Downtown Reno is in the midst of an urban renaissance that includes public works projects like the Truckee River Whitewater Park, renovation of the Reno Post Office into a retail plaza, and construction of a train trench cover that will create a pedestrian center.

Downtown Makeover, a local blog about all things downtown, chronicles many of the projects with artists renderings and interviews with the principals involved in the developments. Check it out, and get a peak into the changing face of downtown Reno.

-Jim Scripps

In this episode you’ll go with me to the Friends of McKinley Art Sale, watch me get my Irish on at A Celtic Summer’s Eve, see an interview with one of history’s most powerful women (played by a 12 year-old) at the Young Chautauqua performance, and we’ll finish off the night with some caffeine at Java Jungle.  

Artown will really knock your socks off, and some of the best events are still to come! So watch ERIN 411! Destination: Artown, go down and soak up the art (it will make you feel cultured and feed your soul, I promise!), and as always, feel free to leave me a comment (still available for bar mitzvahs)! 

For more info, go to www.renoisartown.com

Got an idea where I should go next? Contact me at: watch_erin411@yahoo.com. 

Production by Timothy Gaer, Archon Films www.ArchonFilms.com  

    Fun, funny, and freakin’ cool- this is ERIN 411!, my video blog showcasing all the awesome things that happen in Reno/Tahoe. I grew up here and I truly love living in the area; Reno/Tahoe is such a diverse place that there’s something for everyone: stunning natural beauty for the outdoor enthusiast, museums and history for the culture buff, and of course-wild nightlife for the young and reckless. This summer I’m going to all the best events and you’ll be right here with me, so bring your sense of humor (I have a tendency to tell bad jokes) and get ready to rock!  First up in my vBlog is ERIN 411! Destination: Reno Rodeo. I put on my best cowgirl boots and shortest shorts and went down to what we here in Reno/Tahoe proudly call the "Wildest Richest Rodeo in the West." Started in 1919, the Reno Rodeo is one of the biggest on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit and boasts all the biggest names in cowboy and cowgirl competition.  Sound cool? Well, it is. And it’s hot. Real hot. When you watch my video you’ll see exciting clips of the bronc bustin’ and calf roping and bull riding in all its dangerous glory, me shopping for the essential rodeo accessory in spite of my unfortunate anatomical problem, having my heart stolen by a pint-sized cowboy, and asking the perennial question: what is it that makes cowboys so darn cute?
    So watch it already! Click below to my see vBlog – live from the Reno Rodeo! 

    And feel free to share the love and leave a comment. You can contact me directly with questions, complaints, requests to host your next birthday party or bar mitzvah (or just to chat) at watch_erin411@yahoo.com. 
    See you soon!

Erin Granat (watch_erin411@yahoo.com)

Videography by Tim Gaer (gaer42@yahoo.com; www.ArchonFilms.com)

As a fellow whitewater kayaker of more than 15 years (you can check out my blog at http://blog.robertpayne.net/) , I would never have dreamed that I would witness the day when a convention and visitors bureau issued a press release using terms like, McNasty, the Phonics Monkey, and the Donkey Flip.

But the day has most certainly come. Just check out the 2nd paragraph of the below press release, which the RSCVA issued today. I just goes to show how far the sport has come, and how much Reno has done to embrace it.

If you want to know what moves like the Phonics Monkey look like, watch this video from the Reno Whitewater Park.

4TH ANNUAL RENO RIVER FESTIVAL DRAWS RECORD ATTENDANCE

RENO, Nev. (Friday, May 18, 2007) – A record number of people experienced the annual Reno River Festival in 2007, bringing 32,800 attendees and some of the world’s best professional kayakers to downtown Reno and the Truckee River Whitewater Park May 10-13. The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) produced the Reno River Festival and reported that an estimated 27.5 percent of attendees were out-of-market visitors.

With sunshine and ideal spring temperatures throughout the four-day event, spectators had a chance to see 72 professional and amateur kayakers from across the U.S. and six countries perform tricks like the McNasty, the Phonics Monkey, the Donkey Flip and much more in the $1.5 million Truckee River Whitewater Park, which opened in 2004.

