Community news briefs for week of July 24

Museum’s annual meeting

The Churchill County Museum’s annual meeting is July 29 at 1 p.m., and the museum  announces the return of the ice cream social.

August music

A week before the Fallon Cantaloupe Festival and Country Fair begins at the Rafter 3C Complex, Blair Crimmins & The Hookers appear Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. on the Centennial Stage. Crimmins began his current music career in Atlanta with a determination to bring Ragtime and 1920s style Dixieland Jazz to new audiences.

A multi-instrumentalist and music academic, Crimmins writes songs and arrangements for a classic New Orleans style horn section consisting of trumpet, clarinet and trombone.

The Fallon Cantaloupe Festival’s lineup opens on Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. with Queensrÿche, a progressive metal band from Bellevue, Wash. Queensrÿche  has released 16 studio albums, one EP and several DVDs.

For the country western crowd, Ned LeDoux plays Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. in the Rafter’s arena. LeDoux recently appeared in Elko.

The Kaycee, Wyoming native is following in the steps of his late father, Chris LeDoux, a rodeo star in the 1970s and 80s. After Chris LeDoux retired from rodeo, he began his musical career in the 1980s.

Opening for LeDoux is Justin Lee, a performer with Nevada roots including some that have been placed in Churchill County.

Lee began writing songs as teenager and has  mastered his craft with some of the top Nashville producers, engineers, songwriters and musicians. Six years ago, Lee a Justin released single, “Like I’ve Fallen.” 

For tickets to see any musical act or attend the festival, go to go to https://aftontickets.com/falloncantaloupefestival.

School-to-career

The Churchill County High School. school-to-career program will host a community career fair at the Rafter 3C Arena on Aug. 10 beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Local businesses and entrepreneurs should call Sue Segura at 775-790-1139 and register to host a table at the event. Businesses interested in offering students mentorship, internships, apprentice opportunities and scholarships should also contact Segura directly.

About 1,000 attendees are expected.

Home Horticulture Certificate Program

University of Nevada, Reno Extension is offering its online Home Horticulture Certificate Program, Aug. 2 to Sept. 28. The program is ideal for anyone wanting to learn more about gardening in Nevada and is also a prerequisite for those interested in becoming a certified Nevada Master Gardener.

The cost is $275 and includes recorded lectures, readings, homework and online question-and-answer sessions with specialists and local gardening professionals. Sessions take place via Zoom, from noon to 1 p.m., Thursdays, and conclude with a final exam before certification.

The certificate program includes instruction on a variety of topics, such as soils, composting, native plants, small fruits and integrated pest management. Katelyn Brinkerhoff, statewide Master Gardener coordinator, said that the online program was developed to be accessible to everyone in Nevada.

Besides providing practical information for home gardeners, the certificate program is a prerequisite for entering the Nevada Master Gardener Program, an Extension program designed to teach research-based Nevada gardening practices to volunteers. In turn, Master Gardeners share this knowledge through educational presentations and workshops, community events and projects, and answering gardening questions at Extension offices.

After completing their first year, Master Gardeners make an annual commitment to 10 hours of continuing education and 20 hours volunteering wherever their knowledge and skills best fit community needs.

Applications for Master Gardener training open after participants pass the Home Horticulture Certification Program final exam. Master Gardener training costs $25 and takes place Oct. 26 to Dec. 28. It includes online readings, lectures and live question-and-answer sessions, while county-specific in-person activities may also be added to the schedule.

Registration for the Home Horticulture Certificate Program is open now through July 28, and can be completed online. For more information on classes, email Brinkerhoff at ExtensionMasterGardener@unr.edu.

Persons in need of special accommodations or assistance should contact Paul Lessick, civil rights and compliance coordinator, at plessick@unr.edu or 702-257-5577 at least five days prior to the scheduled event with their needs or for more information.

Youth awards

The Nevada Department of Veterans Services is seeking nominations for the Youth Serving Veterans Award.

If you know of someone, age 19 or younger, or a group of young people (same age requirement applies) who is making a difference in the lives of veterans or the veterans’ community, now is the time to speak up and nominate them. https://buff.ly/3Zb99Zm

Churchill County Library

As summer winds down and we look to the start of the fall season, stop by the Churchill County Library for a book, a workshop, computer time or just to say hello in an airconditioned space.

