Reno-Tahoe

Short of delivering presents the world over, it’s the most fun you’ll have in a Santa suit.

The annual Reno Reindeer Games returns the weekend of Dec. 11-13 with an expanded slate of events highlighted, of course, by the Reno Santa Pub Crawl, where visitors flock to the watering holes of downtown Reno for a night of holiday revelry.

This year, the charity event gets even bigger with a holiday pajama party, discount skiing at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe and discounts for attendees who book a hotel room. In 2008, event organizers estimate as many as 3,000 Santas crawled Reno’s pubs, and 2009 is expected to be even bigger. There is NO EXCUSE to miss a party this fun.

Reno Reindeer Games Events:

• Santa Crawl Pajama Ball, Dec. 11

Bowling + Pajamas = Fun. The party starts Friday evening at the “Taj Mahal of Tenpins,” the National Bowling Stadium, with the Santa Crawl Pajama Ball. The mammoth facility usually plays best to 100 lanes of world-class bowling, usually aired on ESPN – Not tonight. Festivities include pictures with Santa, raffle prizes, holiday drink specials and a best dressed in holiday pajamas contest. The cover charge for party revelers dressed in pajamas or holiday flare is $15, which covers bowling and a donation to the Reindeer Charities. For those not dressed in pajamas or holiday flare the cover charge is $20.

• Santa Crawl Skiing Extravaganza, Dec. 12

Dress festively & get a $39 all-day lift ticket at Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe with $5 dollars going to Support the Claus during the Santa Crawl Skiing Extravaganza! Join other Reindeer Game revelers for holiday drink specials and the best-dressed contest. Added bonus: watching hundreds of Santas shredding pow. That’s worth the price of admission.

• Reno Santa Pub Crawl, Dec. 12

The magical anticipation of St. Nick dropping down the chimney on Christmas Eve may be long gone, but that doesn’t mean the adults can’t have fun. The highlight of the Reno Reindeer games, the Reno Santa Pub Crawl, brings the whole event home. Basically, several thousand Santa crawlers hit the streets and more than two-dozen participating watering holes of downtown Reno, showing off their best Santa-inspired costumes – the party reaches a crescendo when revelers meet under the legendary Reno Arch.

• Hotel deal

Event organizers have teamed up with the Silver Legacy Resort Casino to create a killer package: Rooms start at $59 and include a $35 coupon book, $5 food voucher, 2-for-1 drinks at Aura Ultra Lounge, health spa admission, 20 percent Silver Legacy Shopping Discount, $4 off ticket to Catch a Rising Star comedy club and one free ace-in-the-hole.

Attention zombies, ghouls and ghosts. Check out the calendar of Halloween events and parties in Reno, Sparks and Lake Tahoe.

