Upcoming Reno Festivals

There is plenty to do in the Reno area this summer! Take a look at the festivals that are on the books over then next several months and make plans to come partake in the festivities.

Mariachi & Folkloric Festival - June, 24, 2023  11am-5pm

Location: Teglia's Paradise Park, 2700 Paradise Dr, Reno, NV 89512 

This is an event for the whole family. A gathering of artists, dancers, and musicians representing the folkloric diversity in Northern Nevada.  Plenty of food trucks, local vendors, and arts & crafts. 

The Best Of The West Beard Festival - June 26, 2023  10am-9pm

Location: Wingfield Park, 2 South Arlington Ave., Reno, NV 89501 (Between 2nd & Island Street)

This is Nevada's largest beard festival including the world famous beard competition.  There is live music all day to enjoy. Peach Fuzz City (kids area), local vendors galore to peruse and shop, some of Reno's tastiest food trucks, and a beer garden.  All the proceeds raised will benefit The Altruistic American's Scholarship Fund!   For more info and to learn about their mission, visit: www.thealtruisticamerican.com

RAGECON (Reno Area Gaming Expo) - June 30 - July 2, 2023 (Fri. 12pm-1am; Sat. 8am-1am; Sun. 8am-6pm)

Location: Nugget Casino Resort, 1100 Nugget Ave., Sparks, NV 89431

Whether you love board games, dice games, card games, role playing games, or miniture games, this expo is geared for fun! You can learn a new game from their extensive library or compete in play-to-win games. There will be RAGEBBUCKS raffles to win prizes and a vendor room if you would like to add to your gaming collection.

When buying your badges, be sure to take advantage of the select badges offering Military Discount (20%), Student Discount (20%), and Family Discount (20% for 3 or more badges).

To learn all you need to know about this event and purchase your badges, visit: RAGECON Expo

Dragon Lights - June 30 - August 13th, 2023  

Location: Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, 1595 N Sierra St, Reno, NV 89503  (located in Rancho San Rafael Regional Park)

While not a free event, this display of more than 40 groups of larger than life illuminated

lantern sculptures is a site to see. Interact and view these beautiful creations as you walk through the aboretum. This year the interactive playground area has been expanded due to popular demand. Food trucks will be present to meet your need for much enjoyed munchies.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Dragon Lights Reno

Art Town Opening Night - July 1, 2023  5pm-10pm

Location #1: McKinley Arts & Culture Center, 925 Riverside Dr, Reno, NV 89503

Location #2: Wingfield Park, 2 South Arlington Ave., Reno, NV 89501 (Between 2nd & Island Street)

Artown's Opening Night Celebration will begin at MckInley Arts lawn with family activities at 5:00pm. A parade with participants will commence on Riverside Drive continuing into Wingfield Park at 6:30 pm and a live performance will begin at Wingfield Park at 7:30 pm.  

During the month of July there are numerous exhibits and music venues to attend. For more info on all of Artown's festivities and music venues, visit artown.org 

Great American Craft Fairs Fall Fest - July 1 - October 1, 2023  

These are FREE entry to the public events! Returning for Fall fest vendor arts & crafts fairs, food and drink vendors, a pumpkin throwing contest (now with 1000 pumpkins) and auto show.

• The Great Truckee Artisan Fair, Truckee River Regional Park, Truckee, CA – July 1st & 2nd
• The Great American Craft Fair, McKinley Park, Reno, NV – July 4th
• Food Trucks, McKinley Park, Reno, NV July 4th
• The Auto Exhibit, McKinley Park, Reno, NV – July 4th
• Great American Parade, Riverside Dr, Reno, NV – July 4th
• Art Walk on the Comstock, D Street, Virginia City, NV – August 19th & 20th
• Fall Festival, McKinley Park, Reno, NV – September 30th & October 1st
• The Auto Show, McKinley Park, Reno, NV – September 30th
• Pumpkin Throwing Contest, McKinley Park, Reno, NV – October 1st

For more info and event times, visit: greatamericancraftfairs.com 

Movies In The Park, Presented by Cordillera International Film Festival - July 7-27, 2023 (Movies start at 9pm)

Location: Wingfield Park, 2 South Arlington Ave., Reno, NV 89501 (Between 2nd & Island Street) 

Grab a blanket, lawn chair (or not), some munchies, family & friends and enjoy FREE movie nights this July!  Come celebrate the movies with several evenings of free films, fun trivia, special guests, food, drinks, activities & giveaways inspired by the films.

