“What if today, we were just grateful for everything?“
—Charlie Brown
Main Street Greetings!
The most wonderful time of year is finally upon us.. the season of gratitude and thanksgiving. It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving Day is less than a week away, and right on its heels is the holiday season. November is a beautiful time of year when we pause and reflect on the many things we are grateful for before we head into the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We here at Main Street know we have bountiful reasons and memories that bring us gratitude, and it’s all because of you!
The most recent was our Dia de Los Muertos Festival, which we hosted earlier this month. This was the second time we partnered with our friends Douglas County Community Services and Carson Valley Arts Council to present the 2nd annual Dia de Los Muertos festival. We are excited to announce the Nevada Arts Council awarded us grant funding to bring this beautiful cultural celebration to downtown Gardnerville. The day was filled with excellent, authentic food, beverages, and vendors from our local Hispanic business community. Our entertainment this year was incredible. We had our local Grupo Paso Fino perform (some members still attend Douglas High School!). They set the stage for the Mariachi Sol de Reno, who got the crowd dancing. We also had talented local Trick Roper Juan Marrufo and his adorable ponies and horses, and the Nuestra Dancers danced beautifully.
The day’s highlight was the Aztec Dancers and a 12ft Catrina doll presentation by Latino Arte & Culture of Reno. The Aztec dancers were incredible to watch with their drum beats and beautiful headdresses, and we learned why we celebrate Dia De Los Muertos from La Catrina.
This is such a special event for our community, and we were thrilled to have had the opportunity to partner again with our friends at Douglas County Community Service, Carson Valley Arts Council, and the Nevada Arts Council to bring this beautiful cultural celebration back for a second year. I have to pause and give a HUGE thank you to Jen Calabrese with Douglas County Community Services for all her hard work in helping to organize this event. Never underestimate the power of Jens when they set their minds to something! Thank you, Jen, Douglas County, Town of Gardnerville, Carson Valley Arts Council, our volunteers, Nevada Arts Council, and more importantly, our Hispanic Latina/Latino community for embracing this event – we can’t wait to do it all again next year. For a quick highlight of the day, click HERE!
As the year winds down and we slide into the holiday season, we only have a few more events before we wrap up 2023 and put the year to rest. To get you in the spirit of the holidays, the Town of Gardnerville will host its Annual Christmas Kickoff on November 30th at 5:30 pm at Heritage Park. This free family annual event will feature hot cocoa and Dutch Oven Cobbler by the Town, popcorn from the Gardnerville water company, entertainment by local youth performers, photos with Santa, Electric Carriage Rides by the Borges Carriage Rides, the Pavillion lighting, and FIREWORKS! If that doesn’t put the jingle in your step, I don’t know what will!
Our Candy Cane Main – Shop Main Street campaign returns this year with the kickoff shopping extravaganza on Saturday, December 2, from 11 am to 2 pm. In true Main Street fashion, we have cranked it up a notch this year and are excited to announce we will be featuring the Borges Electric Carriage rides to transport shoppers up and down the district! This year, for a $20 registration, you will not only have access to the carriage rides but also receive a limited edition commemorative holiday shopping tote to carry your unique shopping finds. We have a limited amount of 250 commemorative totes available for registered shoppers, so preregister today! We will feature Photos with Santa at the Historian Inn from 11-2 pm. Make it a complete day by eating at one of our fantastic restaurants and refuel just in time for the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce Parade of Lights at 5 pm on Main Street.
The best part of the Candy Cane Main Shopping kickoff is all the proceeds from shopper registration will go directly to the 2024 Facade Improvement Grant Program. Not only will you be supporting our local business community, but you will also be directly investing in your downtown. We can’t think of a better way to spread the joy that will last beyond the holiday season.
Our Candy Cane Main campaign will continue throughout December to promote our local businesses and merchants and encourage you to shop locally for the holiday season. This year will feature an enhanced interactive map of participating businesses, and we will drop our Perfect Gift guide of hand-selected favorites from our local businesses to help you find that perfect gift from the heart for your loved one. Please watch for a special edition newsletter in December with your Perfect Gift Guide of must-haves.
As you know, we LOVE our small business community. We recently attended the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners (32:31 minute mark) meeting on Thursday, November 16, for the Proclamation declaring November 25, 2023, as Shop Small Saturday. Commissioner Chair Gardner encourages us to “Shop Small and Spend Big” not just this holiday season but throughout the year.
According to Capital One, in a recent study, 68% of money spent at local stores remains in the local economy; that’s $68 out of every $100! By shopping locally, you aren’t just keeping local dollars local. Small business is the heart and soul of any community, and by supporting them, you are also supporting a neighbor, a parent, a friend with a dream, and helping to keep the heart in our community. In particular, our local merchants and businesses have weathered many storms trying to keep their doors open over the last few years. From mandatory closures to supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, recession, inflation, and road construction, they need your support now more than ever. Make sure to pop in and show them your support and maybe even a high-five for being so resilient. To our small business community: WE LOVE YOU!
Don’t forget we have our Wreaths Across America Ceremony one month from now! We SO CLOSE TO OUR GOAL!! We have 13 wreaths left to sponsor! Please see the information below if you would like more information on participating in our event as a military branch representative during the ceremony or volunteering.
As I close out my novel, I want to pause on behalf of Main Street Gardnerville and share gratitude and thanks to you, our fantastic community, for the wonderful Main Street Memories we continue to make together and your continued support of our Main Street Mission. We wish you and your families a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday filled with the same gratitude you gave us. Thank you for making this community so special. We look forward to kicking off the holidays with you! Until then, remember to support your local businesses, tip generously, and be kind to each other.See you on Candy Cane Main!
