Look What You're Missing!

Silver City, Nevada-For a town of less than 200 souls, the historic community of Silver City offers a remarkably rich variety of free, public events for all ages. Below are photos of some of the events that have been offered June through July 2016. Watch for announcements about future events at the bulletin board at the Post Office in Silver City, on the bulletin boards at the Silver City School House, and in Northern Nevada Newspapers and Silver City groups Facebook pages.

A summer full of free events kicked off with the Silver City Arts group hosting a reading by Shaun Griffin from his new memoir Anthem for a Burnished Land. Shaun is not only one of the West's highly admired poets, he's also been a great friend to rural communities across Nevada through his work as director of the social justice agency Community Chest Inc. He'll be reading from his memoir, a vivid record of his life in Nevada that describes the state's spectacular scenic beauty, and efforts by he and his wife Deborah Loesch Griffin to bring about social change.

Silver City Arts hosts acoustic music jam sessions on the 4th Saturday of each month from 3pm-5pm. This summer, the dates are June 25, July 23 and August 27. If you like to sing, or you play a musical instrument, or if you simply enjoy music, come to the Silver City School House.

In June, Mylo McCormick offered slide guitar demo for adults and teens. Now living in Carson City, emerging artist Mylo McCormick was born in Silver City, Nevada. Today he's lead guitarist with Mo'z Motley Blues, a Tahoe/ Carson Valley/Reno area "rockin' bluesy funky dance band" that performs everything from originals to covers of Jimi Hendrix, Patsy Cline, Elle King, Dwight Yoakam, James Brown, Meghan Trainor, Prince, Van Morrison, etc.

As part of the Resident Artist Program in Silver City's support for young emerging artists, 16 year old Mylo McCormick facilitated a music seminar for teens in June. Youths from Northern Nevada were selected for merit-based scholarships to attend the 3-day seminar at McCormick House. Participants shared their favorite music, including their own, and discussed issues connected with trends and compositional techniques over dinner. With instruments available at the seminar, plus their own, they had a chance to try free improvisation. The end product was a collaborative creation of an original composition.

On July 6th Silver City Arts presented Karen Kreyeksi's The Women's Project: The Gift at the Silver City School House. Kreyeski's exhibition featured paintings of women from Lyon and Storey communities.

London-based artist Claire Scully's well-attended illustration workshop in July focused on visual semantics and semiology, the signs and symbols people use to visually communicate an idea. Scully is a senior lecturer at Brighton University in London who has also been working as a freelance illustrator since graduating with a Masters in Communication Design at Central Saint Martins in 2006, with an ever expanding client list including the New York Times, The Guardian, penguin books, Random House, National Maritime Museum, Adidas, etc. Some of her incredible drawings are on view at an exhibition at University of Nevada Reno Galleries July through September 2016. Visit the Sheppard Contemporary gallery at UNR Monday through Thursday 1pm-4pm to see her work.

Jessica Sanford offered dance lessons and progressive relaxation exercises in July. She studied dance and social work at Indiana State University and teaches dance at Earlham College Wellness Center in Richmond, Indiana. With a Masters in Social Work from Indiana University, Sanford is also Director of Earlham College Counseling Services.

For Newcomers: WELCOME TO HISTORIC SILVER CITY, NEVADA!

Silver City: Fascinating Past, Vibrant Present

Silver City is located within one of the nation's largest federally designated historic landmarks, just 4 miles from Virginia City, 12 miles from Nevada's capital (Carson City), and 30 miles from Reno and from Lake Tahoe. The town's irreplaceable historic buildings and sites, and its crystal clear views of the Sierras and the Comstock, attract visiting plein air painters and photographers from near and far.

Where do I find out what’s going on in Silver City? Local events are usually posted at the US Post Office in Silver City on the bulletin board next to the service window. Town advisory board and other agendas are posted on the post office bulletin board, and also at other spots in Silver City such as the bulletin boards at the School House/Community Center. Events announcements and articles about Silver City can also be found frequently in the Nevada Appeal; the Mason Valley News; I Love Carson City (Facebook); CarsonNow.org, the Reno Gazette Journal; silvercityreads.blogspot.com; and arts4nevada.org. Also check The Save Silver City website, which offers information about Silver City and the challenges it faces with regard to mining. The site provides updates tracking legal, political, and regulatory mining developments, in addition to basic information about Silver City, its residents and history.
SaveSilverCity.org

Direct Services such as food banks, housing assistance, senior services,utilities, etc: see Lyon County's 2017 resource guide for the region:
http://www.lyon-county.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/5966

Also, follow all of the groups below for information about their organizations and/or town events:

The Silver City Volunteer Fire Department was established in 1863. More here: http://www.silvercityfiredepartment.org/

The Save Silver City website offers info about Silver City and the challenges it faces with regard to mining. The site provides updates tracking legal, political, and regulatory mining developments, in addition to basic information about Silver City, its residents and history. SaveSilverCity.org

“Silver City Neighbors” - Quest Lakes' new weekly Mason Valley News column on local news, events, history, and trivia.

