VIRGINIA CITY, Nev., USA — The annual Big Bonanza Days
Dinner and Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday, March
24, at the Silverland
Inn & Suites in Virginia City.
No-host cocktails and silent auction begin at 5:00 p.m., with
dinner and presentations from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Operatic soprano Mary McNeil will perform as Emma
Nevada, the legendary "Comstock Nightingale."
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Comstock
Civil War Re-enactors
(and some of their closest personal friends) will again
assist in hosting the dinner in period costume and in
character.
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Business attire is
the norm but guests in period attire will also be most welcome.
The Silverland is the major sponsor of the event. Proprietor
Hugh Roy Marshall is a longtime amateur Nevada historian.
Last year, Marshall presented the
inaugural Big Bonanza Silver Strike Award to the Nevada
Historical Society at the University of Nevada-Reno for
its 111-year commitment to historical preservation.
This year's honoree
will be The Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the
V&T Railway and the Robert Gray family. The award
is presented to groups and individuals for contributions to
the preservation of Nevada history.
The cost is $50 per person, tables of eight are available for
$500. Seating is limited and the Silverland Theater is already
sixty percent sold out.
"We encourage everyone to make reservations now,"
event producer Jim Webster said.
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Silver
Baron James G. Fair
From the Nevada Historical Society Photography Collection
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"We are proud
to donate proceeds to the V&T Railroad, arguably the Fifth
Bonanza King and the only one still alive after more than a
century," Webster added.
"The V&T brings Nevada history alive and we want to
do all we can to help," Marshall stated.
For tickets, major
sponsorships and auction donations, contact Webster at (775)
379-4787, e-mail <jim@bigbonanzadays.com>
or John O'Brien at (775) 224-5838, e-mail <john@bigbonanzadays.com>
Rooms at the Silverland
Inn & Suites are available for $99 plus tax. The hotel will
donate $20 from the price of each room to the V&T. Reservations
may be made by calling (775) 847-4484.
Silent auction items will include V&T Railroad memorabilia
and photos.
Marshall has contributed a mint condition set of Bonanza King
medallions bearing the images of legendary silver barons James
G. Fair (left), James Flood, John Mackay and William
S. O'Brien.
The Marshall Mint
has again donated a strike of its Comstock Medallion
which was unveiled at last year's event.
Martin Smith of Flag
Store Sign and Banner in Sparks has donated a 21-foot
flagpole with U.S. and Nevada flags valued at $325. He has also
contributed a Nevada gift basket and his Nevada Trivia board
game.
More silent auction items are needed.
Marshall and John O'Brien (no relation to the late William
S. as far as we know) co-host Tales of Nevada-Past and
Present every Saturday at 1:00 p.m. on 1270 Fox Radio (KBZZ-am).
The program is entirely about Silver State history and may also
be heard live onlinevia kbzz.com.
Tales of Nevada-Past and Present also appears on regional
television every Thursday at 1:00 p.m. on CW Network affiliate
KRNS, available through the airwaves on digital 27.2, analog
46 or Charter cable 6. Satellite and AT&T U-Verse subscribers
should consult their program guides.
The Big Bonanza Days revival is a frequent topic. Reno native
Neal Cobb, an editorial board member of Nevada in
the West magazine, is a regular contributor and coordinates
the programs.
In the 1960's and 1970's, Bonanza Days was headlined by actors
from the classic Bonanza and Wagon Train television
series, among many others. The sounds of double jack contests
and parades were heard in the venerable mining district. The
new Big Bonanza Days may eventually expand to similar areas.
This year's second renewal will feature the state's actual history
with fond remembrances of its fictional TV history.
For more information and updates, watch this website.
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