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Mother’s Day at Empire Mine

Mother’s Day at Empire Mine

Empire Mine State Park

50 countries around the world celebrate Mothers Day each year.  I think you’d be hard pressed to find a more lovely way to spend the day celebrating mothers than right here in Grass Valley at the historic Empire Mine State Park.

Gold Rush History

The Empire Mine is the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mine in the state of California, producing 8.5 million ounces of gold from its opening in 1850 until closed to operations in 1956. Hard rock miners, brought in from Cornwall, England to work the mines settled in Grass Valley. You can still purchase Pasties in Grass Valley, a lunch item well suited to work in mines.  Mine owners and managers settled in Nevada City and gave the town it’s Victorian character that still abounds.

Mother’s Day in Nevada County

When I first moved to the area we stumbled on this amazing Mothers Day event while trying to find a California historical site for my daughter’s 4th grade school project.  Wow, did we hit a jack-pot right here in Nevada County!  The stunning grounds are nature at their finest, historical buildings and characters in full dress eager to share the gold rush history, live jazz musicians play and local vendors sell tasty treats.  Bonus – it’s one of only two days a year you can bring food into the park.  My family can’t imagine a better way to spend Mother’s Day…we go back every year with family of all ages.  Bring a blanket, picnic and your favorite mom(s)

Activities at Empire Mine State Park

The Empire Mine State Park is located at 10791 E. Empire Street, Grass Valley, CA 95949. it is open 7 days a week from 10 AM to 5 PM. Miles of trails are open to hiking, biking and horseback exploration on its 853 acres. Most visitors plan a two hour visit to see the mines grounds, buildings and sights. Docent tours are available.

Call 916-653-6995 for more information. See you there!
Visit http://www.empiremine.org/events/spring-open-house

Fall Colors Open Studios – Nevada County Arts

Fall Colors Open Studios – Nevada County Arts

Nevada County Arts

Nevada County Arts

Nevada County Arts – Artists Studios are open October 8 & 9, and 15 & 16 from 10am to 5pm! #fallcoloropenstudios 

Nevada County Arts scene is one of the great delights for those of us living, working, or just plain visiting here in Nevada County is the fall celebration of many talented artists, sculptors and artisans who generously open their studios to us art lovers. Visit more than 75 local artists in 47 studios to see how and where art is made and purchase directly from the artists themselves. The tour includes painters, printmakers, photographers, ceramicists, illustrators, jewelers, woodworkers, and sculptors.

The Art Tour is sponsored by our fabulous CENTER FOR THE ARTS! (openstudiostour.org) Of the numerous Nevada County events, this is a favorite of many art lovers in Northern California.

Nevada County Arts In GRASS VALLEY: Check out Katie Wolf’s Oil and Acrylic works, Jay Gordin’s Custom Knives, Carin Brook’s Fine Art Gourds, Karel Vendee’s Textile/Fiber Art, Martha Jones’ Mosaic & Fine Paper Collage Reuse Art, Candy Ekstrom’s Functional Ceramics, Rosemary Stokes Jewelry, and Dori Greenbaum’s Watercolors. Also in Grass Valley discover Johathan Lyerly’s Photography, Adrian Hyman’s Digital Photography, Tamara Unger’s Ceramics, Len Moles’ works in Graphite and Color Pencils, Chantelle Goldwaithe’s Mixed Media, Valerie Messervy Birkhoff’s Oil Painting’s and Sculpture, Brett Schrieber’s Wood Burl Tables and Sculptures, Dugan Essick’s elegant Wood Furniture and Mindy Osborne’s Ceramics, Photography & Purses. More Grass Valley studio’s show Caroline Courtright’s Acrylic Paintings & Jewelry, Della Heywood’s Watercolor, Pastel, and Oil Paintings, Chic Lotz’s Ceramics, David King’s Collage, Drawing & Painting, Rebecca Bleau’s Printmaking, Thomas daddy’s Stone Vessels, Kathryn Wronski’s Oil Painting, Michael Larson’s Sculpture, Virginia Ray’s Assemblage’s of Vintage Objects, Linda Galosh’s Acrylic, Watercolor and Drawings, Jude Bischoff’s Painting. Grass Valley’s riches include Mixed Media by Marylou Falstrou, 2D & #D Fine Art at ART WORKS GALLERY on Mill Street downtown, Mixed Media at the Neighborhood Center of the Arts, Mixed Media Fiber Art by Spencer McClay, Rustic Sculpture and Earrings by Tim Wilson, and at the Curios Forge check out Metal, up cycled Art, Jewelry, painting & Wood works. Just when you think you’re done in Grass Valley you are not. Barrocult Ceramics for Sacred Spaces, Tony Machado Oil Paintings David Wong Photography, Jan Pellizer Mixed Media, Eileen Blodgett Mixed Media, Jill mahana Oil Painting, Mark Wilcox Oil Painting, Denise Wey Acrylic River Pinting and THE ENCAUSTIC ARTISTS GUILD OF NEVADA COUNTY offers Encaustic painting.