The Silver City Town Advisory Board normally meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7:00 pm at the Silver City School House (Community Center) located at 385 High Street, Silver City. Recently, the Lyon County Board of Commissioners, rather than residents of Silver City, began making the final decision regarding who is appointed to the Silver City Town Advisory Board.

Silver City Town Survey 2016 In 2016, a town survey with residents’ detailed responses to a broad range of questions, with brief overview of the community’s past and present, was completed and presented to county commissioners. The survey can be found here:

http://www.lyon-county.org/documentcenter/view/7129

The Silver City School House (community center) use/scheduling is managed by the Silver City Historic Preservation Society (SCPS), a non-profit group created by residents of Silver City. The school house is the center of many community dinners, holiday events, and art, music, poetry, and science events throughout the year. The building's maintenance, heating, cooling, etc is maintained by Lyon County. More here:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Silver-City-School-House/1511886055743937

The Silver Pavilion Outdoor Performance Venue: Silver City offers live music and other public performances on the new outdoor stage in the Silver City Park during warm months. For more information, see https://www.facebook.com/TheSilverPavilion/

Silver City Organic Community Garden and Compost: A dedicated group of local volunteers keep the beautiful garden thriving. Located across from the School House. Summer 2016 was the garden's 8th growing season! It is listed as a true "people's garden" by the USDA.

Silver City Arts group is composed of local volunteers who organize free public programming in arts and culture throughout the year, including fine art and photography exhibits, artisan shows, lectures, poetry readings and displays, music performances, and more. They've hosted pop-up shows with internationally known artists like Nes Lerpa of Denmark, as well as shows highlighting the many skills and talents of local residents. For instance, the arts group's Nevada 150 Exhibit, an official state endorsed event for the Nevada Sesquicentennial, featured work by locals such as Jean LeGassick, Karen Kreyeski, Larry Wahrenbrock, Jeff Nicholson, Larry Kotik, Julie LaCroix, and many others.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Silver-City-Arts/618872294885649

US Post Office in Silver City was established in 1860 and includes historical photos of Silver City, a special collections display case with changing displays, and a community bulletin board where you’ll find posts about local events. Collections displayed have featured publications by Silver City residents; artifacts and art from Silver City; photos from the annual children’s program in Silver City; photos and artifacts from the Comstock Cemetery Foundation, including Silver City's historic cemetery; antique toys of local residents; music by past and present Silver City residents, etc.

Silver City Summer Program: Silver City launched the popular summer series of arts and science activities for youths in the Comstock region in 2003 (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) programming). Over the years public programming for adults has also been added. The program is an example of multi-sector partnerships, with work and/or funding contributions from many Silver City volunteers and donors, nonprofits like Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, county departments such as Lyon County Parks, Buildings and Grounds, and many regional groups, such as University Nevada Cooperative Extension, Western Safe Routes to Schools, Society of Women Engineers, the D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare Program, United Way, Resident Artist Program in Silver City, Silver City Arts, etc. Contact Quest Lakes at Healthy Communities for more info: 287-7598 or see healthycomm.org.

Resident Artist Program in Silver City: Those creating in the performing, visual, media, or literary arts are invited to apply to the Program. Inquiries: quest@theodata.com. Silver City was recently declared an "Arts and Culture Resources Production Center" due to the high output of visual art, music, publications, and historic preservation resources by residents over the last 50 years. The Resident Artist Program provides an opportunity for artists from other regions of Nevada, or from other states or other countries, to reside in the town at Resident Artist guest housing for periods of up to 4 months, in exchange for offering free public performances, exhibitions, workshops, etc. in the northern Nevada community. Visiting artists have included New Zealand-based artist Sophie Scott (Fall of2015 and Fall of 2017); multi-disciplinary artist Brian Schorn of Michigan; widely exhibited and published writer and artist Scott MacLeod of Oakland (spring 2016); London-based artists Stewart Easton and Claire Scully (summer 2016); internationally acclaimed photographer Frances Melhop (Aug. 2016); Utah’s first poet laureate, Dr. David Lee (Sept-Dec 2016 and May 2017); Danish writer Peter Krogh Andersen and Danish designer Christina Balsvardé (March 2017); the international cultural -research team Marksearch, which will come to Silver City after a 6 month project in Japan (visiting in both April 2017 and summer 2017); etc. The visiting artists are always quite prolific. For example, Brian Schorn created 22 mixed media assemblages while he was at the Resident Artist Program -those works were in a solo show at St. Mary's Art Center in August, and then on display in Reno at 50 West Liberty Street, and in a solo show at the Microsoft campus in Reno for 6 months in 2017. More info on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silvercitynevadaresidentartistprogram/

