April 2012 Events

Come see over 10,000 tulips at the Crystal Hermitage Gardens Tulip Open House. The  dates this year are April 7 & 8 and April 14 & 15 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. This is a free event with live music, refreshments and gardening questions and answers. The Crystal Hermitage Gardens are located in the Ananda Village, just 15 miles from the Broad Street Inn. It is also possible to see the tulips on self-guided tours throughout the month of April between 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. Check out our pictures of the tulips from last year on Flickr!

Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra (CATS) opens its 18th season with The Teahouse of the August Moon. This Tony Award winning play was first adapted by the 1951 novel, then opened on Broadway in 1953, and later MGM produced a movie in 1956. This comedy takes place in a tiny Okinawa village from 1945 to 1952. It is a clash of cultures as Captain Fisby begins the process of “Americanization”. The play runs from April 12 through May 5 at the Nevada Theatre. Show times and tickets are available HERE. (You may have seen CATS’ incredible production of The King and I last year.)

Take a hike! Docent guided Wild Flower Walks will be held every weekend beginning March 17 through May 13 from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. at the South Yuba River State Park. Bring a lunch, snacks, good walking shoes and a camera. Take in the flowers and views of the South Yuba River on the Buttermilk Bend Trail. For more information call the Park Visitor Center at 530-432-2546 or visit their website at www.southyubariverstatepark.org. This is a fun, family event and you can support our local park by donating a suggested $3.

For a new way to see Nevada City, go on a food tour! We highly recommend Local Roots Food Tours for a fun and interesting way to discover Nevada City for first-time tourists or return visitors. Read our blog on our food tour experience by clicking on the blog tab above or clicking HERE.

Once a month, join local bird expert Bill Cortright on a birding expedition along the South Fork of the Yuba River. The 2012 schedule is posted on the South Yuba River State Park website or click HERE.

SYRCL's Wild & Scenic Film Festival

Come into town for SYRCL‘s 10th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival! The three-day environmental film festival takes place on January 13, 14, and 15 in and around Nevada City. Each year, the Festival draws in top filmmakers, celebrities, leading activists, social innovators and well-known world adventurers to the largest film festival of it’s kind. The films show all over Nevada City, including the Miners Foundry, the Nevada Theatre, the Veterans Hall, and many more locations. This is one of Nevada City’s biggest events and is worth going to! If you plan on coming next year, make your reservations as soon as possible. Accommodations fill up as far as one year in advance. We hope you can join us for this fabulous, one-of-a-kind festival! If you’ve never been to the festival, check out this article “How to Festival” for tips and answers to the most popular questions. Tickets are available online now. Volunteers are always needed at the film festival. If you want a free pass for films and love to help, consider volunteering at the festival! You can register HERE.

SYRCL (South Yuba River Citizens League) has been working hard to protect and restore the Yuba River since 1983. Read more about the organization on their website.

LeGacy Presents… Two Christmas Plays this Season!

Nevada City always goes all out for the holidays. Usually, at least one Christmas play is shown through the month of December. This year, we are so lucky to have two plays (both by LeGacy Presents) which are both fabulous. The first play, A Christmas Story, is playing at the Nevada Theatre. The classic comedy set in the 1930s tells the story of a boy named Ralphie who wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. If you loved the movie, you’ll love the play as well. It has a great and energetic cast and a beautiful set. This play is fun for the whole family and tickets run from $15-$30. It shows Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until December 24. For more information on show times, click HERE.

The second play that LeGacy is putting on this holiday season is David Sedaris’ Santaland Diaries. This one man show tells David’s story of working as an elf at Macy’s Santaland. This hilarious production is perfect for a night away from the kids. LeGacy suggests that this performance is for “mature elves only.” Playing at Off Center Stage in Grass Valley, this show is playing until December 24 as well. Tickets are around $20-$25.

You don’t want to miss either of these productions, so catch them before they leave!

Now Playing: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Sierra Stages is putting on a production of the comedy “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” starting this Thursday, July 14, at Nevada Theatre. We saw the production and were laughing the whole time. It’s great for the whole family, although older kids might enjoy it more. The music was catchy and upbeat and the costumes were fun and colorful. The Stephen Sondheim musical, which has a live orchestra, will be playing every weekend through August 7. Visit SierraStages.org, call the box office at 530-346-3210, or stop by BriarPatch Co-op or The Book Seller for tickets. Don’t forget to look for Sierra Stages’ “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” coming in October, playing at the Miners Foundry.

Advance Ticket Prices for “Forum”:
July 14 & 15 Preview Performances: $15
Thursday Performances at 7 PM: $20
Friday and Saturday Performances at 8; Sundays at 2: $25

Read more about the production HERE.

The Full Monty playing in Nevada City

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.

Now Showing at the Nevada Theatre: The King and I

Thursday was opening night for CATS‘ (Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra) production of The King and I playing at the Nevada Theatre. It was an incredible performance and has an excellent cast. The music was phenomenal with a live orchestra. Besides the great production, the theater is a great way to keep warm and dry in this rainy weather. Tickets range from $15-$30 and are available at the door or in Nevada City at Gold Mountain and the Nevada City Postal Company.

Anna and the King dancing. Courtesy of CATS website, www.catsweb.org