• July 7th: Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark 
• July 14th: The Goonies
• July 21: The Princess Bride
• July 27th: Summer Shorts! (The best short films from around the world with Q&A with the filmakers.)

Reno Basque Festival - July 15, 2023  10am-8pm

Location: Neil Road Recreation Center, 3925 Neil Rd., Reno, NV 89502

Come for the 10:00am Mass, stay for the lunch (12:30pm) and dancing (8:00pm).  The Basque culture is alive and well here in Reno and they are sharing their hospitality and mouthwatering meals with any who want to experience authentic Basque culture.

For updated information, menu and food tickets, visit: Reno Basque Festival

Gospel Fest - July 16, 2023  6pm-9:30pm

Location: Wingfield Park, 2 South Arlington Ave., Reno, NV 89501 

A Gospel Music Festival for the whole family with various artists performing.

5-Day Cordillera International Film Festival - July 27-31, 2023 

Locations: To Be Announced Soon! Visit Cordillera International Film Festival 2023 for updates on this event.

Five days of 150+ films, panels and parties!

Biggest Little City Wing Fest - July 28 & 29, 2023  (Fri. 1pm-10pm; Sun. 12pm-10pm)

Location: The Row, Outside on Virginia Street from 2nd to 6th Street, Reno, NV

Just outside of the Eldorado, Circus Circus and Silver Legacy casinos is over 20,000 pounds of some of the tastiest wings in Nevada. Whether smoked, slathered in sauce, grilled or fired, the competitors will be making sure that there is plenty to go around. Awards will be presented on Saturday night.

For more information or to purchase a VIP tent, visit: Biggest Little Chicken Wing Fest

Reno Garlic Festival - July 29, 2023  3:30pm-8pm

Location: Dick Taylor Memorial Park, 1140 Beech St. Reno, NV 89512

Right off of Valley Road in Reno (the park right by the Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center it's the most western part of the park right by the Kids Playground). 

Welcome all garlic lovers! Celebrate our area's local growers and enjoy garlicky food galore! 

Fresh Garlic 🔆 Garlic Seed 🔆 Garlic Braids 🔆 Garlic Powder 🔆 Garlic Salt 🔆 Pickled Garlic 🔆 Garlic Bread 🔆 Garlic Fries 🔆 Garlic Ice Cream 🔆 Garlic Smoked Hot Dogs 🔆 Garlic Fried Rice 🔆 Garlic Margaritas 🔆 Garlic Beer 🔆 Garlic Pistachios 🔆 Garlic Popcorn 🔆 Garlic Scape Pesto 🔆 Garlic Doughnuts 🔆 Garlic Infused Vinegar 🔆 Sweet Garlic Jam 🔆 Fire Cider 🔆 Bloody Mary's 🔆 Pickled Garlic Flowers 🔆 BBQ with Garlic Green Beans & Garlic 🔆  Mashed Potatoes 🔆 Cuban Sandwiches with Garlic Sauce (my personal favorite)🔆 

... and so on.

Hot August Nights - August 1-6, 2023  

 

Locations: Various

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa - 3800 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502

The Peppermill Resort Spa Casino - 2707 S Virginia St, Reno, NV 89502

Grand Sierra Resort and Casino - 2500 E 2nd St, Reno, NV 89595

Nugget Casino Resort - 1100 Nugget Ave, Sparks, NV 89431

Baldini's Casino - 865 S Rock Blvd, Sparks, NV 89431

Bonanza Casnio - 4720 N Virginia St, Reno, NV 89506

Summit Racing Equipment - 960 E Glendale Ave, Sparks, NV 89431

Reno Events Center - 400 University Wy, Reno, NV 89501

Victorian Square - Victorian Ave, Sparks, NV 89431

This is considered one of the world's premier classic car events, including the popular Hot August Nights car auction. This year there are 5,500 officially registered classics taking over the streets of Reno and Sparks for this week of events. Come view these beautiful vehicles and enjoy many of the area's food/drink vendors, crafters and small businesses.

