Just Winging It!!

One of the MANY things I love about Reno is all the festivals that go on throughout the year!
Every time I think I know about all the events in this town, I am surprised by one more that I have somehow missed!

Lucky for me, I stumbled upon the 2nd Annual Silver Legacy Wing Fest on Saturday Night (July 5)while heading to the Reno Ace's baseball game!  Yes, Reno has it's very own team!  More on that in a later post.  Back to the Wings!!

My oldest grandson was visiting from Las Vegas with his girlfriend for the 4th of July weekend, so how lucky were we to be able to catch this event on Sunday before they had to fly home.

The Wing Fest takes place right downtown on S. Virginia and there were about 30 different Wing vendors to choose from.



You can see my husband (in the brown shirt) trying to decide which one to try first!

There were rubs, smoked, baked, deep fried and barbecued wings — all flavors, from some that were so hot you had to sign a release to eat them to some that were so sweet they made your mouth water!

I heard there were garlic parmesan and teriyaki, as well as a new flavor that was unveiled at the festival, something to do with cheesecake.

Setting the soundtrack for chowing chicken wings, live country music was performed throughout the three-day festival. The concerts took place on the event's main stage, which was located on the plaza directly across from the Silver Legacy Resort Casino.

 

There was also plenty of other types of booths to choose from for a taste of a little something different to go with your wings!

 

 

Jessica was even able to get a little shopping in between eating wings!

 

 

With about 65,000 to 70,000 people expected for this 3-day event, these guys were cooking up a storm!

 

 

And we felt very lucky hitting this on Sunday and avoiding the crowds!

 

 

And as you can see by these next pictures, the wings were finger lick'in good!

 

 

Needless to say there will be plenty going on this summer in Reno!  They were already gearing up for another one before this one was over!!!

 

Don't miss Hot August Nights!!!
 

Not only will you see thousands of classic cars between July 29th and August 3rd, you could win this!!

 

 

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!  I certainly am!!

 

 

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Kicking Off Summer With A Splash

I don't know about you but for me this summer has just flown by!  I can't believe it's mid-August already!

But I guess that's what happens when you live in Reno! 

We've been hiking, biking, fishing, water skiing, floating the Truckee River, enjoying the beach at Lake Tahoe, taking short nearby day trips....and a big trip to Europe!  You can read about our trip to Europe Here

And of course having fun with all the local events!

So let's start with May and the "Reno River Festival"

For 10 years now the Reno River Festival has drawn competitors from around the World to the heart of downtown Reno at the Truckee River Whitewater Park at Wingfield for an action-packed weekend of whitewater, music, and food.

It sounded like a lot of fun so on Sunday May 12th we headed downtown to check this out for the first time.

It seems that top athletes from the pro kayaking tour were the focus of the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could watch these guys all day!  But there was also a Slalom competition going on upstream.

 

 

So we found a spot on the rocks to watch these guys make their way down the Truckee.

 

 

The goal is to complete the course the quickest without touching the poles!

 

 

Located between the two competitions at Wingfield Park were various bands entertaining the spectators.

 

 

This event certainly got us excited for the summer ahead here in Reno!

 

 

When Did I Start Liking Snow?

I never thought that after living in Central Nevada for 30 years that I would ever like the snow again!  Winters were long and cold in Tonopah and the snow just annoyed me to no end.

After living in Las Vegas for 9 years I became spoiled with the absence of the white stuff.  And I knew that moving to Reno I would once again have to endure snow!

I like snow.  I think it's pretty.  I just don't want to be buried in it 5 months out of the year!

Lucky for us 2011/2012 our first year here, Reno had a very mild winter.  As my son said to me "Mom, you're having a sissy winter".   December past and then January and I thought, wow I'm digging winter here!  A couple of cold days, then a couple of warm days.  This isn't bad at all!

Now in case you didn't know Reno lies at the base of the Northern Sierras and they get plenty of snow!  Just the way I like it.....on the mountains!

But then I found an event, "North Lake Tahoe Snowfest" in March. And it's only 1 hour away!  This is a week long event with all sorts of  "snow" events taking place.  And one of those events peaked my interest.  The "Wine 'n Ice Carving Competition".

DRATS!  As I am writing this post and waiting for my dear friend to arrive, I have discovered that this very event is happening TODAY!!

Okay, back to last year.  When I read that the event was being held at the Truckee River Winery in Truckee I knew it was going to be great!  Sipping on wine while watching chainsaws cut through blocks of ice!

 



 

As I sipped on my wine I walked from block of ice to block of ice trying to figure out what these guys were trying to create

 

 

 

And it seemed that chainsaws weren't the only tools used

 

 

It was an absolutely beautiful day for watching my first ever ice carving competition

 

 

And then I could start to see images of swans, penguins, dragons and wine presses

 

 

I decided to have a little look around this cute little winery while the guys continued to create their masterpieces

 

 

Back outside the guys are putting their finishing touches on their creations

 

 

And finally about 4 hours later, they were done!

 

 

Oh there were others, like this self portrait of the guy on the right who was injured in a skiing accident

 

 

So which one was your favorite?

 

I left this wonderful event with a whole new outlook on winter and snow!  Snow doesn't always have to be miserable and annoying.  You just have to learn how to get out in it and enjoy the white stuff!

 

And that is when I started liking snow!

 

CHEERS!