Northern Nevada Recreation and Culture
Nevada is renowned for its vast array of outdoor recreation due to its incredible range of activities and breathtaking scenery. But, in addition to the sports and leisure enjoyed outside at lakes, mountains, golf courses, and parks, the area is rich in the fine arts inside as well. Whether it is theater, live musical performances, museums or art exhibits, there’s an amazing choice in entertainment.
Annual Fernley Events
Arts Organizations
Races, Fesitivals and More
Visual, Literary and Performing Arts
Recreation
Annual Fernley Events
Lyon County Fly-In and Air-Fest - Armed Forces Day Weekend
www.lyoncountyflyin.com
Fernley's 4th of July Celebration - Great family parade down Main Street starts at 10:00 a.m. Award-winning fireworks at dark. All day celebration in Out-of-Town Park.
Rail Days - 1914 Fernley/Lassen Depot, Main Street, Open House and Exhibits, Second Weekend in August
Carnival - First weekend in September (includes Thursday and Friday).
Senior Pro Rodeo, Second weekend in September Senior Pro Rodeo
Annual Business Rendezvous - Third Saturday in September
United We Stand - 1914 Fernley/Lassen Depot, Main Street, Parade, Exhibits, and Breakfast
PTSA FIS Christmas Craft Fair - November
Christmas Tree Lighting -1914 Fernley/Lassen Depot, Main Street, Santa, Speeches, and Refreshments, December, Fernley Train Depot
Races, Festivals and More
Reno/Sparks/Tahoe is home to the Reno-Tahoe Open, Hot August Nights, the Reno Rodeo, Reno National Championship Air Races, Great Reno Balloon Races, National Bowling Stadium, and Shakespeare at Lake Tahoe. Some other events include: Cinco de Mayo, Italian Festival and Holiday Festival on Ice. One of the area's most successful events is the Uptown Downtown ARTown event which has grown into one of the largest visual and performing arts festivals in the country because of the 200 events that take place during the entire month of July.
Reno-Tahoe PGA Open - http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r472/
The Great Reno Balloon Race - http://www.renoballoon.com/
National Championship Air Races and Show - http://www.airrace.org/
Reno Rodeo - http://www.renorodeo.com/
Hot August Nights - http://www.hotaugustnights.net/
National Bowling Stadium - http://www.renolaketahoe.com/bowl/stadium/
El Dorado Italian Festival - http://www.eldoradoreno.com/events/italian_festival.php
Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival - http://www.tahoebard.com/
Artown Festival - http://superpages.com/cities/mtg/100665/
Visual, Literary and Performing Arts
Reno/Sparks/Tahoe is the cultural center of the Eastern Sierra. The arts are alive with the area's own Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra and the widely recognized annual UNR Jazz Festival. Other music attractions have included Pavarotti, Chick Correa, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Nicks, Sting and Natalie Merchant. In the area of dance and theatre there are the Nevada Festival Ballet, Reno Little Theatre, Lear Theatre, Bruka Theatre and The Nevada Reparatory Theatre. The visual arts are also popular featuring the Nevada National Auto Museum, Church Fine Arts Complex and the Fleishman Planetarium. The Nevada Museum of Art is nationally recognized for world-class exhibits such as Chihuly, Rodin, Mucha and much more. The museum is the only accredited art museum in the state of Nevada. www.nevadaart.org
(Source: http://www.edawn.org/living/arts.cfm)
PERFORMING ARTS
The Bruka Theater
The Bruka offers live productions in an intimate setting with vintage couches. http://www.brukaland.com/
Gothic North Theater
Gothic North Theater is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to providing people with opportunities to express their creativity through the medium of live theater.
http://www.edawn.org/living/arts.cfm
Nevada Opera
The opera's repertoire includes some of the best-loved music in opera. The opera has been around since 1968. www.nevadaopera.com
Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts
Pioneer Center serves as the premier performing arts venue for the Reno metropolitan area. An evening at the center may include the Reno Philharmonic, Nevada Opera, Nevada Festival Ballet, a rock concert, a percussion extravaganza like Stomp, a musical, a lecture or a Broadway show. www.pioneercenter.com
Reno Chamber Orchestra
The RCO provides a forum for the extraordinary wealth of musical talent in the Reno area and for nationally and internationally recognized artists, including the musical compositions of Reno composers. www.renochamberorchestra.org
Reno Philharmonic
The Philharmonic performs classical subscription concerts, several young people's concerts, family oriented pops concerts around northern Nevada and eastern California and supports a comprehensive educational program. The orchestra has performed with internationally known guest artists such as Ray Charles, George Shearing, Ed Ames, Jerry Lewis and the Moody Blues. www.renophilharmonic.com
Reno Jazz Festival
The festival is one of the most popular in the nation bringing together some of the best and brightest young talent in the country. In addition to the competitive aspects of the festival, participants benefit from a number of instructional clinics and educational opportunities. The Reno Jazz Festival is co-sponsored by the University of Nevada, Reno's College of Extended Studies and the Department of Music.
www.dce.unr.edu./jazz
VISUAL ARTS
Fleishman Planetarium
Located at the University of Nevada, Reno, this Frank Lloyd Wright-designed center features a 360-degree projection system for astronomy shows and public viewing of the heavens through the planetarium's regular viewing schedule.
