Carson City Rendezvous Historical Treat
27th Annual Affair Will Feature History, Entertainment, Food and Fun
Nov 6, 2009
Carson City Rendezvous (formerly called the Kit Carson Rendezvous) is one of Nevada's historic capital city's biggest annual events. This year, it will be held June 11-13 with. The festivities take place at Mills Park, which fronts on I-50 about half a mile from downtown’s Carson Street (Hwy. 395).
Most of the attractions are free. For example, after Opening Ceremonies are over, the Main Stage becomes the venue for a potpourri of entertainments. Cowboy, country and bluegrass bands; trick roping exhibitions, banjo and guitar players and singers of old-time songs will perform on an almost continuous basis. There will also be church services on Sunday morning.
Mountain Man Encampment
Women wearing gingham and sunbonnets and men with beards and homespun shirts recreate life on the frontier in the early 1800s. They demonstrate all sorts of pioneer skills that range from tomahawk throwing, buck-skinning and trap-setting to bead-weaving and cooking over flint-started wood fires. Since the men and women who populate the encampment during the celebration have spent a great deal of time learning about the period, onlookers can be assured that everything from the muzzle-loading rifle demonstrations to the reels, jigs and other dances they perform are authentic.
Other Slices of Mid-1800s Life
Men dressed in both Confederate and Union Army uniforms as well as their elegantly gowned ladies illustrate a different layer of society. Although battle recreations are this group’s main events, other slices of life are also presented. In a civil-war era “town” with storefronts and a tavern, members of various groups such as the Nevada Civil War Volunteers and the Comstock Civil War Re-enactors present demonstrations of everything from rifle and cannon firing to spinning and weaving. Appearances by brass bands, a Victorian Fashion Show (on the Main Stage), church service and dance are also part of the weekend activities.
Native Americans, the Pony Express and Gunslingers
Each year groups like the Sage Spirit and Eagle Wings Pageant Dancers don their colorful regalia and do the dances of their ancestors in the Native American Village where traditional arts and crafts are also on display. Members of the Pony Express Association demonstrate how the mail made it from St. Joseph Missouri to Sacramento California in 1860 and 1861, as the “mochila” was passed from rider to rider along the trail that united the west.
On the Gunslinger Stage, stories about how the West was won and run unfold. Flavored with humor and excitement, some of the stories are actually true Groups that have appeared on the Gunslinger Stage include Legends of the AmericanWest from Angels Camp, CA; Spirits of the Old West from Stockton, CA; the Missouri Bandits, and Carson City’s own Nevada Gunfighters.
Other Early-Day Attractions Offer Variety
Not only will Rendezvous participants be galloping on horses. Celebration goers will be able to ride on camels and in six-passenger stagecoaches if they are willing to pony up the money. There will also be games of the period for youngsters, a horseshoe tournament and an arts and crafts show with more than 80 vendors
Food vendors will dispense a selection of ethnic and old-time favorites like Indian tacos, Indian fry bread, homemade root beer, barbeque, kettlekorn and funnel cakes. People who prefer to bring along picnic fare can use the park’s barbecue facilities and picnic tables. Other food-focused events include Dutch oven cooking demonstrations and a Dutch oven cook-off .
Sponsored in part by the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment of the Arts, this year’s Rendezvous hours are Friday, 12 - 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m; and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
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