Silver City Volunteer Library is located within the Silver City School House/Community Center. It includes a collection of thousands of books, many sets of reference works, a large film collection, magazines, music CDs, etc. thanks to donors from all over the U.S., Silver City, and the county. Most of the collection is stored in the basement of the school house so that there is plenty of room for other uses upstairs. The collection is rotated every 3 to 4 months, and new arrivals are added each month so there are always new things on the shelves. Borrow on the honor system when the School House is open for meetings and events. The library has its own blog site with local news: http://silvercityreads.blogspot.com/

Silver City Cemetery, and the Comstock Cemetery Foundation: The Comstock Cemetery Foundation Board formally took up the responsibility of co-managing the historic Silver City Cemetery with Lyon County and welcomed a new representative from the Silver City community in 2009. The Comstock Cemetery Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established in the year 2000. The Operating Board comprises members of organizations represented within Virginia City, Silver City, and Gold Hill Cemeteries. More here: http://comstockcemetery.com/meetthefoundation.html

How Do I Find Community and Social Services For the Silver City Region? Check these resource guides online:

Lyon County Community Resource Guide 2017:
http://www.lyon-county.org/DocumentCenter/Home/View/5966

Lyon, Carson, Douglas Region Family Resources: http://nv-douglascounty2.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/829

Short Overview of Past and Present Silver City, Nevada:

Below is a general overview about the past and present of Silver City from the rough draft of the 2016 Silver City, Nevada Town Survey document.

“During the 1960s, Silver City and the Comstock were portrayed, accurately or not, as a ghost town. New residents arrived to take advantage of vacant, low-cost property, alongside the remaining families who traced their tenure to Silver City’s mining days. This consummated Silver City’s change from a mining town to a residential or bedroom community, and reflected a similar change in the Comstock as tourism replaced mining as the economic driver of the region. The new arrivals also brought their own brand of activism, and a number of them and their family members continue to influence and participate in Silver City community life. The once-neglected buildings they refurbished are also among the most valuable residential properties in Silver City. The transformation of Silver City into a strictly residential community is long since complete, with residents either working from home or commuting to jobs in Reno, Carson City, and Dayton...(page 7).

Silver City’s population as of the 2010 Census was 180... Residents include a full range of white-collar and blue-collar workers, professionals, and retirees. Interestingly enough, a fair number of archaeologists and historians live in Silver City. In the 1980s, Intermountain Research (IMR), one of Nevada’s first Cultural Resource consulting firms, was based in Silver City. This attracted not only IMR staff but employees of other consulting firms, government agencies, and the Nevada State Museum.

Today, Silver City is home to several nationally and internationally recognized archaeologists and historians. Silver City also has a strong artistic and literary tradition, and includes several very prominent Nevada artists, along with writers, columnists, and the publisher of a local newspaper. Most recently, the town has established the Silver City Arts Group and an artist- in-residence program, which attracts visiting artists and coordinates exhibits and performances. The Silver City Advisory Board has declared Silver City an “Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center” in recognition of the town’s commitment to the arts.

Silver City’s sense and strength of community is widely acknowledged throughout Lyon County. Our relatively small population includes a high proportion of community minded citizens who have a strong sense of empowerment and civic responsibility. Silver City residents have served, and continue to serve, on the Lyon County School Board, Planning Commission, Citizen Advisory Board, Parks Board, and volunteer fire department.

The community has also been recognized for its activism and accomplishments on a number of occasions. In 1986, the American Planning Association gave the Silver City Residents Association its Outstanding Citizen Contribution to Planning in Nevada award for its successful opposition to the Nevex Gold Company open pit mine.