For complete event schedule and locations, visit Hot August Nights Events

Back To School Movie Night - August 11, 2023  7:30pm-10pm

Location: Huffaker Park, 1160 E. Huffaker Ln, Reno, Nevada 89511

This is a night for families to enjoy the park in the community, with the community, watch a fun movie together, finish out the summer, and ring in the new school year! There will be food/ice cream trucks, snacks and drinks to enjoy during the movie, and plenty of other fun activities to go around.  The best part, everything is FREE except for the food/ice cream trucks.

For more info go to: hopereno.church  

Nevada Humane Society Duck Races - August 12, 2023  10am-4pm

Location: Wingfield Park, 2 South Arlington Ave., Reno, NV 89501 

This year the Duck Race & Festival will be hosted at Wingfield Park from 10-4pm on August 12, 2023. The ceremonial ducks will race at 2pm, and we can't wait to see you there!  In addition to the ceremonial duck launch, we will also have lots of fun activities for the whole family beer garden, kitten adoptions, photo lounge, animal adoptions, food trucks, vendor booths, carnival games for the kids, face painting, and so much more. 

Aloha Festival - August 19, 2023  10:00am-7:00pm

Location: Wingfield Park, 2 South Arlington Ave., Reno, NV 89501

One of Reno's youngest festivals, come enjoy the culture of the islands. This free entry event brings the music, dance and culture of the people of the Hawaiian islands into the heart of Reno. Plenty of food and local vendors to shop as the music transports you far from the Truckee River.

For more information and performance schedules, visit: www.renoalohafestival.com

Reno Water Lantern Festival - August 19, 2023   5pm-9pm

Location: Sparks Marina, 300 Howard Dr., Sparks, NV 89434

Pick-up your floating lantern kit on your way into the event and get creative! Munch on plenty of foodie finds as you create the perfect lantern while listening to music and just having some plain old fun. 

The lantern launch is basically the scene from Tangled but bound to the water and not the sky...absolutely beautiful.

For event schedule and to purchase tickets, visit: Water Lantern Festival

Fuego Latin Cultural Festival - August 19, 2023  12pm-10pm

Location: The Glow Plaza Festival Grounds, 670 W 4th St., Reno, NV 89503 

This year markss the 1st for the Fuego Latin Cultural Festival in Reno! Come view works of local artists, vendors, musicians and food trucks.  

Reno Chalk Art & Music Festival - Aug. 25-27, 2023  (Fri. & Sat. 8am-10pm; Sun. 8am-4pm)

 

Location: Parking lot West of the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, 3800 S Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89502

During this 3-day celebration, blacktop becomes a colorful artistic masterpeice with more than 150 of the best chalk artists coming in from all over the nation to compete during the Reno Chalk Art & Music Festival. There is event is the largest chalk art festival in the region. Come enjoy the live art installations, live music, food and drink vendors, and local art & craft shops. There is also a KIDS ZONE so that your youngsters can enjoy their time too!  Come spend an hour or more watching these artists create their masterpeices for a variety of awards including Best Use of Color, Best Use of 3D, Best Reproduction of a Master’s Work, and the highly acclaimed People’s Choice Award. There is something for everyone in the family to enjoy at this event...and if you feel like testing your luck you can head up the elevator into the Atlantis Hotel & Casino for some grown-up gaming.

Kids 17 and under are FREE!  3-Day entry tickets are only $10! (Yes, that's for entry all 3 days.)