Special events:

• Storytime graduation on Aug. 2 and 3 at regular story time both days. Come out to celebrate the story timers who are entering kindergarten this fall.

• Teen Library council meets on Aug. 2 at 2 p.m.

• Fly-a-drone workshop takes place on Aug. 2 at 3:30 p.m.

• U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen’s office representative holds open hours at the library on Aug. 10 at 1 p.m.

• Reading with Rover takes place on Aug. 10 at 3:30 p.m. Children can practice their reading to a very forgiving and patient audience of therapy dogs

• Stop Motion Animation workshop on Aug.16 at 3:30 p.m.

• Need a career change? Let EmployNV help you with aspects of finding a new job on Aug. 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the library.

• Elementary Book Club begins Aug. 24 at 3:30 p.m. for second, third and fourth graders who really loved the Summer Reading Program. Kids will read and discuss one book each month and the books are yours to keep.

Pennington Life Center

Stop by the Pennington Life Center in August for the many activities planned for the month.

Plenty of good eats at the Pennington Life Center in August: All are welcome to partake. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays. Cost is $6 for those under age 60 and a suggested donation of $3 for those 60 and older.

Hazard mitigation plan input

Churchill County, the City of Fallon and the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe have launched a planning effort to update the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The plan is required under the Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 as a pre-requisite for receiving certain forms of federal disaster assistance.

An update to the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan is being supervised by the Local Emergency Planning Committee which is gathering information and seeking input from residents and the public.

Opportunities for public participation on the plan update include a public questionnaire and review/public comments on the draft plan. All comments received from the public will be documented and considered for inclusion in the plan. The County anticipates submittal of the draft plan to the Churchill County Commissioners for adoption in late 2023 before final submission to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Public comments and participation are welcomed and encouraged. Begin by participating in a brief local hazards survey at: https://que7lfsr6.supersurvey.com. The survey will close on Sept. 1.

Public meetings for input and comments on the plan will occur and be announced this summer and fall.

For questions on this process, contact Steve Endacott, city of Fallon Emergency Manager at sendacott@fallonnevada.gov

Kindergarten registration

Bring your child with you and register for kindergarten.

There is no need to register if your child is already registered or your child attends Northside Early Learning Center until the end of this school year as your child will automatically roll up.

Once registration is complete, you and your child may take a tour of the school and meet the staff!

Important information if registering:

Your child must be 5 on or before Aug. 21 (first day of school for kindergarten).

Please bring: your child's state-issued birth certificate, poof of address, a valid ID for parent/guardian, and  your child's current immunization record.

To register before this event, visit bit.ly/ChurchillCSDKindergartenRegistration or churchillcsd.com

Become a chamber member

Would you or someone you know in the business community like to become more involved?

Fallon Chamber of Commerce would like to extend its invitation to you to become a board member.

The chamber provides resources, support and education to help businesses be successful. The chamber is currently working on job training, internships and scholarship programs for up and coming youth looking to get into the business world.

The chamber understands it’s made up of small businesses wants to provide all the resources you need to run a successful business on a local, state and federal level

The chamber works hard to represent the local business community, but as a non-profit 501(c)6 organization, the chamber relies on members and board of directors to partner with us to serve businesses and our community as a whole! Many people wonder what it is the Chamber of Commerce is exactly.

By definition, a chamber of commerce is a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community. Local Chambers work on the local level to bring the business community together to develop strong local networks, which can result in a business-to-business exchange.

In most cases, local Chambers work with their local government, such as their mayor, their city council and local representatives to develop  pro-business initiatives.

If interested please nominate yourself or someone that you think would be vital to aiding our business community.

For information, contact The Chamber 775-423-2544 or email info@fallonchamber.com.

Boots ‘N’ Britches Play Days

Wednesdays. Location: Fairview Arena (Main Outdoor Arena), 3C Event Complex

The Boots 'n' Britches Play Days are back this summer! All ages are welcome to join in on the fun for our wide variety of events — we offer barrel racing, breakaway roping, figure 8, goat tying, pole bending, and goat tail un-decorating, plus a separate lead line option for youth 7 and under.

Club membership is $25/person or $60/household for the season which includes all six summer dates and puts the participant/s in for awards eligibility. Each added event fee is based on the participant’s age. For additional information and to register visit ChurchillCountyRecreation.org.