Art Tour In Nevada City

Not to be outdone,  NEVADA CITY offers open studios by Ron Kenedi Oil Painting, John Bridge Photography, Katy Hight Watercolor & Mixed Media, Kris Johnson Silk Abstracts, Lucy Galbraith Fine Art and Photography, Lil McGill Acrylic Painting, Delo Rio Fine Art, Illustration & Mixed Media, David Mckay Photography, Kitkitdizzi Mixed Media, The Alexander Gallery Mixed Media, Bill Juhl Wooden Bows & Vessels, Leeann Brook Fine Art, Ron Jermyn Painting & Sculpture, Judi Robison Mixed Media, Juliette Morris Williams Mixed Media & Jewelry, Thomas Devine Graphite, Oil & Mixed Media, Miriam Morris Ceramic Sculpture, Alex Henderson Acrylic Painting, Martin Arkenstone Stone Sculpture, Susan Lobb Porter Contemporary Landscapes & Abstract Painting, Liz Collins Mixed Media Painting, Betsy Lombard Oil & Watercolor, Catherine Allen Mixed Media & Collage. Continuing your adventure in Nevada City are Nadine Enderlin Exotic Wooden Salad Bowls, Gail Lipson Photography, Ante Dormeyer Jewelry, Jane Markham Tibetan Style Incense Boxed and Treasuer Boxes!

Don’t miss ARTIST’S LIVE DEMOS in both Nevada City and Grass Valley or the NEVADA CITY CRAFT FAIR Sunday, December 11 at the the historic Miners Foundry (miners foundry.org)!

Johnson & Geare’s SIERRA LIFESTYLE TEAM celebrates the vibrant arts and culture of Nevada County! Contact us for any information about Nevada City, Grass Valley, Penn Valley, Rough & Ready and South Nevada County living.

 

 

 

A Fall Tradition

A Fall Tradition

Living in Nevada County

Fall is one of my favorite times to be living in Nevada County!  If you are one of the lucky ones that live near Grass Valley or Nevada City, you get to experience the fall color changes on a daily basis.  From green, Apple Hillto yellow, to orange and even sometimes a deep red our beautiful area offers a wide variety of colors this time of year.  In addition to all the colors there is so much to do during fall.

From fall leaf color walks, to hiking to exploring pumpkin patches, apple orchards or even a quick trip to Apple Hill.  Looking for the perfect pumpkin for Halloween?  Grass Valley, Nevada City and Penn Valley offer tons of options from parking-lot pumpkin patches to family owned and operated farms.  We have hay rides, petting zoos and more.

For a nice day trip you can head over to Apple Hill.  What an experience this is; an entire hill side of apple orchards.  Each offering it’s own apples and other unique items from crafts to candy to donuts and more.

Getting There

Directions from Highway 50 to the Apple Hill® Ranches

The ranches are located just northeast of Placerville, CA … about half-way between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe. https://www.facebook.com/applehillca/

East on Highway 50 from Sacramento: Recommended exits are Exits 48, 49 and 54. There are signs on Highway 50 to direct you.

West on Highway 50 from South Lake Tahoe: Recommended exits are 54, 49 and 48. There are signs on Highway 50 to direct you.

From Highway 80 in Auburn: Take Highway 49 South to Highway 50 East. There are signs on Highway 50 to direct you.

So this fall take the time to enjoy the great outdoors and all that Nevada County and surrounding communities have to offer. There is so much to see and do!
Fall Season is upon us!!

Fall Season is upon us!!

Fall Season is upon us!

Fall Festivities in Placer County

Finally Fall Season is here. So what are the traditional activities that the locals of Placer County enjoy. The Sierra Lifestyle Team is here as not only your local connection to the Real Estate market but to the local lifestyle. So here’s a brief run down of the Fall festivities that are not to be missed.

