Mylo McCormick in Concert in Silver City Sunday July 29th

Silver City, Nevada - Bring a lawn chair and a picnic and enjoy an evening in the Silver City Park with a blues, funk and classic rock concert by Mylo McCormick on Sunday, July 29th from 6:30pm-8pm.

McCormick will perform on the town's outdoor stage, the Silver Pavilion, located adjacent to the town community center, known as the School House, at 385 High Street.

At just 18, McCormick has already earned a reputation in the Tahoe, Comstock, Reno and Carson region as a masterful young guitarist with tasteful riffs and solos comparable to Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

PHOTO by J.P. Niehuser Jr.

McCormick was born in Silver City, where he learned to play guitar with singer/song writer/musician Will Rose. After moving to Carson City, he began taking vocal lessons from Linda Badinger of Music Lessons Unlimited.

By age 16, he was invited to join Mo'z Motley Blues, a Northern Nevada band performing blues-infused rock, pop, and variety music. Band leader Monique De Haviland says, “Mylo fires up the audience and is the driving force behind the Motley ‘blues’ flavor.”

He also performs with his band the Mylo McCormick Project, which recently kicked off the summer festival season at Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park in Minden with a well attended concert.

The grandson of Jim McCormick, a well-known champion for the arts in Nevada, Mylo carries on the torch with music, offering solo performances for arts and culture events in the region.

A complete list of his upcoming shows in Tahoe, Virginia City, Reno, Carson, Minden, Genoa, etc. can be found on his Facebook page, Mylo McCormick Music. https://www.facebook.com/Mylo-McCormick-Music-1052592938115029/

The free concert in Silver City is sponsored by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. Donations are appreciated.

For more information, contact program director Quest Lakes at 775-847-0742.

Where Is Silver City? The concert is one of many opportunities to discover Silver City, a hidden gem of the Comstock. Silver City is located within a federally designated historic landmark, 3 miles from Virginia City, 7 miles from Dayton, 12 miles from Carson City, and 30 miles from Reno and Lake Tahoe. When you’re exploring northwestern Nevada, Silver City has lots to offer. Throughout the year, the town's many community groups offer public programming in art, music, poetry, science and more at the local park, outdoor stage and community center (School House), with something to appeal to every age.

Silver City Won't Let It Happen Here

In November of 2005, Silver City residents passed a resolution during their town advisory board meeting affirming the Bill of Rights and opposing the overreaching sections of the PATRIOT Act, including 215, the section that the National Security Agency (NSA) used to justify collection of phone metadata and internet surveillance with PRISM. The resolution also detailed opposition to the use of local resources for immigration enforcement, which is the responsibility of the federal government

Among other points, the resolution included the following language, “Be it further resolved that an agency or instrumentality of Silver City may not 1) use state, county or city resources or institutions for the enforcement of federal immigration matters, which are responsibilities of the federal government. 2) collect or maintain information about the political, religious, or social views, associations, or activities of any individual, group, association, organization, corporation or business or partnership unless the information direclty relates to an investigation of criminal activities based on probable cause, not mere suspicion, of criminal conduct. 3)engage in racial, religious or etnhic profiling or use national origin or any other identifiable characteristics as factors in selecting individuals or groups to target for investigation except where race, religion, ethnicity or natioanl origin is a part of the description fo a specific suspect.”

One area newspaper reported at the time that “the town board and about 20 residents” were in attendance, but that was incorrect. I was at that meeting, which was at the Fire House because the original School House/community center had been destroyed in a fire the year before and hadn’t yet been rebuilt. It was a packed, standing room only meeting and I was among a number of people who stood throughout the meeting because all other chairs were taken. I’d estimate there were 40 to 50 people in the room (Silver City has a population of about 150, so that represents a sizeable chunk of the adult population).

This is significant because the vote to pass this resolution took place back in the good old days when Silver City residents were still able to nominate and vote for their own town advisory board members (the County Commission has since stripped communities of this option), and during the time when strawpoll votes were allowed on issues presented during the monthly town board meetings. In other words, the Resolution was adopted by Silver City townsfolks in a fair and representative process.