• Halloween Warm-up with Enzyme Dynamite, Black Rock City Allstars
  Vixens – 906 Victorian Ave. – Sparks
  October 23 @ 9 p.m.
  Party the week before Halloween with a costume contest, giveaways and performances by Enzyme Dynamite of the Bayliens, DJ True Justice, XienHow, Black Rock City Allstars, Wordplay and live art by Stk One.
• Reno Beer Crawl – Halloween Homecoming Edition
  Amendment 21 Grill & Sports Bar – 425 S. Virginia St. – Reno
  Every 4th Saturday of the month (starting October 24)
  Monthly crawl serves specialty beers downtown. Dress up for this one and take part in some special UNR homecoming stops.
• Nowloween – Dance of the Dead
  Reno-Sparks Convention Center – 4590 S. Virginia St. – Reno
  October 24 @ 7 p.m.
  An early Halloween costume party featuring several electronica artists and DJs in several rooms. They include Frankie Bones, DJ ESP, Bryan Cox, DJ Flave, Danny the Wildchild, Tom Foolery, and Ripple. Full bar for those over 21. Benefits local food banks.
• Skin, Sin and Ink Tattoo Competition
  Diamond Dolls – 310 Spokane St. – Reno
  October 29 @ 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. (Finals)
  The Skin, Sin and Ink Competition is back for a third year, so join Chris Payne and KRZQ every Thursday at Diamond Dolls for a different tattoo parlor’s show every week and tattoo contest where one lucky person will win a custom-designed tattoo worth $600. And at the end, on Oct. 29, the finals will pit the best designs against each other. Every night enjoy $2 Jager shots and $2 Coors and Coors Lights. The event has gotten so big, it’s even being featured in Skin Ink tattoo magazine. Schedule: July 23: Deep Ink Tattoo July 30: Aces Tattoo Aug. 6: Lucky 7 Tattoo Aug. 13: Stain Tattoo Aug. 20: Body Graphics Tattoo Aug. 27: Reno Tattoo Sept. 3: Battle Born Tattoo Sept. 10: Distinct Ink Sept. 17: Neighborhood Ink Sept. 24: Nightmare Studios Oct. 1: Absolute Tattoo Oct. 8: Stingray Tattoo Oct. 15: Under Your Skin Tattoo Oct. 22: Evolution Tattoo Oct. 29: Tattoo Competition Finals
• Reno Zombie Halloween Bar Crawl
  Amendment 21 Grill & Sports Bar – 425 S. Virginia St. – Reno
  October 30 @ 8 p.m.
  Last year, more than 300 people came out for the Reno Zombie Crawl, shuffling from stop to stop in downtown Reno. The event returns with a vengeance, promising more brains, gore and, probably most important, beer. The goal is $2 drink specials at all the participating bars.
• Fantasies in Chocolate Vampire’s Ball
  Grand Sierra Resort and Casino – 2500 E. Second St. – Reno
  October 30 @ 7 p.m.
  Fantasies in Chocolate is a black-tie benefit party for the Reno Gazette-Journal Foundation and, even more important, overflows with chocolate and drinks. This year, it’s taking advantage of the proximity to Halloween and just going all out. More than 65 vendors serve chocolate and champagne and all kinds of other treats and drinks. Feel free to dress up or go with classic formal attire, but $1,000 goes to the best-dressed vampire and vampiress. Liquid Blue has taken over organizing duties and are bringing in new vendors and adding new twists to the annual event, now in its 25th year. Win a pair of tickets from us!
• Wild Erotic Ball – Blood Lust
  Grande Exposition Hall at the Silver Legacy – 407 N. Virginia St. – Reno
  October 30 @ 9 p.m.
  Wild 102.9’s annual Halloween party has caught vampire fever, and you can feel the Blood Lust at this year’s Wild Erotic Ball, a night of drinks, dancing and costumes. There’s a contest, of course, and live DJ.
• Day of the Dead Live Art Show & Masquerade Ball
  The Tree House Lounge – 555 E. Fourth St. (behind The Underground) – Reno
  October 30 @ 7 p.m.
  Reno Erotico Diablo presents a benefit for breast cancer research. The second annual party features a ball and live art for sale with half the proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen foundation. Performers and other entertainment include Black Rock City Allstars, Bohemian Burlesque, body painting, and costume contest.
• Punk Skalloween
  The Underground – 555 E. Fourth St., Suite B – Reno
  October 30 @ 9 p.m.
  A Halloween concert with some ska and a lot of punk. Keyser Soze headlines with Del Mar and the Humans. DJ D. Bruce also spins.
• Halloween Cover Band Show
  Rainshadow Community Charter High School – 121 Vesta St. – Reno
  October 30 @ 7 p.m.
  Halloween party show with tributes to The Clash, Sam Cooke, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Bangles, Blondie, Violent Femmes and more. Sponsored by the Holland Project.
• Halloween weekend at Eldorado
  Eldorado Hotel Casino – 345 N. Virginia St. – Reno
  October 30 @ 8 p.m.
  The Eldorado’s many nightspots host Halloween activities, kicking off Oct. 30 with a coffin crawl at 8 p.m. to places like Brew Brothers and Cin Cin for drinks and prizes before reaching the Wild Erotic Ball at the Silver Legacy. On Oct. 30 and 31, Brew Brothers hosts a party at 10 p.m. with $5,000 in prizes for the costume contest. DJ Spook and dancing go down at Cin Cin starting at 9 p.m. on Oct. 31.
• AC/DShe
  Crystal Bay Club-Casino – 14 Nevada 28 – Crystal Bay
  October 30 @ 9 p.m.
  The all-female AC/DC tribute band plays for a Devil’s Night Party in the Crown Room followed by The Marones playing an after party Red Room show.
• Skin & Scare Ball
  EDGE at the Peppermill – 2707 S. Virginia St. – Reno
  October 31 @ 10 p.m.
  The Peppermill’s fourth annual Skin Scare Ball takes place at Edge, with just the normal $20 cover. $5,000 in prizes will be awarded in the costume contest, with winners for scariest, sexiest, silliest and more.
