SWEET SIXTEEN
By Mark Winkler
SCALE MOUNTAINS
OF MUSIC
Since 1982, Music in the Mountains has brought the
hills alive with the sound of orchestras, choruses and
soloists, performing classical, pops, Broadway, film
music and more. This year’s Summerfest performances include Don McLean, Judy Collins and the
music of The Beach Boys at delightful venues such
as the Amaral Center, the Del Oro Theatre and outdoors at the Gateway Park Pavilion. Take in a showyou’ll leave with a glow.
FEEL FESTIVE
Nevada County celebrates festively frequently, including the Celtic Festival, Strawberry
Music Festival, Bluegrass Festival, Music in the
Mountains’ Festival and the World Music Festival.
Some of us even celebrate Festivus!
INDEPENDENCE
WAYS
Our county hosts good-old-fashioned, small-town 4th of July
parades in both Grass Valley and
Truckee. Or take a day trip to
Downieville for an even smaller
small-town 4th of July parade.
Any delightful Independence
Day cliché you can think of will
be thoroughly covered–Norman
Rockwell has nothing on us!
GET DOWNIEVILLE
FAIR THEE WELL
Speaking of nice daytrips, Downieville is
a classic for that little-changed, rural Sierra feeling.
For fishing, leaf or wildlife watching, hiking, river-dipping and mountain relaxation, spend some time in
the Downieville area in any season and you are
bound to “get” it.
The Nevada County Fairgrounds has
been described as “California’s Most Beautiful
Fairgrounds” by the California Assembly. We
wouldn't disagree – it might be the towering pines
or the marigold-lined paths or maybe the fact that
it's clean and shady and well maintained. Events happen year-round- you might come for the county fair
in August and eat your way down “Treat Street” or
visit in September for the Draft Horse Classic and
see some of the most amazing equines in the world.
Oh, heck, do both.
HIKE LAKE CRAZY
For backpacking, the high Sierra Nevada
Mountains offer world-class scenery and some of
the most beautiful granite your boots will ever make
their way across. There are whole clusters of mountain lakes where you can wet a line, refresh with a
swim and partake of deep serenity. To pick just one,
try Penner Lake, for five-star camping, superlative
swimming, and picture-postcard scenery. And there
are oh-so-many more.
SNOW REASON
TO GET EXCITED
From a home base in Truckee you can enjoy some of
the best snow on Earth for skiing downhill or crosscountry. Winter is always a treat here and there are
conditions perfect for anyone, beginner to Olympian,
plus available lessons if you’re just getting started.
MARCHING PRESIDENTS
& HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS
Experience some of the liveliest American history presentations you’ve ever seen during the Constitution
Weekend Celebration, every September in glorious
Nevada City. The weekend is packed with living history and when you see the famous Marching
Presidents coming down Broad Street as part of the
parade, you’ll know you’re in the best of company.
DIG INTO
MALAKOFF DIGGINS
Malakoff Diggins State Park is the site of
California's largest "hydraulic" mine and the visually
impressive cliffs carved by mighty streams of water
that were used to wash away entire mountains to
get the gold. The park is about a 50-minute drive
north of Nevada City and features a visitor center,
museum and town site tours. You can also “selfguide” your way around this testament to the power
of precious metal.
YAHOO, RINSE, REPEAT
GET
DOWNTOWN
Dive in and enjoy our beautiful natural
waters. From the Yuba River at the Old Highway 49
Bridge, Edwards Crossing, Purdon Crossing and
Bridgeport (best for families), to the Truckee River,
Rollins Lake, Scott's Flat Lake and Donner Lake
to name just a few, you will find clear water, deep
pools, massive granite boulders and great
mountain lakes.
We have great old downtowns
that really have a “there” there.
You’ll find terrific historic buildings, beautifully cared for, in
Truckee, Grass Valley and
Nevada City. Gold Rush era
attributes and architecture
abound and if you love Art Deco,
take in the Courthouse in
Nevada City and the Del Oro
Theatre in Grass Valley. And that’s just for starters.
FLOAT YOUR
CARES AWAY
A float down the lazy Truckee River is a tradition for
anyone spending some warm-weather time in the
eastern county area. Professional raft trip companies
are ready to show your group the ropes if you aren’t
experienced enough to pull it off safely on your
own. Fingers crossed for rain, snow and a little
exciting whitewater!
IN VINO VERITAS
TEST YOUR METAL
PARTY LIKE ITS 1846!
EAT, TAKE A HIKE & GO
TO AN ART OPENING
PHOTOS BY WAYDE CARROLL
THE
It’s been growing gradually for over forty
years but the Sierra Nevada Foothill wine regions
now have a reputation that can stand with the “big
boys” in California wine. Our terroirs are terrific and
our appellations appealing - Nevada County wine has
come of age. You can create your own tour, from the
Truckee region to our western border. You’ll find
wine makers and sellers with an attitude of enjoyment without any off-putting pretense and delightful
country roads that take you to them. Don’t miss the
Truckee, Grass Valley and Nevada City downtown
tasting rooms as well!
When it came to veins of gold, Nevada
County had some of the richest ever discovered anywhere. The mining industry dominated commerce in
our area from 1850 to 1950 and it is now making a
comeback. At Empire Mine State Park you can tour
one of the oldest and largest gold mines in the stateone that produced 5.6 million ounces of gold. It’s a
great way to imagine those days and there is also
fine pi cnicking, hiking and biking available. Add in a
trip to the Northstar Mine Museum, also in Grass
Valley, and you’ll automatically earn your gold star.
Who else had enough gold to skip the Great
Depression?
Beautiful Donner Memorial State Park
wraps around the eastern side and part of the southern shore of Donner Lake and offers all of the great
camping, picnicking, boating, fishing, water-skiing
and hiking a warm-weather visitor could hope for. In
winter there is cross-country skiing and snowshoeing
on picturesque trails. For the cannibalism-curiousness
in all of us, visit the Emigrant Trail Museum. It
depicts the history of the area and the people who
came into this part of the Sierra, including local
Native Americans, the Donner Party and the builders
of the transcontinental railroad. It’s a great place for
family-friendly fun.
It’s always dangerous to cheat in the gold country but
please allow for a three-in-one suggestion: First,
choose from our array of terrific restaurants in Grass
Valley and Nevada City and have a “power breakfast.” Then drive through Penn Valley to Bridgeport
and the South Yuba River State Park to head
upstream on the trail. Let’s say it is springtime, the
wild flowers are gorgeous and it’s also sunny enough
to go for a dip in an emerald pool. After some warmrock time, head back to town to clean up and put on
your new shirt because tonight is the opening of a
great show at The Center for the Arts. While you are
there, choose between buying tickets to see David
Bromberg or Art Garfunkel. Deciding on both may
be, as usual, the right call. We refer to this as “solving the Nevada County dilemma.” Enjoy!
N E VA D A C O U N T Y G O L D . c o m
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