The Silver City Town Advisory Board’s 2005 action affirmed the Bill of Rights and opposed any provisions of the Patriot Act that violate peoples' civil rights. Among other things, the resolution opposed government efforts to collect information about a person's library lending or research records, or book purchases. Also forbidden: ethnic profiling or gathering information about a person's political, religious or social views.

This essay by Quest Lakes was originally published as an column in the Mason Valley News in May of 2018.

PHOTO by marksearch.org from their summer 2017 research in Silver City as part of their residency with the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, Nevada.

When to Leave

First published in April of 2018 in Mason Valley News as an opinion column by Quest Lakes.

When I was about 10, I began reading everything I could get my hands on. Finding books was hardly a challenge because my mother was a librarian and my father kept an enormous home library and spent his evenings reading, often suggesting titles that I might like.

I recall staying up late, reading “Nicholas and Alexandra: An Intimate Account of the Last of the Romanovs and the Fall of Imperial Russia” and feeling perplexed and unhappy to discover what became of the Romanovs. At 10, I did not understand how anyone could execute children.

A little later, Seymour M. Hersh’s “My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and Its Aftermath” appeared on our bookshelves and it was then I began to wonder about many things I had and hadn’t been taught. I began to think about omissions in my social studies text books at school and what else might be missing and why.

Then I read “The Diary of A Young Girl” by Anne Frank and another set of questions was added to the previous set. Why did everyday people participate in a plan for genocide, whether by silently going along or by actively participating? What were they thinking as authoritarianism became the norm? And another question plagued me throughout my teens: why didn’t the rest of those in the Nazi’s crosshairs get out of the region in time – people of color, people who were gay or disabled, etc? Of course I learned later that many did try, and as an adult I came to understand that it’s no easy thing to leave one’s country, one’s home.

I wish I could say that as the decades went by these questions plagued me less because war, and poverty, ethnic hatred, misogyny, racism, homophobia and xenophobia nearly disappeared.

But over the last few years, I’ve had no choice but to go back to those questions that first occurred to me during childhood. Our free press is being reinterpreted as Lügenpresse (lying press). There’s a growing disdain for higher education and the arts, with a surprising percentage of Americans saying higher education is actually harmful rather than helpful. There’s an increasing entanglement of religion and government, and an alarmingly open penchant for white nationalism among some. My friends and neighbors are being mislabeled as lazy, perverted, criminal and worse by some of our nation’s elected officials.

As a child and teen I would’ve identified now as the time to get out. But as an adult, I see that now is the time to stay and defend everything I’ve loved about this country.

First published in April of 2018 in Mason Valley News as an opinion column by Quest Lakes.

Manners Versus Character in Three Acts

*This essay by Quest Lakes was originally published in the MVN as a column during the summer of 2018.


"Under ascending authoritarianism, demands for 'civility' are precursors to calls for censorship." - Leah McElrath
****

I’m always surprised when people equate good manners with good character. Some of the nastiest people in history have had lovely manners. The serial killer Ted Bundy was reportedly very ‘polite.’

Those who always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and ‘yes, sir’ do not necessarily have stellar characters. Just this week I saw Attorney General Jeff Sessions, with his southern drawl and genteel manner, grin into the media cameras as he used the Bible to justify the Trump Administration’s separation of immigrant children from their parents. He used Romans 13, the same passage slavers mis-used to justify slavery: “the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”

Then today there was yet another salvo in the manners versus character war. Trump was recorded saying that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un “speaks and his people sit up in attention. I want my people to do the same." The polite, rapt attention the North Korean people display when Kim Jong Un speaks is based in fear, not respect for the dictator’s character.

Good manners and politeness are often on display for the cameras in authoritarian regimes. A United States where people have the freedom to express their dismay with their elected officials, even with the use of impolite vulgarities, is part of a healthy democracy.

And keeping the actions of our elected officials under scrutiny is necessary to our freedom, even when those officials have commendable manners and find our demands for transparency rude.