The most wonderful time of year is finally upon us.. the season of gratitude and thanksgiving. It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving Day is less than a week away, and right on its heels is the holiday season. November is a beautiful time of year when we pause and reflect on the many things we are grateful for before we head into the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. We here at Main Street know we have bountiful reasons and memories that bring us gratitude, and it’s all because of you!
The most recent was our Dia de Los Muertos Festival, which we hosted earlier this month. This was the second time we partnered with our friends Douglas County Community Services and Carson Valley Arts Council to present the 2nd annual Dia de Los Muertos festival. We are excited to announce the Nevada Arts Council awarded us grant funding to bring this beautiful cultural celebration to downtown Gardnerville. The day was filled with excellent, authentic food, beverages, and vendors from our local Hispanic business community. Our entertainment this year was incredible. We had our local Grupo Paso Fino perform (some members still attend Douglas High School!). They set the stage for the Mariachi Sol de Reno, who got the crowd dancing. We also had talented local Trick Roper Juan Marrufo and his adorable ponies and horses, and the Nuestra Dancers danced beautifully.
The day’s highlight was the Aztec Dancers and a 12ft Catrina doll presentation by Latino Arte & Culture of Reno. The Aztec dancers were incredible to watch with their drum beats and beautiful headdresses, and we learned why we celebrate Dia De Los Muertos from La Catrina.
This is such a special event for our community, and we were thrilled to have had the opportunity to partner again with our friends at Douglas County Community Service, Carson Valley Arts Council, and the Nevada Arts Council to bring this beautiful cultural celebration back for a second year. I have to pause and give a HUGE thank you to Jen Calabrese with Douglas County Community Services for all her hard work in helping to organize this event. Never underestimate the power of Jens when they set their minds to something! Thank you, Jen, Douglas County, Town of Gardnerville, Carson Valley Arts Council, our volunteers, Nevada Arts Council, and more importantly, our Hispanic Latina/Latino community for embracing this event – we can’t wait to do it all again next year. For a quick highlight of the day, click HERE!
As the year winds down and we slide into the holiday season, we only have a few more events before we wrap up 2023 and put the year to rest. To get you in the spirit of the holidays, the Town of Gardnerville will host its Annual Christmas Kickoff on November 30th at 5:30 pm at Heritage Park. This free family annual event will feature hot cocoa and Dutch Oven Cobbler by the Town, popcorn from the Gardnerville water company, entertainment by local youth performers, photos with Santa, Electric Carriage Rides by the Borges Carriage Rides, the Pavillion lighting, and FIREWORKS! If that doesn’t put the jingle in your step, I don’t know what will!
Our Candy Cane Main – Shop Main Street campaign returns this year with the kickoff shopping extravaganza on Saturday, December 2, from 11 am to 2 pm. In true Main Street fashion, we have cranked it up a notch this year and are excited to announce we will be featuring the Borges Electric Carriage rides to transport shoppers up and down the district! This year, for a $20 registration, you will not only have access to the carriage rides but also receive a limited edition commemorative holiday shopping tote to carry your unique shopping finds. We have a limited amount of 250 commemorative totes available for registered shoppers, so preregister today! We will feature Photos with Santa at the Historian Inn from 11-2 pm. Make it a complete day by eating at one of our fantastic restaurants and refuel just in time for the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce Parade of Lights at 5 pm on Main Street.
The best part of the Candy Cane Main Shopping kickoff is all the proceeds from shopper registration will go directly to the 2024 Facade Improvement Grant Program. Not only will you be supporting our local business community, but you will also be directly investing in your downtown. We can’t think of a better way to spread the joy that will last beyond the holiday season.
Our Candy Cane Main campaign will continue throughout December to promote our local businesses and merchants and encourage you to shop locally for the holiday season. This year will feature an enhanced interactive map of participating businesses, and we will drop our Perfect Gift guide of hand-selected favorites from our local businesses to help you find that perfect gift from the heart for your loved one. Please watch for a special edition newsletter in December with your Perfect Gift Guide of must-haves.
As you know, we LOVE our small business community. We recently attended the Douglas County Board of County Commissioners (32:31 minute mark) meeting on Thursday, November 16, for the Proclamation declaring November 25, 2023, as Shop Small Saturday. Commissioner Chair Gardner encourages us to “Shop Small and Spend Big” not just this holiday season but throughout the year.
According to Capital One, in a recent study, 68% of money spent at local stores remains in the local economy; that’s $68 out of every $100! By shopping locally, you aren’t just keeping local dollars local. Small business is the heart and soul of any community, and by supporting them, you are also supporting a neighbor, a parent, a friend with a dream, and helping to keep the heart in our community. In particular, our local merchants and businesses have weathered many storms trying to keep their doors open over the last few years. From mandatory closures to supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, recession, inflation, and road construction, they need your support now more than ever. Make sure to pop in and show them your support and maybe even a high-five for being so resilient. To our small business community: WE LOVE YOU!
Don’t forget we have our Wreaths Across America Ceremony one month from now! We SO CLOSE TO OUR GOAL!! We have 13 wreaths left to sponsor! Please see the information below if you would like more information on participating in our event as a military branch representative during the ceremony or volunteering.
As I close out my novel, I want to pause on behalf of Main Street Gardnerville and share gratitude and thanks to you, our fantastic community, for the wonderful Main Street Memories we continue to make together and your continued support of our Main Street Mission. We wish you and your families a beautiful Thanksgiving holiday filled with the same gratitude you gave us. Thank you for making this community so special. We look forward to kicking off the holidays with you! Until then, remember to support your local businesses, tip generously, and be kind to each other.See you on Candy Cane Main!
Jen Nalder, Program Director
Main Street Gardnerville
Main Street Gardnerville is a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to revitalize downtown Gardnerville utilizing design, organization, promotion & district vitality to develop a unique identity and preserve the historic nature of our community.