It’s a Multi-Cultural Weekend in Reno
July 20, 2009
No need to travel to Hawaii this summer. You can enjoy all the wonderful aspects of the Polynesian culture right here in Reno this weekend (July 24-26). The Pacific Island Festival is another element of Reno’s Artown Festival 2009 to be enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
The 11th Annual Pacific Island Festival is being sponsored by the Silver Legacy and the Pacific Exchange. As part of the Artown Festival, many of the events will be free to the public. The festival will feature Polynesian music and dance that includes a Heiva i Reno Tahitian Dance Competition. As with any festival, there will be booths offering favorites foods of the islands as well as arts and crafts. There will even be a Drunken Pig Cook-off.
The arts, crafts and food booths can be found on the Plaza, where a main stage will also offer the music of the islands. The Heiva i Reno will be held in the Downtown Reno Ballroom, where dancers from across the country will compete for the honorable Overall Title. Winners will also receive cash prizes.
Friday July 24
3pm: Opening Ceremonies
3:30 – 7pm: Food and craft booths open
4:30 – 7pm: Live music and dance performances
3:30 – 7pm: Heiva I Reno Dance Competition
Saturday July 25
10am – 5:30pm: Heiva i Reno Dance Competition continues
11am – 7pm: Food and craft booths open with live music and dance performances
Sunday July 26
11am – 5pm: Food and craft booths open, with live music and dance performances
2 – 2:30pm: Heiva i Reno Winners perform
If you would like to expand your multi-cultural experiences, head over to Wingfield Park, where the Basque will be celebrating their cultural heritage. The festival will include traditional folk dancing and music, great Basque food and souvenirs. The festival will feature weight-carrying and wood chopping contests. For the kids, there will be a bota bag contest.
Sunday’s festivities will begin with an open-air Catholic Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral (310 West 2nd Street) at 10:30 am featuring traditional Basque music, dances and song followed by a Basque BBQ lunch served in the West Street Plaza. The afternoon will be reserved for dancing, card playing and visiting until 3 PM.
Once again, as part of the Artown Festival, this event is free. The 30th Basque Festival will be begin at 10 am on Saturday. On Sunday, the festivities will begin at 10:30 am with an open-air celebration of the Catholic Mass. The mass will be celebrated at the St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral, which will be followed by a Basque BBQ at the West Street Plaza . Following the BBQ will be more dancing and some card playing. The event ends at 3p.m.
If you’re not sure what a Drunken Pig Cook-off is or what a bota bag contest is, then attend the festivals this weekend to learn about the culture and enjoy the music, dance and beauty of the islands and the Basque people right here in downtown Reno.
Organic Gardening, Farmer’s Markets in Reno-Sparks
July 13, 2009
First Lady Michelle Obama made the news when she hosted a “harvest party” in the White House gardens last month. Organic gardening and farmers markets have received increasing attention across the country as people become more health conscious and look for fresher, better tasting fruits and vegetables than what can be found in local supermarkets.
If organic gardening is on your list of interests, you will want to attend a seminar on July 25th (10 am), which is being hosted by Nevada Naturals. The seminar will take place at the UNR Agricultural Experimental Station located at 910 Valley Road. The seminar will focus on growing vegetables without the soil by using hydroponics and aeroponics systems. Admission to the seminar is free. Call (775) 771-2976 for more details.
If growing your own fruits and vegetables is not quite your thing, you may want to visit one of the farmer’s market events held in Reno each week. The newest farmer’s market can be found in downtown Reno at the West Street Market. The Sparks Hometowne Farmer’s Market is considered by many to be the best of the best.
Both the West Street Market and the Sparks Hometowne Farmer’s Market offer more than veggies and fruits. These markets are more like mini-fairs, with attractions an d entertainment. The Sparks Hometowne Farmer’s Market even offers cooking demonstrations. You will not only find fresh, great-tasting fruits and vegetables, but bread, pastries and more at many of the local farmer’s markets.