• Halloween $500 Beer Pong Tournament
  Club Cal Neva Hotel Casino – 1 E. First St. – Reno
  October 31 @ 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
  Since this beer pong tournament is every Saturday, it’s also on Halloween. But the holiday event is earlier than usual, at 6 p.m., so players will still have time for other Halloween events. Aside from the usual $500 in prize money, prizes will also be awarded for best and scariest costume.
• Freakers Ball 12
  Bruka Theatre – 99 N. Virginia St. – Reno
  October 31 @ 9 p.m.
  The annual Bruka Halloween event includes music, magic, masquerade, mayhem and much more.
• Hollywood Undead Halloween Party
  Jungle Vino – 248 W. First St. – Reno
  October 31 @ 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
  Haunting both Jungle Vino and Java Jungle, this Halloween party has a Hollywood theme, with guests encouraged to dress as their favorite movie character, bit player or rock star for the costume contest.
• Rocky Horror Picture Show
  Red Martini – 214 West Commercial Row – Reno
  October 31 @ 11:55 p.m.
  Celebrate Halloween in style with a full-fledged Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with all of the props, costumes and other types of adult fun. All costumes welcome, so drop by in between or after other Halloween festivities.Donations of peanut butter, jelly or loafs of bread for the local charity Spread Peace Reno, which serves the area’s homeless, are appreciated.
• Helloween Metal Fest 2009
  The Underground – 555 E. Fourth St., Suite B – Reno
  October 31 @ 11 p.m.
  Seven bands play for a Halloween concert, with Zend, Deplete, Fire to Reason, Sinister Scene, Dominion NV, Dead Wreckoning and Determined. The costume contest has $150 in cash prizes and $5 shots get you a free PBR. Buy advance tickets from any of the bands. After 11 p.m, the event is 21 and over only.
• Halloween with Ashlee Stone
  Biggest Little City Club – 188 California Ave. – Reno
  October 31 @ 9 p.m.
  Join Ashlee Stone, DJ Sean Murray and the BLCC Crew for Halloween fun, including costume contests (such as rhinestone cowboy) with $200 cash prize. VIP table service is available (e-mail for details).
• Halloween Party and Shames CD release
  Chapel Tavern – 1495 S. Virginia St. – Reno
  October 31 @ 10 p.m.
  Halloween concert with the Shames (celebrating their CD release), the Humans, and Pinky Polanski, with prizes for best male and female costume.
• Halloween party at Strega
  Strega Bar – 310 S Arlington Ave. – Reno
  October 31 @ 9 p.m.
  Halloween at Strega features a costume contest and scary specials including $4 TUACA Hot Cider and $4 Peppermint Patties.
• Glam-Rock Gala with the Reagan Years
  Tonic Lounge - 231 W. Second St. – Reno
  October 31 @ 10 p.m.
  The Reagan Years host this retro bash, with all costumes encouraged but special discount for those rocking ’70s and ’80s glam-rock outfits. $100 costume contest and prize giveaways. Courtesy Call opens. Drink specials include $2 pumpkin beer.
• Hellaween with Evergreen Terrace
  Vixens – 906 Victorian Ave. – Sparks
  October 30 @ 7:30 p.m.
  Touring band Evergreen Terrace performs with For the Fallen Dreams, Asking Alexandria, Unholy, and Barcadia. For those who like their candy-oriented holidays loud.
• Beck’s House of Horrors
  Beck’s Brew House - 3611 Kings Row – Reno
  October 31 @ 7 p.m.
  The mayhem starts at 7 p.m. with drink specials and a potent witches brew. The costume contest is at 10 p.m. with prizes for best costume, best couple and most disturbing.
• Nigels’ 14th Annual Halloween Bash
  3rd Street – 125 W. Third St. – Reno
  October 31 @ 8 p.m.
  The annual party features the band Hardrive and a contest for best costume at midnight.
• Halloween open bar at Amendment 21
  Amendment 21 Grill & Sports Bar – 425 S. Virginia St. – Reno
  October 31 @ 10 p.m. – 12 a.m.
  On Halloween from 10 p.m. to midnight, enjoy $5 mugs and $20 for free refills on all well and draft drinks.
• Halloween parties at Bonanza
  Bonanza Casino - 4720 N. Virginia St. – Reno
  October 30 @ 7 p.m.
  On Oct. 30, there is a DJ debuting the bar’s new dance floor. On Oct. 31, the Bonanza hosts a costume contest at 9 p.m. with $500 in prizes. Registration is from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Fort Reno Booth, and then there’s dancing all night.
• Creeper’s Ball Costume Party – Tainted Love
  Crystal Bay Club-Casino – 14 Nevada 28 – Crystal Bay
  October 31 @ 9 p.m.
  Annual costume party featuring the ’80s tribute band.
• Le Chamois Halloween Party
  The Village at Squaw Valley – 1750 Village East Road – Olympic Valley
  October 31 @ 8 p.m
  DJ Blue 42 will be spinning dance tunes at 9 p.m. at the Le Chamois bar. Costumes are strongly encouraged.
• Virginia City All Hallow’s Eve
  Silver Queen Hotel – 28 N. C St. – Virginia City
  October 31 @ 5 p.m. – 1 a.m.
  Presented by Bats in the Belfry. Spend a chilling Halloween night with the spirits of Virginia City. Includes a buffet style dinner, discussion panel on paranormal investigating presented by Ghost Posse Inc. and four hours of ghost hunting in some of the most haunted places in Virginia City. Advance ticket sales only. Event goes from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
• Halloween Party Dinner and Dance
  Gold Hill Hotel – 1540 Main St. – Gold Hill
  October 31 @ 5 p.m.
  Fine dining from 5-9 p.m. followed by music for dancing from 9 till midnight. Costumes are encouraged with awards for best costume. Call to reserve.

