You Can't Keep a Good Town Down: Silver City Invites Public to May 16th Events

Silver City, Nevada - A portion of State Route 342, the historic route running through Silver City and Gold Hill to Virginia City, has been closed since February 2015, adversely impacting business and travel in the town. But residents in Silver City are making lemonade with lemons, so to speak. With the road above the town closed, locals decided to have a street dance, which they've titled the "Sinkhole de Mayo" celebration. They're also re-staging a favorite 1976 photograph in which residents posed in the road for a town photo. After the dance and photo shoot, they're inviting the public to view Mary Works' Covington's acclaimed film "The Life and Times of the Red Dog Saloon", plus an extensive Comstock music memorabilia collection owned by Mary MacDonald, and a Silver City Arts display of photos of the town from 1965-2005, including rare ones from a collection owned by Sam Toll. Each of the May 16th events, with times and locations, are described below the two photos:

POSTER DESIGNED BY Carlo Solis of San Francisco. Background photo 1976 town photo by Jake Wise

More details about the road closure can be found here http://www.rgj.com/story/news/local/mason-valley/2015/02/24/storey-county-wants-road-open-asap/23970177/ and here
http://nevadatravel.net/travelgram/wp/index.php/comstock-mining-updates/comstock-mining-update-april-28-2015/

The series of May 16th public events will kick off at 2pm with a free street dance on Main Street with live music by Red Rose and others.

At around 3pm on Main Street, past and present residents of Silver City will gather for a town photo recreating a much-loved 1976 town photo by Jake Wise.

The public is also invited to view Mary MacDonald's Comstock rock and roll music memorabilia collection (1960's to present) beginning at 10am at the nearby School House (community center) at 385 High Street.

In addition, there will be an historical display at the School House, organized by the Silver City Arts group, featuring rarely seen photos and essays demonstrating the "cultural re-population" of Silver City (a term coined by local Joe McCarthy) between 1965 and 2005.

Finally, refreshments and a free screening of the director's cut of Silver City native Mary Works Covington's documentary "Life and Times of the Red Dog Saloon" will begin at the School House at 6pm, with a Q & A by the director and some of those in the documentary. The film and cultural re-population display are hosted by Silver City Arts and are part of Nevada's annual Historic Preservation celebration. For more information about the film screening and the display, call Quest Lakes at (775) 847-0742

Further Details:

Film and “Cultural Repopulation” of Silver City Display May 16th at 6pm: The film and display are both part of Nevada's annual Historic Preservation celebrations. The public is cordially invited to this free event. The screening of "Life and Times of the Red Dog Saloon" will be introduced by the film's creator, Silver City native Mary Works Covington at 6pm. Her father, Don Works, was one of the founders of the Red Dog Saloon in Virginia City, and Don and other Silver City residents such as Robert Elston, Travus T. Hipp, and Lynne Hughes are among those in the documentary. Covington explains, "The film explores, among other things, the role of the Red Dog Saloon in helping to create and establish the formula for the psychedelic dancehall that became the backbone of the psychedelic music scene later in San Francisco." In the 60's, legendary bands like The Charlatans and Big Brother and the Holding Company played there as well as the PH Phactor Jug Band, Wildflower and Final Solution and many others. At the conclusion of the film, several long time residents will comment on cultural changes they've noted in Silver City during the last 40 years. Mary Works Covington is also known for her work as assistant sound and/or dialog editor for films like Titanic, Saving Private Ryan, The English Patient, Contact, The Talented Mr. Ripley and many other films. She is currently the community arts development program coordinator with the Nevada Arts Council.

May 16th display on the "Cultural Re-Population" of Silver City 1965-2005: In addition to the Red Dog film screening, the evening will also include a display of photos, posters, essays, artwork, and newspaper columns illustrating a cultural shift in Silver City from 1965 to 2005. The arrival of some of those interviewed in the Red Dog film marked the beginnings of what Silver City resident Joe McCarthy calls a "cultural re-population", a time period when the demographics of the town took a sharp turn. Records indicate a change in the education, occupation, age and population of the town beginning in the early 1960's. For more information about the film screening and the display, call Quest Lakes at (775) 847-0742.

Tell Me About Silver City: Silver City contains many irreplaceable historic buildings and sites, as well as architecturally unique modern homes perched on hillsides in order to take advantage of the breathtaking views of the Sierras and the Comstock. This thriving and close-knit mountain community, located within a National Historic Landmark, is home to a surprising number of Nevada's highly productive artists, musicians, photographers, writers, actors, artisans, academics and other innovative thinkers and unique souls. In fact, the town was recently designated as an "Arts and Culture Production Center." Residents organize many community events throughout the year, and the town is also the site of a number of annual events open to the public.

The town is currently fighting to survive a multi-faceted onslaught from Comstock Mining Inc, which intends to mine in and adjacent to the historic town near homes, in opposition to the vast majority of the community's residents.

More details about the town's efforts to survive can be found here http://www.sc-resistance.com/Site/Welcome.html and here http://comstockresidents.org/wp/press