For more information and to purchase your ticket, visit: Reno Chalk Art Fest

Best In The West Nugget Rib Cook-Off - August 30 - September 4, 2023  (Wed.-Sun. 10:30am-9:00pm; Monday 10:30am-5:00pm) 

Location: 1100 Nugget Ave Sparks, NV 89431 (Victorian Square)

If you plan to barbeque for Labor Day Weekend, let the professionals do it for you! A 6-day BBQ, rib lovin', pulled pork savorin' festival unlike any other. Come enjoy all that the smokers and grills have to offer as 20+ invitation only competitors put on their game faces and strive to be the Best In The West! Your tastebuds and tummy will not complain from all that is available from competitors and Reno/Sparks food vendors, from sweet to savory and then back again.

For more information on parking, Rib Cookers, entertainment and more, visit: Nugget Rib Cookoff

The Great Reno Balloon Race - September 8-10, 2023  

Location: San Rafael Regional Park, Rancho, Rancho Connector, Reno, NV 89503

Each year The Great Reno Balloon Race has taken flight with up to 100 balloons! This event has successfuly kept visitors in town the weekend between the State Fair and the Reno Air Races for 41 years, it is known as a world-renowned, and locally, a much beloved community tradition.

Food, drink and craft/art vendors are available each day to fulfill all of your family's wants.

For more info go to: greatamericancraftfairs.com 

St. Anthony's 34th Annual Greek Festival - September 8 & 9, 2023  (Fri. 5:00pm-10:00pm; Sat. 12:00pm-10:00pm)

Location: Saint Anthony Greek Orthodox Christian Church,  4795 Lakeside Dr, Reno, NV 89509

Experience Greek culture, food and true hospitality. Can it get any better than Greek food, music and dancing?! If you never have before, take a step into another culture in Reno you are sure to love. 

For event schedule and ticket purchases, visit: Reno Greek Festival

Virginia City's International Camel & Ostrich Races - September 8-10, 2023  (Fri. 5:00-7:00pm; Sat. 10:00am-2:00pm & 2:00pm-4:00pm; Sun. 12:00pm-2:00pm)

Location: Virginia City Fairgrounds, 458 F St Virginia City, NV 89440

Just South East of Reno, and a drive up into the hills, you will find the most unexpected races there are...with plenty of laughs and fun for the whole family. Camels, ostriches, and zebras are raced by both professional and amateur jockeys in this event that started as a prank between two newspaper editors more than 60 years ago. 

There is plenty to do before and after show times with plenty of Virginia City merchants, restaurants, saloons and other attractions. (The ice cream parlor in Red's Old Fashioned Candies is one of our family's favorite stops.)

Friday night, Sept. 8, enjoy Hot Camel Nights, an evening show with discounted rates for locals. Saturday, Sept. 9 catch the 10 a.m. or the 2 p.m. show and the up-close and personal Camel Hump to C Street. Then Sunday, Sept. 10 is Family Day with a show at noon and the first 100 kids ride a camel for free. (Gates open 2 hours prior to show times. All tickets are non-refundable.)

For more information and to purchase your tickets, visit: The International Camel & Ostrich Races

41st Annual Great Italian Festival - October 7 & 8, 2023  (Sat. 10am-7pm; Sun. 10am-6pm) 

Location: Eldorado Resort Casino, 345 N Virginia St., Reno, NV 89501

Little Italy comes to downtown Reno! Columbus Day weekend brings with it a celebration of Italian culture and traditionns for all to enjoy. Plenty of pasta, sauce cooking contest, grape stomping, food booths, an Italian farmers market, Kiddie Land with games & face painting, and free live entertainment all weekend long.

For more information, visit: Great Italian Festival 

Euro Fest - October 13-15, 2023 (Times TBA)

Location: The Glow Plaza Festival Grounds, 670 W 4th St., Reno, NV 89503 

"Beats, Brats, Brews"  Live music, delicious European food, and fun activities for the whole family!

For more information and vendor applications, visit Williams, LTD - EuroFest 2023

Life Is Ever Changing...this one is a long one

Seems that every year brings new challenges along the way. Just when I think that I have a good flow going on how to handle my walk with the Lord, my kiddles (yes, even my now 18 year-old Grace is still considered a kiddle in my mind), my marriage, my friendships, and my work, there seems to be a shift that happens each year. And this year I have a SENIOR in the house!