Street Vibrations, one of the nation’s largest motorcycle events, Sept. 23-27, brings together enthusiasts of every stripe, taking over Reno Tahoe with rides, competitions, food, music and fun.

You don’t have to be a motorcycle nut to enjoy Street Vibrations, but it helps. Thousands of bikers mix with casual riders, builders and spectators to check out each others’ rides, listen to some rock n’ roll, and share the company of friends on a sunny afternoon.

For more information and a schedule of events, visit the event Web site.



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Whether you’re the type of rib-eater who’s all about quality, or the type who’s all about quantity, the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off delivers with the world’s best cookers lined up to fill festivalgoers bellies and compete for bragging rights.

The 21st running of the event takes place Sept. 2-7 (Labor Day weekend) at Victorian Square in Reno’s sister city of Sparks, where nearly 500,000 visitors will converge to consume 100 tons of ribs, while many of the world’s most celebrated and talented rib cookers compete for a cash purse in the thousands and the title of, “Best of the West,” – a designation many cookers consider to be the ultimate prize in high-volume competitive BBQ.

Eat to win

Watch professional eaters, including three-time defending champion Joey Chestnut, participate in the 4th Annual World Rib Eating Competition, planned for Sept. 2. Last year the legendary world No.1-ranked eater consumed 9.8 pounds of rib meat in 12 minutes to set a new world record.

Entertainment

This year’s entertainment lineup includes the Saddle Tramps, Hot Club of Cowtown, Restless Heart, The Fixx, Jonny Lang and the Iguanas, and many other bands over the six-day festival.

View more event information online.

Hot August Nights, one of the nation’s biggest events for auto enthusiasts, has finally started, and the streets are filled to the brim with custom rigs, hot rods, classics and exotics, while the stages are pumping with classic sounds.

The event runs through Aug. 9, with dozens of events every day throughout the Reno and Sparks areas. Download a schedule here.

It’s the nostalgia of poodle skirts and doo-wop music … a trip back to a simpler time of drive-in diners and movies, when the car was king America and a night of fun was as easy as hopping in and cruising downtown.

That feeling still lives in Reno Tahoe, where each year thousands of car enthusiasts, ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s fanatics, and music lovers of all stripes descend on the area for Hot August Nights. The 10-day celebration (July 31-Aug. 9) is a non-stop parade of food and family fun, with events at venues throughout Reno and Sparks. Most of the events are outdoors, under the warm Sierra Nevada sun and free to visitors.

This year, organizers expect as many as 800,000 people to visit casino-hotel parking lots filled door to door with rare classics, music on stages in downtown Reno and Sparks, and events like a sock hop, a huge classic car auction and controlled cruises featuring the best cars.

And although enthusiasts travel from thousands of miles to show off classic, restored and one-off rides, Hot August Nights is far from being all about the cars. This is a cultural can’t-miss event that guarantees a good time for all.

Hot August Nights 2009 highlights:

• Peter Frampton plays John Ascuaga’s Nugget July 31
• Show-N-Shine at Cabala’s Outfitters, with raffles and giveaways Aug. 1
• Downtown Reno Show-N-Shine presented by the Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus casinos Aug. 2
• Sparks Victorian Square Craft Fair; kick-off party and cruise night at Peppermill Resort Spa Casino Aug. 3
• Guinness Book of World Records Hula Hoop contest at the Atlantis Casino Resort Aug. 4
• Controlled cruises in downtown Reno and downtown Sparks Aug. 5
• Bog Boys Toy Store at the Reno Events Center in downtown Reno Aug. 6
• Meet the stars and see the cars from American Graffiti at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino Aug. 7
• Grand Sierra Resort “Best of Show” $10,000 Competition Aug. 8
• Official Hot August Nights parade in downtown Reno Aug. 9

Check out complete information online at www.hotaugustnights.net

Each Thursday vendors set up their tents, bands tune up on stage and the local pubs roll out the kegs for the biggest weekly party in the region at the Sparks Hometown Farmer’s Market.