In 2007, the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office officially recognized Ron Reno and the Town of Silver City “For a remarkable effort, donated to excavate and document the Old School House.” In May, 2008, the Board of Lyon County Commissioners passed a resolution congratulating the citizens and community of Silver City’s “contribution towards the quality of life in the community through the completion of the Schoolhouse and subsequent dedication of the State Historical Marker 264.”

Silver City Town Survey 2016

Excellent, high quality work by the town advisory board resulted in a very useful document - the Silver City Town Survey 2016. When the full document is posted on the County's website, we'll provide a link. In the meanwhile, here are a few highlights from the DRAFT document:


"The Silver City Citizen Advisory Board undertook a town survey for the purpose of providing the Advisory Board with information about our town, how we see ourselves, and the issues and concerns important to us. The survey asked residents and property owners what they valued most about living in or owning property in Silver City; the status of these values; their opinion on development in Silver City; goals for the town; expectations regarding the Lyon County Land Use and Development Code and the Silver City Community Plan; and what additional issues concerned them. The surveys will be used by the Advisory Board in discussions and recommendations to the Lyon County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) regarding land-use policy and issues, including the Lyon County Land Use and Development Code (Title 15), the Silver City Community Plan, and any development projects within or near Silver City...


The survey begins by establishing how Silver City residents and property owners perceive themselves and their town. It asks what is important about living in Silver City, and
how residents and property owners assess the current state of these important elements. The survey asks respondents to evaluate more specific types of potential development in light of these broader concepts. It then asks for an expression of overarching goals, and concludes with questions aimed at examining official land use code, plans, and land usedecisions in light of Silver City’s values and goals... (page 66).

The Advisory Board learned from the Silver City Town Survey that: (page 66 -69 )

• Silver City has both a strong sense of community and a self-awareness of what it
means to be citizens in a community. This is shown by the number of residents and
property owners (close to half the adult residents) who took the time to respond to
a survey which asked not only for their opinions, but for written explanations of
those opinions.

• Silver City residents and property owners see this sense of community, the people
in the community, its physical setting, and “peace and quiet,” as the things they
value most about living in and owning property in Silver City.

• Residents and property owners see their community and its values as threatened,
primarily by mining development but also by Lyon County’s failure to protect the
community from this threat.

• Silver City residents and property owners are neither pro- nor anti-development.
They favor development when it is seen as appropriate for the community in nature
and size, and oppose it when it is seen as conflicting with the community, or
harmful to its setting and environment. Slow, small scale residential growth and
small, “mom and pop” businesses are seen as beneficial development. Mining and
industrial development are seen as harmful, with mining singled out as the most
threatening form of development.

• The overarching goal for Silver City residents and property owners is to maintain the
sense of community and quality of life, and to fend off mining and industrial
development. Other important goals include maintaining and improving
infrastructure and safety, and changing the town’s relationship with county
government.

• The residents and property owners of Silver City would like to see the Lyon County
Land Use and Development Code and the Silver City Community Plan further the
goals of maintaining the sense of community and quality of life.

• Finally, development issues aside, Silver City residents and property owners
recognize the importance of maintaining streets and proper drainage, improving
Silver City’s representation and relationship with county government, and a number
of other issues regarding the post office, community events, dogs, and weapons...

The Silver City Town Survey shows the advisory board should consider future residential and commercial projects in light of residents’ and property owners’ advocacy of slow paced, single family residential development and small scale, “mom and pop” commercial development. It also shows support for opposition on the part of theAdvisory Board to mining and industrial development projects within Silver City.

To the question, "Do you feel safe in Silver City": (page 59)

• Yes I feel safe from personal harm
• I feel very safe in Silver City.
• Yes.
• I do not have many fears about my safety from crime in Silver City.
• I’ve lived in Silver City since 1989 and never needed to lock my home or my cars – it
is a remarkably safe place to live.
• I feel safer in S.C. than in most places
• I have always felt safe in S.C.
• Yes. I feel safe.
• I feel very safe in Silver City.
• Mostly safe
• Yes
• I feel safe here.
• Yes and always I have felt safe, even though the; police [sheriff] and fire department
[CLCFD] don’t have a current and accurate mapping of town.
• Yes.
• Overall I feel safe in Silver City
• Yes I feel safe in Silver.
• Yes I feel safe
• For the most part, yes!
• Yes.
• Yes.
• Yes.
• Yes
• Yes
• Yes.
• I feel very safe in Silver City.
• Yes.
• Feel safe now.
• We have had no problems here for years (six or seven).
• Yes.
• No Opinion
• Yes, I feel safe.
• No threats.

