhibits — including a historic store — that illustrate the story of man and nature in Churchill County. They also offer walking tours of downtown and nearby hidden cave tours.

The museum is located at 1050 S. Maine St. Call 775-423-3677 for reservations.