Reno athlete and 2004 Reno River Festival champion Jay Kincaid topped the men’s freestyle division, edging out 2007 world freestyle champion Eric “EJ” Jackson from Rock Island, Tenn., who was the two-time consecutive defending Reno festival champion. Bryan Kirk of Charlottesville, Va. rounded out the field in third place.

In the women’s division, Tanya Faux of North Arbury, Australia was the one to beat as the returning 2005 and 2006 Reno River Festival champion, but she proved to be unconquerable once again landing in first place for the third consecutive year. Seventeen-year-old Emily Jackson, a member of the Jackson “first family” of kayaking, placed second followed by Rotorua, New Zealand resident Nikki Kelly.

Another Reno local placed first in the junior’s division, with 13-year-old native Jason Craig taking top honors. The current junior national freestyle champion, Craig trains at the Truckee River Whitewater Park with Kincaid and has experienced a meteoric rise in the sport since first being inspired to kayak competitively at the inaugural Reno River Festival in 2004. Thirteen-year-old Dane Jackson placed second, completing a string of second-place finishes for the Jackson family at the 2007 festival, and the third place finisher was Jonathan Shales from Madison, Ala.

In the fast-moving boatercross competition, kayakers were pitted against each other in a 250-yard dash down the south fork of the Truckee River Whitewater Park during elimination rounds. In the men’s division,

Jud Keiser placed first, Andrew Holcombe placed second and Josh Bechtal placed third. Emily Jackson placed first in the women’s division, followed by Faux in second and Devon Barker in third. In the junior’s division, Craig led again with Shales in second and Dane Jackson in third. Fourteen competitors also participated in Sunday’s down river race.

During the festival, approximately 320 people attended instructional clinics that ranged from free beginner “Kayak 101” courses to more advanced technique sessions for experienced kayakers. Led by Different Strokes Kayaking of Reno, owner Jon Fairchild and team introduced more than 70 people to the sport of kayaking during two days of clinics on May 12 and 13.

The Reno River Festival also included nine live bands at the outdoor Wingfield Park Amphitheater, 60 exposition vendors and a charity raft race benefiting the Truckee River Foundation and the Transplant Network.

About the Reno River Festival:

The Reno River Festival takes place at the $1.5 million Truckee River Whitewater Park at Wingfield, located in the heart of the booming downtown business and arts district in downtown Reno. The park is both Nevada’s and the region’s first whitewater park and kayak slalom racing course and totals 2,600 feet in length. The park is rated a class 2 to 3 for difficulty (on a scale of 1 to 6) and features north and south channels that surround a city park on an island in the river, 11 “drop pools” and boulders for kayaking maneuvers, a slalom racing course, and 7,000 tons of smooth flat rocks along the shores for easy river access and spectator seating.

Visit www.RenoRiverFestival.com for details about the annual Reno River Festival. For kayaking packages and the area’s best hotel rate, logon to www.VisitRenoTahoe.com/bestrates and find the lowest guaranteed rates online. For more information about Reno-Tahoe, America’s Adventure Place contact 800-FOR-RENO (800-367-7366) or visit online.

###

After returning home to Reno after the World Championships I really only had one thing on my mind. The Reno River Festival was this weekend and I was as excited for this event as I get for any.

Well I am back in Reno after the World Championships. It turned out to be an awesome event with Bus Eater Wave at a prime flow. I was paddling well and had good rides in the first round. For whatever reason in the second round I kept flushing off the wave and even after watching video I still am not sure why. The bottom line though is that I didn’t put it all together like I needed to and finished 17th. I have been competing for over 15 years now and I am very aware that sometimes things like that just happen, and even though I am disappointed I am certainly not discouraged.

It’s almost here! Already many of the pros are arriving in town to begin training for the annual Reno River Festival. You can walk down along the Truckee River and watch them throwing loops, cartwheels, and many other tricks.