July 12 Illustration Workshop with London Artist Claire Scully

Silver City, Nevada - London-based artist Claire Scully, known for her meticulous, nature-based illustrations, is one of 5 visiting artists this summer at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. She’ll offer a workshop for adults and teens on July 12th from 10am – noon at the Silver City School House at 385 High Street.

The workshop will focus on visual semantics and semiology, the signs and symbols people use to visually communicate an idea.

In addition, some of Scully's incredible drawings are on view at an exhibition at University of Nevada Reno Galleries this summer. Visit the Sheppard Contemporary gallery at UNR Monday through Thursday 1pm-4pm to see her work.

Scully is a senior lecturer at Brighton University in London who has also been working as a freelance illustrator since graduating with a Masters in Communication Design at Central Saint Martins in 2006, with an ever expanding client list including the New York Times, The Guardian, penguin books, Random House, National Maritime Museum, Adidas, etc. In her own work, Scully "draws upon a detailed love of the observed." Using photographs as a starting point, she creates a fantastical world with intensely detailed, beautiful drawings highlighting the natural patterns in the environment.

About Silver City and the Resident Artist Program: Silver City is located within a national historic landmark on the Comstock, 4 miles from Virginia City and 12 miles from Carson City. Recently declared an "Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center," Silver City is home to a surprising number of Nevada's artists, musicians, photographers, writers, actors, artisans, and other innovative thinkers and unique souls. And for a town of less than 200 souls, the historic community offers a remarkably rich variety of free, public events in the arts. For example, the Resident Artist Program hosts 5 visiting artists this summer who offer free programming in dance, music, photography, illustration, poetry, and embroidery. The Program provides a venue for those from other parts of the U.S. and the world to engage with the Northern Nevada community through the arts. Visiting artists reside in the community at the Resident Artist guest housing in exchange for offering free public performances, exhibitions, workshops, etc.

For more information about workshops offered by the Resident Artist Program, contact Quest Lakes at 847-0742

PHOTO BY FRANCES MELHOP

Silver City Nevada is an Art Town All Summer Long

For a town of less than 200 souls, historic Silver City, Nevada offers a remarkably rich variety of free, public events in the arts each summer. This summer, the season kicked off with a June 5th reading and book signing by acclaimed poet Shaun Griffin, followed by guitar lessons for adults and a music seminar for teens by musician Mylo McCormick later in June.

If you missed the first events, don’t despair. There will be many more arts events in July and August in Silver City.

July 6 Exhibition and Reception: On Wednesday, July 6th from 5pm to 8pm, Silver City Arts presents Karen Kreyeksi's The Women's Project: The Gift at the Silver City School House. The public is cordially invited to attend, enjoy appetizers, and take advantage of this last chance to view dozens of remarkable portraits of women from Storey and Lyon communities in one spot. Kreyeski's exhibition features paintings of women from Lyon and Storey towns. You'll recognize many of the faces. Kreyeski is a long time resident of Silver City who has been an art educator at schools in both Storey and Lyon school districts, as well as the resident artist coordinator in Lyon and Storey school districts. She was also previously a board member with Comstock Arts Council, and was president of Nevada Arts Educators for many years. Her work has been shown in exhibits and galleries in Vegas, Tahoe, Reno and beyond, and can be found in many private collections.

July 12 Illustration Workshop: London-based artist Claire Scully, known for her meticulous, nature-based illustrations, will offer a workshop for adults and teens on July 12th from 10am – noon at the Silver City School House. The workshop will focus on visual semantics and semiology, the signs and symbols people use to visually communicate an idea. Some of Scully's incredible drawings will be among the fine exhibitions at University of Nevada Reno Galleries this summer. Visit the Sheppard Contemporary gallery at UNR Monday through Thursday 1pm-4pm to see her work. Scully has been working as a freelance illustrator since graduating with a Masters in Communication Design at Central Saint Martins in 2006, with an ever expanding client list including the New York Times, The Guardian, penguin books, Random House, National Maritime Museum, Adidas, etc. In her own work, Scully "draws upon a detailed love of the observed." Using photographs as a starting point, she creates a fantastical world with intensely detailed, beautiful drawings highlighting the natural patterns in the environment. Scully is one of 5 visiting artists this summer at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City.