For example, here in Nevada when a certain elected official engaged in a backroom deal with a mining company for hundreds of thousands of dollars, I’ll bet not a single vulgarity was uttered. Probably there were many expressions of gratitude. Gentlemen probably held doors open for ladies. But we can’t be sure, because the public was excluded from those polite negotiations among people of bad character and good manners.
***

"Liberal columnists, the professional bleeding hearts, have the public ear, but what they do with it is simply to reassure it. They sound as though they're being daring, but they're not. If reality broke into one of those columns, God knows what would happen!" – James Baldwin

"Not one single member of the Nazi Resistance ever said 'If only we had been more civil early on...' Politeness favors only the oppressor." - @HoarseWisperer

"Commentators who are more excised over “F_ _ _ Trump!” than they are towards this administration’s heinous policies and undermining of our institutions are replicating the white familial behavior of prioritizing 'not making a scene.' It’s designed to disarm resistance." - Ethan Grey

Silver City's Many June - August 2018 Events

Silver City, Nevada - Silver City is located within a federally designated historic landmark, just 3 miles from Virginia City, 12 miles from Carson City, and 30 miles from Reno and Lake Tahoe. Throughout the year the community brings public programming in arts, science and more to the Silver City School House and adjacent town park and outdoor performance space (the Silver Pavilion). For children's events, parents are asked to stay and join in the fun and help with clean up. Parking can be found on the south side of the School House at 385 High Street.

Historic Preservation and Archaeology Awareness Month: Check out the display at the local post office titled Progress in a Multi-year Archaeological Project. Silver City resident Robert Elston, PhD, among those awarded a National Science Foundation award for the project, has outlined their progress for us. Up through June 2018.

Thai Food Cooking Lesson, Saturday, June 9 at 1pm the Silver City School House. Local Sean Laughlin will teach how to cook several dishes and those attending will enjoy a delicious meal together. Donations to cover the cost of ingredients will be $20 to $25, depending on the number attending. Sign up at the sheet on the bulletin board at the local post office.

Basement Rummage Sale, Saturday, Sept 1st. Proceeds from the sale of miscellaneous items goes to the nonprofit Silver City Historic Preservation Society and other local nonprofits.

Bicycle Safety Rodeo for ages 5-12 , Tues June 26 from 10am-noon at the Silver City basketball court with Cortney Bloomer of Healthy Communities Coalition. Bring your own bike and helmet. Questions? Contact Quest of HCC at quest@theodata.com.

Science for ages 8-12 with UNCE, Tues July 3 from 10am-noon at the School House. Questions? Contact Quest of HCC at quest@theodata.com.

Science fun for ages 8-12 on Tues July 10 from 10am-noon with Jim Barcellos of University Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE) at the Silver City School House. Questions? Contact Quest Lakes of Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties (HCC) at quest@theodata.com

United Way’s annual preschool fun fair at the School House and park, Tues July 17 from 10am-noon. Join United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra for a morning filled with summer fun for parents and their 0-6 year olds. Crafts, healthy snacks, free children’s books, hands-on educational activities, and more.Questions? Contact Quest of HCC at quest@theodata.com.

Floral Design for adults and teens, Tuesday, July 24 from 10am-noon at the School House, space limited, RSVP required. Create beautiful floral arrangements with wildflowers you’ve collected, or flowers from your own garden, with Floral Designer Lynnette Edmondson of Community Roots & Shoots (a nonprofit). No flowers? Lynnette can bring some for you. RSVP at quest@theodata.com.

RESCHEDULED The summer Art Show and Sale, sponsored by Silver City Arts group will be rescheduled for another date. Contact Carol Godwin of SCA group for more information: godwinsilvercity@aol.com

Concert in the park, Sunday, July 29, 6:30pm-8:30pm with Mylo McCormick and other Nevada musicians. Bring a lawn chair and a picnic and enjoy this family-friendly blues, funk and rock concert on the Silver Pavilion stage. Donations appreciated. Sponsored by Resident Artist Program in Silver City. Questions? Contact Quest at quest@theodata.com

Clinical Somatics for adults, Tuesday, August 7 from 10am-noon at the School House with Lisa Godenick. Clinical Somatics movement techniques include slow, gentle exercises to relieve chronic muscle and joint pain, restore natural posture, retrain muscular patterns, and prevent recurring injuries. Limited space. RSVP to Quest at quest@theodata.com

Hands on engineering fun for boys and girls ages 7-12 on Tues Aug 14 from 10am-noon at the School House with guest teachers from Society of Women Engineers. Questions? Contact Quest of HCC at quest@theodata.com.