RGJ.com has a lot of good articles, photos,  and video regarding the pros and the festival as a whole. Check it out at http://riverfest.rgj.com/

Next weekend there will be a lot going on with thousands of spectators, sponsors, food tents, music, video premiers and much more. Of course, we will be cheering on Reno’s very own Jay Kincaid.  He certainly has more than a couple of fans. It is a beautiful and exciting time to be in Downtown Reno, so come check it out!

Here is a copy of the official press release that went out today:

RENO, Nev. (Friday, May 4, 2007) – The $1.5 million Truckee River Whitewater Park and downtown Reno will soon host thousands of spectators and the world’s top kayakers at the 4th annual Reno River Festival. Top kayakers from America, Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand and Norway are set to compete next week in the men’s, women’s and junior’s open freestyle competition. The festival will also include a downriver race and a boater cross competition. The paddling contests will be highlighted by play-by-play announcements, and admission to the events is free.

The Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority (RSCVA) produces the Reno River Festival and expects increased international participation this year because the Freestyle World Championships in Canada conclude on May 5, shortly before the festival.

Among the top competitors are Tennessee resident Eric Jackson, the 2005 and 2006 Reno River Festival men’s freestyle champion and three-time world freestyle kayak champion, and Jay Kincaid, the 2004 Reno River Festival champion who hails from Reno. Training at the Truckee River Whitewater Park has helped Kincaid win pro events in six countries. Challenging Jackson and Kincaid will be another freestyle winner Stephen Wright of Washington D.C., along with Bryan Kirk of Charlottesville, Va., Ben Guska of Palm Bay, Fla., and Maurice (Mo) Kelleher of Ireland.

The returning 2005 and 2006 women’s freestyle champion is Australia’s Tanya Faux. The 32-year-old will compete with 17-year-old Emily Jackson, another member of the Jackson ‘first family’ of kayaking, and the youngest female to navigate the Zambezi and Nile Rivers. Challenging Faux and Jackson will be Ruth Gordon of Canada and New Zealand native Nikki Kelley.

The junior’s competition will see a battle of best friends, as Reno native Jason Craig and Dane Jackson, son of Eric Jackson, go head to head. Now 13-years-old, Dane is the youngest member ever of the U.S. Freestyle Kayak Team, named to the team in 2004.

“It’s always a tight field, and podium placement usually comes down to performance on one or two tricks,” said Jim Litchfield, principal of Fluid Concepts and competition producer for the Reno River Festival.

A true festival, the Reno River Festival celebrations include a whitewater/kayak expo, a charity raft race, demonstrations, clinics, a food and beer garden, live music, and promotions and activities sponsored by the restaurants, lounges, shops and galleries along the River Walk in the heart of downtown Reno. The festival begins with an opening ceremony on Thursday, May 10 and competitions begin on Friday, May 11 running through Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 13.

More information, including directions and a printable parking map, are included at www.RenoRiverFestival.com. For more information on activities in America’s Adventure Place, go to www.VisitRenoTahoe.com, or call 800-FOR-RENO (800-367-7366).

tags: downtown, reno, nevada, whitewater, festival, kayaking, truckee, river

Thursday April 5th, marked the launch party for Reno-Tahoe’s YPN group at the swanky N210. 

With over 500 people in attendance, YPN’s launch party was a huge success. The doors opened at 6pm and a line had already formed around the corner with a well dressed 20 and 30 something crowd eager for the night to begin.

The night was full of networking, food, drinks, and plenty of entertainment including flame throwers, dance performances, and a fashion show with looks from Lodo Loft, Kalifornia Jean Bar, and Reno Envy to name a few.

Photo: Lodo Loft owner’s Amanda Werbeckes and Ashley Machado (center) with YPN members and Lodo Loft models.

With Reno’s downtown makeover and refreshing new editions like The Imperial Bar & Lounge and Divine Ultra Lounge making waves, Reno is quickly becoming the "it" place for young professionals.

Check this out!

http://vidsearch.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1189392513