So proud of my gorgeous Grace 

The past year (2022) brought a whole new level of trials for our family. We've all been growing spiritually at different rates and getting excited about all that God has planned for those who are seeking and serving Him. In July we scrapped and saved to go to Las Vegas (of all places) to be present for a deliverence meeting that a minister I had been following for 2 years was holding. Daniel Adams and his wife Heather have been used by God to bless SO many people with their ministry The Supernatural Life. As a family, we prayed and prepared for whatever God had planned for each of us. (This was a trip that we turned into a vacation since it replaced our annual trip to visit my family in Southern California, so along with the church meetings we planned to attend, we made sure that the kids got to visit all of the hotels and play the midway at Circus Circus.) 

My little Mr. Energy (now turning 8 this month) has such a pure passion for God, he prays with classmates on the playground all the time...even the ones that tease him about his faith. (Extremely proud momma right here!) He couldn't wait to see people get delivered from demonic oppression and have their lives changed. He still says that he wants to be a demon slayer like the ministers we've been following. (YES!!) Our now 16 year-old, Rose, had a massive deliverance that surprised all of us. My beautiful daughter had an encounter with God's power that set her free from a number of oppressive spirits that fought like mad to stay attached to her, screaming and writhing on the floor while two amazing women continued to battle for her release and command those nasty demons to release her. Our precious Grace was delivered from extreme burdens that she had been carrying & burying deep causing depression and anxiety. Her constantly trembling hands were steady when we left the meeting...for the first time in years! The change she experienced caused her to share with everyone of her friends when we got back...all of whom were amazed at the change in her. My husband had his shoulders healed, completely pain free with greater range of motion when we left. And this Momma's heart was thrilled to see the ones I love so dearly receive freedom.

My beautiful Rose running around with me.

That was in July...on August 20th my husband suffered a stroke at the age of 51. To say that I was blindsided is an understatement. To say that this has been a test of his and my faith is equally an understatement.  He had walked into the bedroom to go take a nap and within minutes walked back out to let me know that he didn't feel right. (Speach was starting to slur, his gate was dragging on the right side and he was having trouble getting his fingers to respond correctly when scrolling on his phone.) Blood sugar was through the roof unable to get a reading on his monitor (it only read "hi") and blood pressure was so high that I had to shut off the monitor as it just continued to pump air into the cuff to increase pressure.Thank God that He helped me keep my mind focused to get him to the ER immediately...where I found out that symptoms had actually started 5 hours prior to my knowledge! 

A blood clot was the culprit that caused damage to several areas of his brain. Three days after being addmitted to the hospital he was discharged to a rehab facility where they worked him 4 solid hours each day to get his brain to start making new connections. It was heart wrenching to see my Prince Charming fighting to regain his speech and movement and to have to be strong for him and my kiddles. Let me tell you, I had MANY breakdowns before the Lord with tears streaming down my face. HE, He is SO good! His precious presence wrapped me in comfort and peace like nothing I had ever experienced before. (And I have had A LOT of experiences with Him.) 

My hubby continues to do rehab at home, despite injuring his right shoulder (which had delayed much of his progress and will require surgery short of a miracle), and keeps his outlook on a possitive level. He is alive. He could have been dead. We could have had our March 6th 19-year anniversary come and go without being able to celebrate another year together. But instead, God has blessed us with more time together.

The blessing in desguise is that during a routine sonogram to check why one level of his liver numbers was off...2 tumors were discovered! One on each of his kidneys. The larger one was determined to be roughly the size of a golf ball and the other the size of a large marble. Fast forward to getting released on October 5th and multiple calls for appointments to get evaluated during home-rehab...official diagnosis came back (after we insisted that the doctors do a biopsy) as Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma. Surgery was set for March 2nd for the less impacted kidney...which had to be rescheduled due to the ridiculous weather pattern that came into the Nevada Sierras. Snow unlike anything that we have experienced in the 14 years that we have lived here...which meant no way to get through any of the passes to Palo Alto, California. 