National Automobile Museum
Discover a century of automobiles: more than 220 antique, vintage, classic, special interest and one-of-a-kind wonders.
www.automuseum.org
Nevada Museum of Art
Founded in 1931, the Nevada Museum of Art is the oldest arts organization in Nevada and it remains the only nationally accredited art museum in the state. It is recognized as a leader among museums for its innovation in reaching out to new audiences and developing unique partnerships throughout its community.
www.nevadaart.org
Wilber D. May Center
This center has a wonderful commitment to family, children and education. The center includes a museum with a collection of rare and exotic artifacts and a place to experience fun traveling exhibits. It also includes the Arboretum, an incomparable display and living museum of colorful flowers, creek side meadows, outdoor courtyards and secluded benches. www.maycenter.com
COMMUNITY & LITERARY ARTS
The Great Basin Chautauqua
Scholars present the lives and ideas of the chosen personalities in character, then answer questions from the audience - first as the character, then as the scholar. http://www.nevadahumanities.org/
The Great Basin Book Festival
The Great Basin Book Festival is a weeklong celebration of books, literature, and literacy. The Festival culminates in downtown Reno's Wingfield Park with a daylong event bringing the general public and published authors together for a day of readings, panel discussions, book signings, book sales, and children's activities.
Uptown Downtown ARTown
In 1996, a small group of business and arts executives developed a plan to use the arts to draw Reno’s locals back downtown. The idea was to showcase the community’s cultural depth, ignite community spirit and civic pride, and become the catalyst for the economic and cultural rebirth of the city. ARTown, has grown into what the National Endowment for the Arts called, “one of the most comprehensive festivals in the country” with more than 60 cultural organizations and businesses offering 200+ visual, performing, and humanities events in more than 50 locations city wide during the entire month of July.
www.renoisartown.com
ARTS ORGANIZATIONS
Sierra Arts Foundation - www.sierra-arts.org
Nevada Arts Council - http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/docs/arts/
The Theater Coalition - http://www.theatercoalition.org/
RECREATION
Parks, Lakes, and Mountains to Conquer
Northern Nevada, “America’s Adventure Place,” offers a wealth of recreational activities. Whether you are an outdoor enthusiast, an occasional adventurer, or someone seeking a fun family outing, northern Nevada has something for everyone. The many mountain ranges, lakes and parks become a playground all-year. From golfing to rock climbing, skiing to fishing and biking to hiking, “America’s Adventure Place” is truly just that. It’s evident why so many recreation aficionados take pleasure in this beautiful region.
The area’s natural beauty and distinctive four-season climate combine to offer almost every type of recreational activity. The majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains form the western boundary of the Truckee Meadows featuring alpine and Nordic skiing at 18 major resorts. Fishing, sailing, swimming, hiking, biking, camping and horseback riding are all exceptional and only a short distance away in the numerous mountains or desert lakes. Lake Tahoe is the jewel of the Sierra and, in addition to the unlimited recreational opportunities, hosts the Shakespeare Festival and Lake Tahoe Summer Music Festival.
PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENTS
City of Reno Parks and Recreation
The City of Reno Parks and Recreation Department provides, develops, coordinates and delivers excellent parks, recreation, urban forestry, special events and cultural opportunities to enhance the northern Nevada region year-round.
City of Sparks Parks and Recreation
The Sparks Parks and Recreation Department provide recreation opportunities for the residents of Sparks through the creation and maintenance of high quality programs, facilities and community special events.
Washoe County Parks & Recreation
The Washoe County Parks and Recreation Department is dedicated to enriching the quality of life in Northern Nevada. A wide variety of recreational services are provided in parks ranging form hiking, camping, fishing, swimming, sailing, target shooting, horseback riding, sledding and cross-country skiing. Throughout the year, Northern Nevada parks also host a variety of special events including the Great Reno Balloon Race and Skyfire and the region’s 4th of July celebration.
Lyon County Parks
Lyon County offers a variety of park facilities and recreational programs for the entire family. The grassy parks offer baseball, basketball, playgrounds and picnicking facilities. For details on each park, follow the link below:
http://www.lyon-county.org/parksnrec/parks.htm
ATHLETIC AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES
Golf Courses & Resorts
Whether you’re looking for a course to challenge your driving or one that puts your short game to the test, you’ll find it in more than 40 public golf courses located within 90 miles of the Reno/Tahoe International Airport. The area features golf courses designed by Arnold Palmer, Robert Trent Jones and Jack Nicklaus.
SPORTS FACILITIES
The Truckee Meadows is filled with public sporting facilities including: tennis courts, volleyball courts, basketball courts, swimming pools, soccer fields, skateboard parks, shooting ranges, horseshoe pits, horse arenas, hiking trails, jogging trails, handball courts, racquetball courts, fishing, skiing, biking, baseball, sledding, skiing and even bird watching areas.
ANNUAL EVENTS
Northern Nevada is home to many annual events throughout the year. People from all around the country travel to the Truckee Meadows to participate in northern Nevada’s nationally recognized events such as the National Championship Air Races, Hot August Nights, Shakespeare at Lake Tahoe and Burning Man.
(Source: http://www.edawn.org/living/outdoor.cfm)
