by Cyn Bagley

Created on: February 17, 2009   Last Updated: September 15, 2009

Three days in June, Nevadans climb into their cars and park near the Carson City Mills Park for some good old-time entertainment at the Carson City Rendezvous. As they walk into the noise and activity, they see the main stage where the Pony Express, a Stagecoach, and other acts show their skills on the soccer field.

Half of the folks in the park are dressed in clothing you would have seen more than one hundred years ago. Some of the women are dressed in pioneer dresses and bonnets, while in the Civil War encampment the women are dressed in more expensive dresses with bustles with feathered hats sit on well-coiffed heads.

Near the gunfighter town, men dressed like Marshalls stroll through the crowd. They tip their hats to the ladies. Many of the tourists are dressed in T-shirts and shorts, looking out of place in the camp. But, no one seems to mind. In fact, some of those same tourists are buying bonnets to keep their heads shaded, not minding how incongruous they look in shorts, T-shirts, and bonnets.

At noon the cannon booms. If you look towards the mountain men, who are in charge of the cannon, you'll know you'd better protect your ears when they cover theirs. If you aren't ready, the BOOM will make you jump.

On one of the side-stages near the food vendors, the entertainment will be a cowgirl who shows her roping skills, or a bluegrass band. If you get there early, you might hear a banjo guitar combination, who will sing those old mountain songs, "Get along home Cindy, Cindy," "My darling Clementine," and others. They will have you clapping and singing along with the rest of the crowd, sitting on straw bales.

What makes the Carson City Rendezvous so delightful is that it is a glimpse into Nevada's past with a Mountain Man camp, a Civil War encampment, Gunfighter town and stage, Pony express riders, Sage Spirit dancers, and the BAC In-Time kids. The Back In-Time kids play games from the gold rush era and also show Chinese dances, which came from the Chinese workers from the railroads.

And of course, there are vendors. Many of these vendors come from California, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho to share their crafts. There are hand-made ovens, clothing, and jewlery. It is worth coming to the Rendezvous to just sample the cooking. In the food vendor area, you can find kettle corn, Indian bread, home-made rootbeer, and even hot dogs although the vendors claim that their recipes are a hundred years old.

So how much does this much fun cost? Nothing. The Carson City Rendezvous is free entertainment sponsored by the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment of the Arts.

So come on down. The Nevadans will welcome you with a song and a hoe-down. Just don't get in the way of those gunslingers.

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