california

Constitution Day Parade and Celebration

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Celebrate the 45th annual Constitution Day Parade, the oldest and largest in western America! It’s a big weekend in Nevada City, and all the fun events are free, unless otherwise noted. Saturday, September 10, starts off with a pancake breakfast at Seaman’s Lodge at Pioneer Park. The breakfast is only $6 per person and goes from 7:00-10:30 a.m. The first Civil War reenactment starts at 1:00 p.m. at Pioneer Park. We recommend bringing chairs or a blanket to sit on, and if you have young children or are sensitive to noise, you might want to bring earplugs as well. At 2:30 p.m., a Military Uniform Fashion Show will be taking place at the Pioneer Park Bandshell. The second reenactment of the weekend starts at 4:00 p.m., also at Pioneer Park. From 5:30-6:30 p.m., you can catch the Nevada County Concert Band on North Pine Street.

On Sunday from 7:00-10:30 a.m., the pancake breakfast returns to Seaman’s Lodge, still only $6 per person. At 11:00 a.m., the last reenactment takes place at Pioneer Park. This is the only Sunday showing, but is before the parade so you don’t miss out on anything. Watch the historic reenactment of the signing of the United States Constitution at Broad and Pine Streets at 1:30 p.m. At 2:00 is the Constitution Day Parade which starts at the top of Broad (right in front of the inn!) and makes its way down to the bottom of Broad.

If you can’t find parking in town, there is free parking at the Nevada County Government Center at Hwy 49 and Maidu Ave. Take the shuttle into town and Pioneer Park for $3 (all day pass). If you dress up in historical costume, the shuttle service is free! You can also choose to walk, it’s about 0.5 miles to downtown, and about 1.0 mile to Pioneer Park.

Enjoy your weekend!

Update: Here are some photos from the weekend, but you can see more on our Flickr site!

Nevada City Uncorked

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The Nevada City Chamber of Commerce and the Sierra Vintners present Nevada City Uncorked, a Food and Wine Experience. This Saturday, August 6, from 1:00-4:00 p.m., over 20 wineries, restaurants, and venues will participate in this event. After some last minute changes, we have been added as a venue! Similar to the Wine Stroll in June, patrons will walk from venue to venue, taste wine, and eat. All of the locations are walking distance and include Broad, Commercial, Spring, and Pine Streets.
Some of the wineries that will be attending include Nevada City Winery, Szabo, Lucchesi, Pilot Peak, and many others. Friar Tuck’s, Deer Creek Inn, J.J.Jackson’s, as well as plenty of other locations, will be serving food and wine. Food will be provided by several different restaurants and caterers, including Sopa Thai, Way Yum Sushi, and Fudenjuice.
Tickets for Sierra Vintners Wine Club Members are $25. Tickets for non-members are $30 in advance, $40 at the door. Your ticket includes a commemorative wine glass for wine tasting, and 5 food tickets. Additional food tickets are available for 2/$5 or 5/$10.

Pete's Pizza in Nevada City

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Yesterday, we went downtown to try out the newest restaurant in town, Pete’s Pizza. Their first restaurant was opened a few years ago in downtown Grass Valley and after great success, they have opened a second restaurant in Nevada City. We walked downtown and were at Pete’s in just a couple of minutes. We were going to get a small pizza, which is 12″ and just over $10. The owner talked us into getting just a slice a piece, which was the perfect size. The large slice was about $4 and we could add toppings, but opted for a simple slice of Margherita. Pete’s serves a thin, New York-style pizza with a homemade sauce and fresh toppings (they also have a Chicago deep-dish style per request). The Margherita had Roma tomatoes that were ripe and juicy with fresh basil. A slice took a little over 5 minutes and a whole pizza takes about 20 minutes. A pizza-by-the-slice place is perfect for tourists and locals alike, especially during street fairs and events. They have a whole list of toppings or you can choose from their specials, such as the Yuba or Mediterranean. If you aren’t in the mood for pizza, they have calzones (which are packed full and delicious!), salads, subs, and a list of appetizers including fish and chips, chicken tenders, garlic fries, and much more. Pete’s has yet to set hours, but for now they open at 11:30 a.m. and close late in the evening sometime. Pete’s Pizza is at 239 Commercial St. in Nevada City, CA and can be contacted by phone at 530.264.7004

