When Dan DeQuille wrote for the Territorial Enterprise of Virginia City fame, back in the 19th century, he used this depiction of a braying, angry, miner's burro. He always called it, as did most of the prospectors of the day, "A Washoe Canary." Below are some of our brayings, that is, Washoe Canary Songs.

Is It Possible To Define A Community In Nevada, Northern Or Southern?

What Kind Of Town Do You Live In?

by Johnny Gunn

Over the last few years Las Vegas, in particular the strip and downtown has redefined itself several times, from “Family Destination” to “Sin City;” from “Sin City” to “Family Destination,” and back and forth over and over, none of which definitions have had the least affect on those visiting. With the exception of Binion’s closing the doors, downtown, as a destination is still downtown. People come by the droves, sometimes bringing the kids, sometimes not. Same-o-same-o for the strip. But in northern Nevada, that consistency doesn’t hold true.

For years, I mean half a century of years, Reno was a little tiny tourist town with a bunch of little tiny casinos, some of which hosted the biggest names in entertainment. You would have been hard pressed to find 2,000 rooms within half a mile of the corner of Second Street and North Virginia Street, the heart of downtown Reno. So, why did thousands of people flock to the Biggest Little City in the World? It really isn’t hard to find the answer to that.

Bill Harrah ran Harrah’s. Pappy Smith ran Harold’s Club. Pappy’s real name, by the way, was Raymond, but there really was a Harold. The Horseshoe sat across the street and the Nevada Club was nestled between Harrah’s and Harold’s. The Cal Neva, not much changed today, except for size, stood a bit smaller, but just as friendly. Jim Kelly’s Little Nugget, dinky in size, massive in juice, is the only other one to exist today.

People came to Reno because it offered something they couldn’t get anywhere else, and I’m not just talking about gaming. A sense of community. Pappy and Bill actually said hello from time to time. The casinos were small, friendly. Friendly. Did I mention friendly? And open to the street, not hidden behind massive concrete walls with dark entrances. There was rinky tink piano music pouring onto Virginia Street, not a cacophony of competing sound, and there was world class entertainment.

Pappy Smith didn’t give two hoots and rat’s you know what if you went out and played at Pyramid Lake, at Lake Tahoe, at Virginia City all day long. He knew you would come in, see his casino, drop as much as you wanted, and come back. The key? He knew he would make it pleasant enough that you would come back. His mantra: “Quit when you’re ahead. Quit winners.” Reno was a little town filled with little hole in the wall casinos offering fantastic entertainment, wonderful and reasonably priced food, the Wild West just blocks outside town, and the friendliest floor people you’ve ever encountered.

Am I living in the past discussing this? I don’t think so. The most successful casinos in Reno today are the little hole in the wall casinos that cater to the local trade by way of friendly floor people, good food, and, unfortunately, not the world class entertainment we used to get. No more two week gigs by the likes of Frank, Sammy, Debbie, Rowan and Martin, etc, etc. When the sign went up that Liberace was in town, get out of the way of thousands of little old ladies who loved the man. I miss that part of it, but I still get a chance to enjoy the old Reno when I go into the Little Nugget, into ... well ... damn, Reno just ain’t the same.

Can it change? There are indications that some of those who run casinos understand that they will starve to death if they don’t. A large and varied hometown feel is coming to the First Street corridor, neglected into dusty oblivion just a few years ago. What is missing from downtown Reno is the feel of a hometown, and this may be changing. Condominium sites are being developed, and if they are filled with people actually living in them, not just visiting from time to time, Reno will have to have a downtown shopping center.

There will have to be grocery supermarkets, there will have to be general merchandise stores, along the lines of Sears or Macy’s, there will have to be many more downtown restaurants. Gray-Reid, Wright Company, J.C. Penney’s, Wolworths? They’re gone and haven’t been replaced.

E&J’s Jazz Club is a wonderful addition along the banks of the Truckee River, and when Silver Peak Brewery opens their new restaurant close by, we’ll have a place to go when the late show ends at the megaplex theater.

The city government seems to be taking cognisance of the fact there is virtually no reason for a local resident to come downtown. Not for a slot machine. Every convenience store in Nevada has those. And, with just a couple of exceptions, if you want to eat, you must go into a casino. The days of Virginia Street lined with high class restaurants ended some time ago. There are indications that might change, and that’s a good thing for Reno.

A visit to another town is rarely a visit for just one venue. Go to San Francisco, there’s more than Fisherman’s Wharf. Go to Los Angeles ... well, I’m sorry I said that. Go to New York, there’s more than Broadway. Go to Las Vegas and take in a Nascar race.

Reno is trying to step up to the plate. A whitewater park, an arts district, and hopefully, many more restaurants. Virginia City is just 24 miles away, and Reno has neglected that fact for decades. Lake Tahoe is half an hour away, and Reno is just now accepting the fact that its world class features should be part of Reno’s scene.

There has to be more to Reno than slot machines and table games. You can them anywhere. Where else can you sail on water so clear you can see the bottom a hundred feet below? And ski on Olympic runs? And actually visit the site where old H.T.P. Comstock found silver and gold? Or Kayak through engineered white water? Or catch trophy trout at Pyramid Lake?

And then at night, hit the casino, baby.

LETTERS WE GET

Editor, The Observer,

I can see the point of the petitions wanting school funding before all others, but realistically I don't think it would fly. There are lots of interests that need to be funded along with education. I don't think we should necessarily "push to the front of the line" - I know in 4th grade we don't allow that. What I would like to see is the Legis - LATE - ture write the budget at the start of the session rather than waiting until the last possible minute to do it. It's not as if they don't know it has to be done. I always tell my students when they do something at the last minute, you can always tell because it has that unprepared look to it.

As for funding at the national average - sure, I don't see anything wrong with it. I know of few teachers who would turn down more $ for their schools and classrooms.

Buckey Gandolfo
Battle Mountain

•••

Editor, The Observer,

If you've ever shared a book with a child, you know the joy and excitement this small but meaningful act can bring. But, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, since 1993 only 53 to 58 percent of children ages three to five received this joy on a daily basis.

We can do better! Simply reading daily with a child does require parents, older brothers and sisters, and other caring adults to add yet another hat to the many they already wear to care for and raise a child. But by adding the reading hat to your collection, you also add great rewards:

• Children who are read to at home have a higher success rate in school.
• Children who read frequently develop stronger reading skills.

To encourage more adults to spend more time reading with children, the National Education Association launched the first Read Across America day in 1998. This March, NEA's Read Across America will mark 7 years of celebrating reading on the Seussentennial -- Dr. Seuss's 100th birthday -- March 2, 2004.

So from coast to coast, teachers, celebrities, community members, and parents are putting aside the many hats they wear for work and play and donning their reading hats -- the red and white striped stovepipe of the Cat in the Hat. In Clark County, the Clark County Education Association Community Foundation and area Office Depot stores have partnered on a book drive to collect new or "gently used" children's books to benefit the "Spread the Word: Kids to Kids" program. An official presentation of donated books will be made on Tuesday, March 2, at 10 a.m. at Paradise Elementary with 100 third grade students attending and a few local entertainers reading selected book titles.

In bringing a nation of readers together under one hat, NEA's Read Across America offers opportunities for you to volunteer, to read and to share your life experiences; opportunities for businesses to contribute products to congratulate young readers, and for employees to volunteer time at reading programs; and opportunities for our elected officials, from the national to the state and local levels, to make reading a high priority.

Let's all join together on March 2 -- and every day thereafter -- to ensure that Clark County's children have caring adults to share books and rich reading experiences.

Mary Ella Holloway
President of the Clark County Education Association