ON A FINE SPRING DAY in 1928, Reno held a great municipal celebration at the railroad tracks in honor of paving the two-lane highway over Donner Summit to California. As the band burst into a brassy ragtime, and the bankers, bootleggers and other leading citizens beamed with pride, neon letters on the new iron arch spanning Virginia Street blazed with light for the first time. “RENO,” they bragged against a downtown skyline of Edwardian brick, “The Biggest Little City in the World.”
The iron arch is gone now, replaced by a brighter version, jazzier than the Jazz Age original, and Reno’s golden age of society divorcees, bootleg whiskey and basement gambling rooms is gone with it.
Modern Reno dates from another fine spring noontime, almost 50 years to the day after that gaudy little celebration, when an enormous tan tower rose 26 stories from its bright, light-bejewelled base on an enormous asphalt pad near the edge of the airport, far from the city center.
The $131,000,000 MGM Grand Hotel greeted every incoming flightto Reno-Cannon International the same way the old arch greeted every train at the railroad depot downtown.
But Reno’s not so little any more and the 1928 slogan’s saucy tone doesn’t suit the complex Tesla-flavored city it is still becoming. The great hotels, as splendid as they are, are no longer the whole story. As the city has spread out, its neighborhoods have become more diverse, more interesting and more welcoming.
North Lake Tahoe's Snowfest is a 10-day winter carnival with numerous events and activities celebrating the Lake Tahoe winter scene. Fun to be had by all ages..be it kids, families, adult only, or animal events...SnowFest! has it all! Snowfest began in spring of 1982. The event celebrates life in the High Sierra and features: parades, […]
Find out more »Join us for the Leprechaun Race that has gone virtual in 2021. Can you outrun a leprechaun? Find out at the 9th Annual Leprechaun Race GONE VIRTUAL. Things are a little different this year, but this is still a family-friendly opportunity to get out and run or walk—in your neighborhood, around town, or even on […]
Find out more »CANCELLED This. Is. Monster Jam™! The most action-packed motorsports experience for families in the world today returns to Reno for another high-octane weekend featuring the ultimate mix of high-flying action and four-wheel excitement at Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center. Featuring skilled Monster Jam® athletes, Reno fans will witness a fierce battle for the championship […]
Find out more »Reno Races presents the 2021 Reno Connector Run. This race course is flat, fast and all road! The race will start and finish in Mira Loma Park and runners will run along the Reno Connector. The courses take runners onto Veterans Parkway and the pedestrian pathway along the connector. This event offers the kids one […]
Find out more »2021 Spring Fiesta Horse Show Comstock Arabian Association Spring Fiesta Concurrent Horse Shows April 30, May 1 and 2, 2021. Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center in Reno, Nevada All Classes Held in the Indoor Main Arena SHOW A offering Dressage, Western Dressage, Sport Horse In-Hand, Sport Horse Under Saddle, Sport Horse Show Hack, Halter, Showmanship, Equitation, […]
Find out more »Welcome to the Wildest, Richest Rodeo in the West! Everyone loves a cowboy, are we right?! The rodeo is THE place to see and be seen. Featuring 10 days and nights of the best rodeo competition in the country with over 750 professional athletes. Enjoy all of the fan favorites, including two world-class team roping […]
Find out more »Every August, the streets of Virginia City, Reno and Sparks vibrate with the sound of muffled rumbles of rebuilt engines, rays of sunlight glinting off the polished chrome and heavy scents of Dapper Dan hair pomade fill the air. Droves of spectators line the sidewalks for a glimpse into the past, a time when a […]
Find out more »OVER 50 YEARS Reno Air Racing Association Over 50 years ago, the first plane went up in the Nevada desert to kick off what would become the STIHL National Championship Air Races and a legacy was born. A legacy of history, heritage and preservation. Of daring, imagination and wonder. Of memories made, traditions formed and […]
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