Pete's Pizza on Urbanspoon

The Full Monty playing in Nevada City

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The Full Monty (a musical edition) opened at the Nevada Theatre last weekend. Put on by Ewing Ventures, this comedy tells the story of a few friends who are unemployed from the steel mill and can’t find good paying jobs where they live in Buffalo, New York. One night they see tons of women going to see Chippendale dancers. They figure if they put on a show, they too can make a lot of money. The three friends decide they need six men to put on a good show and go on a challenging search for men to join their show. All six have their problems that get resolved as the play goes on. Since the men are no Chippendale dancers, they have to find a way to get people to come to their show, so they decide to go “the full monty”. The Full Monty is playing until June 23, 2011 so go enjoy the show before it’s gone! (Due to adult content, only patrons 18 years or older are admitted.)

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Once known as the Bailey House Hotel, the Nevada Theatre was built in an attempt to have a theater that wouldn’t burn to the ground (like a lot of Nevada City, including the Bailey House Hotel, had in the beginning). Mark Twain and Emma Nevada both performed on the Nevada Theatre stage. The Nevada Theatre has gone through many ownership changes. It was once a movie theater known as the Cedar Theater from 1909 until 1958 when televisions took away business from the movie theater.  Just a few years ago, the Foothill Theatre Company went out of business. The company put on most of the plays at Nevada Theatre, along with C.A.T.S. (Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra), for many  years. When Foothill Theatre Company stopped producing plays, many believed that the Nevada Theatre was also closing. The Nevada Theatre is still running and has recently gone under some big changes such as a new roof and a heating and air conditioning system. The interior walls were revamped, and the exterior got a fresh coat of paint and major repairs were made to the brick and mortar. The theater is now used mostly by LeGacy Productions, C.A.T.S., and on Sunday nights by the Nevada Theatre Film Series. The theatre is also used for special events and for the Wild & Scenic Film Festival held by S.Y.R.C.L. (South Yuba River Citizens League) and the Nevada City Film Festival.

Green Life Eco Fest

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This past weekend, we went to the Green Life Eco Fest. We had a great time. Many local merchants and businesses were there to offer their information. The A.P.P.L.E. Center for Sustainable Living was there as well as Reinette Senum, a local who is very involved in the community, who shared her new portable shelter for the homeless. The local co-op, Briar Patch, attended and displayed the healthy food they provide in their grocery store. Nevada County Grown, a local non-profit, was there sharing their information on how they connect local farmers and ranchers to the community.  There was plenty to eat at the festival, like Horn of the Bull, a local taqueria. A family-owned frozen yogurt business, Yotasia,was selling a few of their frozen yogurt treats. Each of Yotasia’s flavors are hand-crafted and homemade with no added sugars or artificial sweeteners. Each of their locations is on a college campus in the dining halls. We had a great time meeting other “green” businesses and getting new ideas on what we can do to be more eco-friendly.

Cooperative Games, an online store, had a booth displaying all of their games which promote team work and cooperation.
Reinette Senum with her microhouse for the homeless prototype.

Amgen Tour in Nevada City!

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Nevada City was proud to announce this morning that the city would be hosting the beginning of the Amgen Tour of California. It was originally planned to start in Tahoe yesterday, but once it starting snowing, it was decided to keep the cyclists from riding in snow and possibly ice. Jeff Pelline, from FoodWineArt magazine wrote an article on his blog this morning with more information on the race. For more pictures from downtown of Amgen, pictures are posted on our Flickr.