If you don’t have time to shop, you can have your fresh veggies delivered to your door. Farm Fresh To You not only delivers fresh fruit and vegetables right to your door, they also offer farm tours. This month’s tour (July 25) offers tomato tasting and a best picnic basket contest. The farm also offers overnight camping sites. For more information regarding tours and camping, call Moyra (800-796-6009).
Farmer’s markets do not always offer the best prices in town, but they do offer organically grown, great tasting, “kissed by the gods” fruits and vegetables . Shopping local farmer’s markets is easy in the Reno area, as there is a market open every day of the week, except Mondays.
Reno – Sparks Farmer’s Markets:
Tuesdays:
Shopper’s Square
Plumb Lane & S Virginia St, Reno
8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
United Methodist Church
1231 Pyramid Way, Sparks
8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Wednesdays:
Somersett Towne Square
7650 Towne Square Way
4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Thursdays:
Sparks Hometowne Farmer’s Market
Victorian Square, Sparks
4 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Fridays:
Tamarack Junction Casino
13101 S. Virginia St., Reno
8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Saturdays:
Reno Village Shopping Center, California Ave & Booth St
8 a.m. – 1 p.m., June 6 – Oct. 3
Sundays:
West Street Market
Downtown Reno, between 1st and 2nd Streets
5 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Reno’s Artown Festival 2009
July 6, 2009
The National Endowment For The Arts has named Reno’s Artown Festival as the largest and one of the most diverse festivals in the nation. The Artown Festival has added a new day to the calendar. The Festival which began last Wednesday (July 1) will continue until July 32! On traditional calendars, July 32 is actually August 1st. For a full 32 days, the Festival will present over 400 events to celebrate cultural diversity and the arts in Reno.
The Artown Festival began in 1996 with an impressive 30,000 people in attendance. Over 350,000 are expected to attend the various events this year. Artists and visitors will come from around the world, across the nation and from the Reno-Sparks area to be a part of the celebration of the arts.
This year’s event was opened with a free concert performed by Richie Havens. Richie opened the famous Woodstock Festival in 1969. The Funk Brothers will close the Festival with a free concert at 8:00 p.m. at Wingfield Park on July 32 (remember, that is August 1). The Funk Brothers helped to create the “Motown Sound”.
Festival organizers have made this year’s concert open to more people than ever. Over 60% of the Artown Festival events and exhibits are FREE! On average, there will be eight events per day that will be free to all ages. Whether it is live music, dance, theater, film or performing arts, you will find a free event to delight your artistic soul.
Weekly Free events:
Monday Night Music Series – 7:30 p.m. at the Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater
Monday Family Film Series – 7:00 p.m. at Wingfield Park
Wednesday Discover The Arts (Hands-on) Workshops -
Thursday Dancing In The Park – 8:00 p.m. at Wingfield Park
Friday Movies In The Park – Sunset at Wingfield Park
Friday Rollin’ On The River Concert Series – Wingfield Park
Free Cultural Events:
July 18: Reno Art Fair
July 19: Gospel Fest
July 24 – 25: Pacific Island Festival
July 25 – 26: 30th Anniversary Basque Festival
July 25 – 26: Summer Arts Festival, a multicultural event
Free Art Exhibits:
Alexandratos Gallery Annex, 100 W. Liberty St., Suite 150
Artists Co-op of Reno Gallery, 627 Mill St.
Bartley Ranch Brick House, 6000 Bartley Ranch Rd.
RiverWalk Downtown Reno, Celtic Forest at Sierra St. and Island Ave.
Stremmel Gallery, 1400 S. Virginia St.
University of Nevada, Reno, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, Room 310
The World Music Series will be held on Wednesday nights in Wingfield Park. The World Music Series is a multicultural event which will feature musical performances of all types: from Celtic to Reggae to Mariachi. Although, this event is not free, the small donation of $10 to help support Artown is almost the same as free.
There is not enough space in this little blog or enough time in my schedule today to tell you all about Reno’s Artown Festival 2009. However, you can visit the Artown website for a complete schedule at www.RenoIsArtown.com.
Charlene Hamilton, your Reno relocation specialist!
Artown Festival 2009
Artown’s Online Calendar
Artown Venues
Need more information? Call 775-322-1538.
