Declaration of IndependenceJohn Hancock. Now that guy had a signature to write home with! And no other document reflects his quill tip finesse better than the Declaration of Independence, signed July 4th, 1776. The fact that within our daily diets we have options other than baskets of deep fried fish n’ chips, alone, is considerable in our separation from the British Kingdom. But on this day, we Nevadans commonly share our appreciation through displays of the American flag, patriotic parades, backyard barbecues, and capping it all off with thunderous fireworks presentations. My neighbor walked over in the afternoon and rescued me from a long day behind the drawing board, ushering me to their backyard where the annual July 4th gathering of friends and family was well underway. And with my neighbor being the most patriotic person I’ve ever met, I knew...

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1920s vintage Nimbus motorcycle parked on C Street. Photo by Kevin KarlRigid and focused, I sat anxiously on the stool in front of the one armed bandit at the Delta Saloon. Any minute now… If you think this is leading to a big climax where I drop my last quarter in the slot machine and am suddenly driving home in a new convertible… well, the buck stops here. I was just waiting for my daughter to come out of the ladies powder room. I’m still a winner though, because we’re spending Father’s Day on the Comstock. With our hectic lifestyle, we’re rarely able to plan anything this far in advance, but several weeks ago we decided to have a barbecue lunch, then drive up Geiger Grade to Virginia City for one scoop of vanilla ice cream in a...

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Brandi Lee prepares mountain oysters and mountain oyster jalapeño poppers at the Bucket of Blood booth at Virginia City’s annual Mountain Oyster Fry. Photo by Charlie JohnstonIt’s 10:35 a.m. on March 15 and I have never eaten sheep testicles, steer testicles, nor any testicles for that matter. What’s more, I have never had the slightest inkling of a desire to do so. And for what is likely the only time in my life, this particular gastric preference makes me the odd man out.

At Virginia City’s annual Mountain Oyster Fry, locals and visitors go nuts for—well—nuts. Nearly a dozen vendors pit their recipes against one another to see whose balls are the best. Most cooks stick to the festival’s namesake and the most common preparation: frying the dangly delicacies. One booth, manned by the Virginia City high school baseball team, used a...

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The National Park Service awarded a $500,000 grant to a landmark church in the historic mining town of Virginia City to help fund the church’s costly restoration and preservation projects.

St. Mary’s in the Mountains Catholic Church was once a meeting place for the more than 33,000 residents of Virginia City in the late 1800s and was one of the most ornate and celebrated churches in North America. But time has taken its toll on the church, which is still open to visitors and parishioners, and total restoration of the church is estimated to cost $1.9 million. The National Parks Service selected this northern Nevada gem for a “Save America’s Treasures” grant, which will be used to make the church architecturally sound and safe.

According to the National Parks Service Web site, too many of America’s treasures – “sites, monuments, artifacts and documents that tell America’s...

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