Dear Editor,
The long awaited Panaca Sesquicentennial Celebration has come, and, sadly, gone.? But what a celebration it was! It?s hard to even imagine the hours and hours of planning and (what seemed like to many) tireless efforts, work and logistics it took to pull off such a fantastic event for our great little town. Those folks kept going nonstop. From the beautiful hanging flowers and banners up and down Main Street, to the Heritage Center, the Panaca Play, Petting Zoo, Old Time Craft Fair and Concessions, Art Show, Fireman?s Money Scramble, the Statue Unveiling and Dedication, the Outdoor Dance, Hot Air Balloon Festival, and many other various events, along with the combined efforts of the different communities bringing us delicious breakfasts and dinners, culminating with the FIRST AND BEST FIREWORKS EVER (we even heard folks from larger towns and cities say so), we could never express enough gratitude and thanks to all those who have worked so hard, visibly and behind the scenes, to bring this Celebration of Joy and Camaraderie to our community. Each and every one of you are to be commended for a job well done. Our little Town of Panaca is quiet now, but the memories of this grand celebration will continue in our hearts.
Sincerely,
Dave and Carol Miller (Panaca)
Frank and Juanita Fake (Jennings, Louisiana)
Dear Editor,
On Saturday, July 26, Panaca held its first annual ?Pioneer Car Show? at the little league baseball park as part of the Nevada and Panaca Sesquicentennial Celebration. Several types of vehicle classes were represented including: classic restored, classic not restored, hot rod, street rod, race cars, motorcycle, in progress and even a class for vehicles with a ?Panaca Heritage Connection.? The response and support was overwhelming to say the least.?
We want to express our sincere appreciation to everyone for the time and effort they put into getting vehicles prepared and bringing them to Panaca for everyone to enjoy. We had thirty six vehicles registered, most were local, but folks from Tooele, Utah, Victorville Calif., Las Vegas, Logandale, Ely, Alamo and Mount Wilson supported the event with entries.
The event was open to the public from 9 a.m. until the start of the parade, and the participants were then invited to join the parade down Main Street. Over 350 attended the Pioneer Car Show and by 11:30 a.m., over 200 had turned in their ballot to vote for their favorite entry as they exited the park. When the count was complete, Pioche resident Di Mason?s ?68 Chevy Camaro had received the most votes to become Panaca?s first Peoples Choice award recipient. Along with the Peoples Choice award plaque, she received a Devin Thomas hand made Damascus steel pocket knife engraved with ?Panaca 150 Peoples Choice.? Other local winners were first place Bill Connor?s ?55 Chevy Pick Up in street rod, first place Frank Cesena?s ?34 Ford in hot rod, first place Brianna and Gary Davis? 1992 Corvette Roadster in classic not restored. In second place, William Dirks? ?74 Volkswagen Type 182 won for in progress. First place in race car went to Gary L Davis and his S-10 Chevy pickup. Dane Bradfield took second place in motorcycles with his 2008 Heritage Classic Harley Davidson. First place went to Mike Bivins for his 2005 custom chopper. Second place for classic not restores went to Steve Klomps?s 19641/2 Ford Mustang. Second place for hot rod went to Steve McCrosky with his ?75 Pontiac Trans Am. In progress first place winner was Mike Bivins?s 1971 Ford F-100 Pick Up.
Thanks so much to the folks who invested so much time and money to get your vehicles to our show and make it such a big success! And a big thanks to all who took the time to attend the show in support of the entrants, and vote for the ?People?s Choice Award.?
We also thank the judges, and those who helped with registration, distributed then counted the ballots while working all day to keep everything moving smoothly!
Outstanding vehicles, fantastic spectators, and great attitudes made this a huge success!
Thank You,?
Panaca Sesquicentennial Committee and Kim Lee (car show chairman)
Dear Editor,
Since the Thompson?s opera house reopened after renovation in 2009, Lincoln County and the Pioche Chamber of Commerce have had high hopes for utilization of the building. These hopes include regular and quality use of the facility. The restored building is a huge asset to Lincoln County, even though some people possibly wish it had burned or fallen down. If you have any doubts, I invite you to volunteer and help show the building to tourists. The proof of its value is in all the positive comments they make when touring the building.
It has had significant regular use hosting meetings and other events, but finally last fall when the Portable Masterpiece Orchestra appeared, it offered the first performance since re-opening. Since my involvement with the Opera House, it has always been my hope and goal to get more performance-based use from it, which of course is why it was built in the first place back in 1873. It appears that we finally have crossed that threshold, and this year there are already several performances scheduled at the Opera House. On Friday Aug. 8, it will host Melanie Devaney, a young delightful singer of a mix of country and pop music who will entertain at 7 p.m. Tickets are priced at $8 at the door.
During Labor Day weekend, Juni Fisher will appear on Saturday evening at 6:30pm. She is a seasoned and very accomplished singer, songwriter and cowgirl who presents her work in a ballad style of writing. Her songs usually speak about real cowboy and cowgirl experiences, and also many of them are written around animals, especially her beloved horses. Tickets for her performance are $15 in advance or $18 at the door. For more information about these performances or to buy an advanced Juni ticket, call Les Derkovitz at 775-962-5426.
Because of the success of the Masterpiece Performance Orchestra last November, that orchestra will be returning to the Opera House in mid November this year also. This group is funded via a grant, so we need only to ask for a donation of $5 to help cover expenses. Most other performers will want an agreement of money based on the admission price.
Now that we seem to have the ball rolling on getting additional performers coming to the Opera House, even though the admission price may seem high to some, I really hope that the Lincoln County community will actively support them by coming. If not, this opportunity of having some outstanding entertainment coming to us will end as soon as it started.
I doubt Garth Brooks would be willing to take away 80% of a $15 door take at the Opera House when there are only 200 seats available. However the two entertainers we have coming are probably equally talented or more so than Garth depending on your opinion, but they are willing to visit us. I hope to see a large crowd at these upcoming events at the Opera House, so that we can continue to offer them in the future.
Sincerely,
Leslie Derkovitz