Carpool to Young Shakespeare at Sand Harbor. Tuesday, July 31st. One hour, interactive performance for children begins at 10am (Macbeth, adapted for children). To get a seat and a parking space, get there well ahead of time. Free with suggested $5 donation and parking is $10. Bring water and sunscreen for the best experience. Details: http://laketahoeshakespeare.com/young_shakespeare/

American Flat Historic Site Lecture, Film, Photo Showat the School House. Time and date to be announced, possibly Fall 2018. The event will feature a screening of a new film about the site with an intro by BLM, and a lecture by longtime Silver City resident Dr. Ron Reno, plus a show with locals’ photos of American Flat. Dr. Ron Reno is a consulting architectural historian and industrial archaeologist who also serves on the research faculty at Desert Research Institute. Sponsored through Silver City Arts group.

Monthly Events:

Adults Acoustic Jam, normally the last Saturday of each month from 3pm-5pm, Silver City School House (or the outdoor stage if the weather is good). Bring your instrument or your voice and join in. Children can attend if their parents are attending.


Silver City Arts group meets monthly to plan their own events, promote other arts groups events, and/or to plan coordination with other arts groups’ events. Next meeting: Wednesday, June 13, 7:00 pm at the Silver City Schoolhouse.

Ongoing

Poetry Corner: Silver City Arts sponsors a Poetry Corner at the community bulletin board at the local post office. It features poems or song lyrics by or about current or former Silver City denizens such as Irene Bruce.

Shakespeare Group: If you are a Shakespeare enthusiast or thespian, Silver City resident Jay Cimo is seeking others that share his interest to meet monthly. For information contact him at jayacimo@gmail.com. No experience necessary and all ages welcome.

June 2 Poetry Reading and Workshop with Gary Short

Silver City, Nevada – Poet Gary Short, the only Nevada writer in the history of the state to win the Western States Book Award, is the visiting artist at the Resident Artist Program in Silver City during June. He’ll offer a poetry reading, followed by an optional, free poetry writing workshop, on Saturday, June 2 at 2pm at the Silver City School House (community center) at 385 High Street.

These days Short makes his home in Guatemala, but he lived for years on the Comstock at American Flat. The Online Nevada Encyclopedia (ONE) explains, “Gary Short has surveyed the universe of Guatemala, Albania, Mexico and, most recently, Tasmania. Throughout all of these journeys, he has returned to the landscape that claims him: the Comstock. He thinks of this last place and Guatemala as his twin homes, his private domain that both welcome the itinerant one on his terms.”

Gary Short been a Stegner fellow at Stanford, a fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and has had residencies at the MacDowell Colony, the Vermont Studio Center, the Drew University MFA program and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. He received a Pushcart Prize for 2008 and has been awarded grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Nevada Arts Council, the Sierra Nevada Arts Council, Writers at Work, and the Squaw Valley Community of Writers.

He is also a former editor for Hayden's Ferry Review, Shankpainter, and Great Basin Magazine. He’s been on the faculty at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Old Dominion University, the University of California, Davis and University of Mississippi, and was a guest lecturer at the University of Tirana in Albania.

Copies of his first three volumes of poetry, including Flying Over Sonny Liston, Theory of Twlight and 10 Moons and 13 Horses, will be available for signing and purchase during the book signing event. Gary "Short knows Nevada’s austere landscape, its ephemeral beauty, and its stoic people as few writers in any genre do."

About the Resident Artist Program in Silver City: Located in rural Nevada 3 miles from Virginia City and 29 miles from Lake Tahoe, Silver City is a small, unusually creative and productive community on the Comstock within one of the nation's federally designated historic landmarks.

The Resident Artist Program provides a venue for those from other parts of the U.S. and the world to engage with people of the region through the arts. Those creating in the performing, visual, or literary arts are invited to apply to reside for up to 3 months at McCormick House, a geodesic dome designed in the 1970s by Nevada artist Jim McCormick. In exchange, visiting artists offer public performances, exhibitions, readings, workshops, etc. in Silver City and other northern Nevada communities. The Program is privately funded and directed. For more information, contact director Quest Lakes at 847-0742.