As the Auburn fair has come and gone there are many events still to attend for quality family fun.  The Forresthill heritage festival is coming up. Our close neighbors across the bridge enjoy a day full of history with many long standing traditions that include, a logging completion, a chili cook off and a good old fashioned pig roast. The center of attention for this festival is the the time old tradition of gold panning. A highly recommended experience for the whole family.

Also coming to town is the Auburn Spirits and Wine festival. This exquisite event features numerous local vendors that come together to showcase their highly desired products and services. Restaurants, breweries and wineries come together to pair up their best. These business owners are experts in their trade and are eager to expose their talents. Some of the best foods and top rated cocktails are sure to entertain anyone’s appetite.

The Auburn community festival better known locally as the harvest festival is one of my personal favorites and kicks off the fall season with a bang. The Auburn Recreational District is home to the infamous scarecrow competition, giant pumpkin contest, followed by a costume parade. As if this wasn’t exciting enough the festival is home to great food, bounce houses and cool crafts. For me this truly is the start of fall.

These are just a handful of the fall festivities that Auburn and Placer County are proud to put on. For more info on all that’s happening this fall give us a call. Here at the Sierra Lifestyle Team we are here to ensure you experience the best in our community.

 

Where Have All the Locals Gone?

Where Have All the Locals Gone?

Where have all the locals gone?

Summertime travelers have left local business in a lull.

This has been a summer much different than what we have seen in the last couple of years. Due to the drought conditions the last few summers have seen a hiatus in waterway usage. The low lakes and rivers have made it less than ideal to pack up the kids and hang by the water for the day. As this has hampered our local lifestyle the businesses in town have had a nice boost in business. People have been hanging around and taking advantage of all that is going on in town. From fine dining to window shopping there is much to see and do.

This summer has presented quite a change for the community. As the winter rains proved to be prolific outdoor activities have made their resurgence. Between the high flowing rivers and the lakes leveling the locals have hit the water. As the weekend rolls around people are grabbing sandwiches and ice chests and are on their way out to the water. For a few years we have been deprived of our favorite summer time traditions and have had to find fun elsewhere. Now that we have been blessed with rains we taking advantage of all the waterway activities. Although this brings joy and happiness to many, the local business are taking the hit. The boost in business over the last few summers have left local business accustomed to larger crowd. With everyone out on the water this year the lull is real.

As back to school has already hit for some and others it’s right around the corner the locals have returned. Back to the weekly routines of school, work, grocery shopping and finally back out to the restaurants and business that sustain our daily life. It has been a great summer and we’re all happy to see the locals back in town!

Summertime Events in Auburn

Summertime Events in Auburn

Summertime events in Placer County

Before summer officially comes to an end here are somethings you can still catch!

Wow what an amazing summer! So many exciting activities in town to catch. Between the out door movies, the Auburn Rodeo and the Fourth of July parade there is so much stuff to do. Auburn and surrounding areas of Placer County are notorious for their family filled events. For a fun time for the whole family at a low cost or free altogether check out what’s happening here in town. These events attract people from afar to come experience the charm of Auburn and all the festivities that Placer County hosts. For a full list of events visit www.visitauburnca.com/events-schedule/category/events/

 With many locals leaving town on vacation early on in summer there are plenty of activities to catch before the kiddos head back to school. Most vacations have come to pass and now your looking for some local fun. The back to school list have been sent out, tryouts are underway, and classes are schedule. There is still time to get out there and grab some fun. For the weekdays to keep the kids busy while your at work there are many options set in place. The arts center hosts kids painting classes and various crafting projects. The movie theater has many kid friendly shows discounted for the matinee show. The pool at the Auburn Recreation District is open for kids to come cool down also.
Fun for the whole family. Before school hours, sports practices and PTA meetings kick our family fun time, get out there and spend some quality time. Some great options for some fun are Fast Fridays at the Fairgrounds in Auburn. They have had some big name riders competing in the local stadium. Cruise night is also a great night out check out the old cars and have some good old fashioned fun! There are still many events coming up such as the Auburn Fair, Auburn Museum tours, and art walks. Closer to the end of summer is the Home Show and as we come up on harvest time many food festivals will make their way through town. All the Auburn events are exciting so which ever activities you attend you are assured to have a great time!