Snow Day for Mr. Energy! Got him off the Xbox and into the SNOW!

We are now getting ready to make the journey, and praying that the weather system HALTS the snow & rain while we make the trip there and back, with the new surgery date of March 30th. Thank God for family that will be able to stay with our kiddles while we're gone, keeping things as normal as possible during their Spring Break.

So, here is what I have been praying during this crazy past 3 months since the official diagnosis. I'm asking for the miraculous to happen. If we've been told to boldly come before the throne of God and make our petitions known with praise & thanksgiving, then I'm going to do what the Bible says: "God, I thank you for your mercy and favor over my husband's life. I praise You for exposing what was hidden even in the manner that it was done. Cause every cancer cell to complete it's life cycle, die and dissolve away! I declare, in the mighty name of your son Jesus Christ of Nazareth, full restoration of every function of his body. Full restoration of everything that has been taken from him this past year. Let this be a testament of Your power, mercy and grace that we can share with the hospital staff we will meet." 

Because he was the primary breadwinner in our household, and we lost roughly $3,000 in monthly income, we established a GoFundMe account to help with my husband's medical, rehab, and some general living expenses. You can read about his battle and see updates on his recovery on that site. If you feel compelled to give, pray, or share the link with others...Thank You!

Catching Up...Yeah, It's Been A While

It has been a LONG time since I posted anything here.  What can I say except that life took over and time seems to fly by at record speed.

A lot has happened since my last posting...

My son was born in March 2014. (uh huh, it's been that long)

He is now a 3 year old destructive goofball.

I now have not one Middle Schooler...

 but TWO in the house.

We gained and had to let go of a pretty adorable, fun spirited, precious doggie.

(Rehoming her to some family of a close friend of ours was the best thing we could have done for Storm. She now has the land to run on, play pals who can't keep up with her energy, and is a hiking buddy as a furry baby to another family)

Essential oils are still a part of our lives...LOVE them and won't do life without them.  And there are still tons of discussions with people about how they can be used to help them daily. The business side of the oils has been put to the side at this point though.

I have branched into a new career as an agent with Appreciation Financial helping people save and make money while also protecting their families. (Love love love my new job!) Never would I have thought that I would love working in life insurance and annuities so much. While I work with the general public, most of my time is spent with teachers and school district staff in our community, which I feel do not get the attention that they should. The teachers in our community deserve to have good retirement plans in place, and helping them get to where they want to/need to be for their future is so incredibly rewarding.

The long blonde hair is still here...although what you see below may someday make me pull it all out or go completely platinum from all the gray.

Life is busy, kids are growing and just to keep it real...this nightmare of sock separation & pairing NEVER ends.

Our quick jaunts up to Lake Tahoe even taunt me with their shop full of socks every time we walk through the shopping center at Heavenly.

This week starts the festivals that our family really enjoy here in Reno...starting with the 2nd annual Chalk Art Festival at the Atlantis Casino.

Those artists last year really were amazing (checkout the photos in the link above)...but I personally loved just watching my girls get down and add their own creations to the asphalt last year.

Confession Time:  Unfortunately I have fallen into the habit of using the same recipes or quick-fixes over and over again...which needs to change pronto! You know it's bad when the kids are like, "It's Tuesday so that means we're having spaghetti again." *sigh*

So my mission is to find, or rediscover, some recipes that I haven't served up to my family to shake things up a bit.  The ones that win them over will definitely be shared.  But tonight, tonight it's Sam's Club Kansas City Style Baby Back Ribs!

Brownie Bowl Sundaes

Brownie Bowl Sundaes...does it get any better than this on a Summer night? Yeah, there are brownie sundaes, but these just seem so much more fun.  The little girl in me just wants to devour that whole plate full.

I came across this dessert idea as I was cleaning the ridiculous pile of papers, magazines and mail on my table. I swear that paper is my nemesis!