PHOTO BY FRANCES MELHOP

July 26 Embroidery Workshop: Stewart Easton, an illustrator and embroiderer who hails from Coventry in the United Kingdom, will offer a workshop for adults and teens on July 26th from 10am – noon at the Silver City School House. His July 26th workshop will focus on narrative stitching, teaching participants how to design and stitch their own folkloric family stories. And during all of July, his unique work will be featured at Sierra Arts Foundation in Reno. On July 14th from noon to 1pm at Sierra Arts, there will be a "Lunchbox Lecture" with Easton, who will describe his conceptual framework and process as he gives a tour of his exhibition at Sierra Arts Gallery. On July 21st from 5pm-7pm, there will be a reception at Sierra Arts for Easton’s exhibition, with hors d'oeuvre by Wild River Grille. Working in thread, ink, paint and digital, Easton is a master of visual storytelling whose work "straddles the lines between Craft, Illustration and Fine Art. Using folk song and story as a starting point, Easton weaves story-based narratives, utilizing the space of a single panel to explore time, movement and transition within his tapestry based works." Easton is one of 5 visiting artists this summer at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City.

Dance: Jessica Sanford will offer dance lessons in July (time TBA). She studied dance and social work at Indiana State University and teaches dance at Earlham College Wellness Center in Richmond, Indiana. With a Masters in Social Work from Indiana University, Sanford is also Director of Earlham College Counseling Services. She recently returned from St. Kitts where she learned about Kittitian dance, a fascinating combination of historic African and European dances, such as the 17th Century French "Quadrille" and African dances with ancient roots. Sanford is one of 5 visiting artists this summer at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City.

August Photography Project: New Zealand -born photographer and illustrator Frances Melhop, voted “One of the World's 200 Best Advertising Photographers 2009/2010″ by Luerzers Archive, will bring her skills and talents to Silver City in August 2016. She'll set up a temporary studio, photographing some of the town's longtime residents for a future exhibition at the Haldan Art Gallery in Tahoe. Based in Australia for a decade, then in Milan, Italy for the next decade, Melhop is well known in Europe and the South Pacific as a creator of extraordinary and unique imagery in the fashion and advertising arena. Her photographs have appeared in European magazines such as Vogue Italia, Vogue France, British Vogue, Glamour, Marie Clarie Italia, Elle, Vogue Pelle, etc. Photographs from her fairytale inspired series- which she describes as "an imaginary world of tall-tales, dreams, games of scale, surreality and story-telling" - have been exhibited in Paris, Cannes, Rome, Virginia City, Reno, etc. Now living in Nevada, Melhop has continued to produce outstanding work on the Comstock and beyond, including portraits of Virginia City residents, and panoramic portraits of the Burning Man arts and music festival. Melhop is one of 5 visiting artists this summer at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City.

August 20 Concert in the Park: Save the Date - on August 20th, a concert and dedication event for the new Silver City outdoor performance stage will be held. Silver City will invite the public to join in celebrating the completion of a new outdoor performing arts stage that has been constructed in the town park this summer. Time and date for the dedication, concert, and other festivities to be announced.

2016 Poetry Workshop: While in Nevada teaching a graduate level course on poetry at University Nevada Reno, renowned poet David Lee, former poet laureate of Utah, will stay at McCormick House in Silver City and offer poetry workshops in the historic town (time TBA). Dr. David Lee, professor emeritus of language and literature of Southern Utah University, was named Utah’s first poet laureate in 1997. His doctorate degree is in literature with a concentration in the poetry of John Milton. Author of numerous poetry collections, he’s received many awards, including the Utah Governor’s Award for lifetime achievement in the arts and the Entrada Institute’s Ward Roylance Award. A former nominee for the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, Lee was also considered as a candidate for Poet Laureate of the United States.

About Silver City: Recently declared an "Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center," Silver City 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. Silver City is located in Lyon County within one of the nation's largest federally designated historic landmarks, just 4 miles from Virginia City, 12 miles from Carson City, and 30 miles from Reno and Lake Tahoe. The town's irreplaceable historic buildings and sites, and its crystal clear views of the Sierras and the Comstock, attract visiting plein air painters and photographers from around the West.

Event Locations: All events take place at the Silver City School House or the adjacent Silver City Park at 385 High Street. Public arts programming in Silver City is offered through a number of groups, including the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, Silver City Arts group, Silver City Historical Preservation Society, Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, Silver City Volunteer Library, and other groups.

For more information about art events, contact Quest Lakes at 847-0742, or see https://www.facebook.com/silvercitynevadaresidentartistprogram/