The market runs throughout the summer, offering visitors a taste of Northern Nevada fun at Victorian Square in downtown Sparks.

In addition to traditional farmer’s market fare, there’s music on three stages, demonstrations, dance and plenty of partying. Check out this video to get a taste of one of Sparks’ signature events.

The region’s preeminent holiday celebration and fireworks display – Star Spangled Sparks – takes place on July 4 with events at locations including Victorian Square in downtown Sparks, the Sparks Marina and the Legends at Sparks Marina destination retail center. The fireworks show, launched from John Ascuaga’s Nugget and viewable from Victorian Square at 9:30 p.m., is equally impressive.

• Reno’s new baseball team is offering its own show with fireworks launched at Aces Stadium in downtown Reno after the game.
• In North Tahoe/Truckee, several shows in Incline Village (Incline Beach), Tahoe City (Commons Beach) and Donner Lake (West End Beach) start at 9:30. If you’re headed to Truckee be sure to check out the parade downtown.
• And in Carson City, Mills Park offers revelers a party atmosphere highlighted by fireworks at 9:15 p.m.

A summer tradition kicks off again this week in Sparks as the Hometowne Farmer’s Market brings dozens of vendors, hundreds of people and a party atmosphere to Victorian Square.

The Sparks Farmer’s Market runs Thursday evenings throughout the summer. And while visitors can score great produce and family-farm fare, the market is as much of a party as a place to get the groceries.

See bands and dance the night away. Drink an “Icky” from Great Basin Brewing Co. (also located at Victorian Square) and check out local art. Thousands converge on the Square – young and old – and the party goes into the evening.

Sparks Farmer’s Market

• When: Thursdays, 4-9 p.m., June 11-Aug. 20 (except Aug. 6)
• Where: Victorian Square, Sparks, Nev.
• Web: Sparks Hometown Farmer’s Market

In the Sierra Nevada it’s known as the “shoulder season,” the period between ski season and summer. The kids are still in school and the crowds are thin. But spring is the time to get to Reno-Tahoe for a visit. Check out these spring highlights:

1 – Down by the River

A trickle turns to a roar as Tahoe snowmelt feeds the Truckee River in downtown Reno. The Riverwalk area is prime for lazy walks, shopping and a streamside drink under the sun. Read More

2 – Catch a Homer

A new ballpark has risen on the banks of the Truckee River. The Reno Aces, a Triple A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, offer exciting professional baseball action in the heart of the city. Read More

3 – Get Teed Off

Reno-Tahoe might be golf’s best-kept secret in the West. Here 50 courses from high-mountain to high-desert challenge players with variety at a great value. Read More

4 – Try Lady Luck

The gaming action is always hopping in Reno, Sparks and Lake Tahoe. Dozens of properties offer a unique experience on the casino floor. And who knows? You could get lucky. Read More

5 – Shop Till You Drop

Power shoppers have a new destination in Sparks. The Legends at Sparks Marina destination center is opening shops in phases, and it’s home to Scheels, the World’s Largest All Sports Star at nearly 300,000 square feet. Read More

6 – Cast a Lure

Cast a fly for big brown and rainbow trout, catch a cutthroat at Pyramid Lake, or hit the mackinaw in Lake Tahoe. Spring fishing is a right of passage for any Sierra Nevada adventurer. Read More

7 – Wine and Dine

A nice cab … perhaps a pinot or a chardonnay. Several downtown Reno establishments – including the West Street Wine Bar, Jungle Vino and the Siena Hotel Spa Casino – cater to wine-lovers pallets, while a fine-dining experience waits just around the corner. Read More

8 – Exit Stage Left

There’s always a show to see in Reno-Tahoe. The newest offering, Celtic Legends playing at the Eldorado Hotel Casino from May 15-July 26, offers Irish music and breathtaking dance on center stage. Read More

9 – Lake Tahoe

When the ski lifts stop turning, Lake Tahoe is all about beaches, sun and getting out on the water. Experience “Big Blue,” just a 45-minute drive from downtown Reno and Sparks. Read More

10 – Arts and Culture

Reno-Tahoe is the cultural hub of Northern Nevada, boasting 31 museums. The Nevada Museum of Art is an architectural delight housing local works and traveling exhibits. Or find your niche, with great offerings from the National Automobile Museum to the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Read More