EARTH’S TREASURES Gem & Mineral Show is held each year in early October at the Nevada County Fairgrounds in Grass Valley . This year’s show, October 6 & 7, featured twenty vendors offering gems, minerals, fossils, florescent minerals, lapidary supplies, beads and supplies, jewelry, gold prospecting supplies and metal detectors and more.
Demonstrations
Attendees were treated with cool displays of Mineral and Fossil Collections and Demonstrations of bead making, cabachons, wire wrapping, gold panning and intarsia. The club ensures fun activities for kids, too, including a kids corner and scavenger hunt included free with admittance (free for those under 13 years of age).
Displays
Featured was Gold Extravaganza, a display of local gold that included a bear carved from gold bearing quartz from the Original Sixteen to One Mine, the oldest operating gold mine in North America. Mike Miller, owner of the 16 to 1 gave fascinating talks about the history and workings of the mine. The mine produces beautiful quartz shot through with gold that jewelers, local and far and wide, fashion into rings and other jewelry items.
Silent Auctions and Raffles
Silent auction items, refreshed every hour, and raffle tickets drawn throughout the day afforded enthusiastic attendees the opportunity to grab some awesome rocks and minerals at some awesome, affordable prices!
The Club
The Nevada County Gem and Mineral Society meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at Golden Empire Guild, 11363 Grange Court, Grass Valley, CA. All are welcome to come to meetings. Membership dues are $25.00 annually for individuals and $30.00 for families. Persons under 18, living at home may be included in a family membership. $5 may be subtracted from the dues if you take the newsletter via email only. Members are treated to informative programs at meetings and can participate in field trips to collect specimens, often in partnership with other clubs.
Nevada County Lifestyle
Our rock club is one of numerous opportunities to enjoy the lifestyle of the foothills. Folks come from Nevada City, Grass Valley, Penn Valley, South County and all parts of the greater San Francisco Bay Area to enjoy the many shows, events, and activities that abound here in Nevada County.
Come on down and enjoy this amazing place where we are so fortunate to live and play!
Check out the February 2017 issue of SUNSET MAGAZINE http://sunset.com. Nevada City’s NATIONAL HOTEL has never looked better than it’s full cover bleed on Sunset’s Front Cover. Denizens of Nevada City, Grass Valley, Alta Sierra, Southern Nevada County and Penn Valley have long known it to be true that our wonderful little slice of these great United States (already great despite naysayers to the contrary) tops the list of best place to live!
The Sierra Lifestyle Team has worked with many clients who have looked for homes all over the United States, and in some cases abroad, and settle on Western Nevada County as best. Why? Close proximity to outdoor activities: Hiking, Skiing, Snowboarding, Fishing, Biking, Birding, Astronomy, Gardening…An hour and a half away from the High Sierra and Lake Tahoe that offer a plethora of outdoor activity opportunities for active families. Coupled those with entertainment options at area Casinos (including shows by top headliners such as Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder) and dining from outdoor stands to sophisticated restaurants and you have a recipe for exceptional lifestyle choices that makes our area the best place to live.
From the High Sierra to the Pacific Ocean in hours!
Three hours drive to the San Francisco Bay Area affords access to the constellation of shopping, dining and cultural activities well known to just about all. And of course to the Pacific Ocean and it’s communities South to Santa Cruz and Monterey or north to Fort Bragg.
But we digress. Back to the best place to live. Sunset’s article emphasizes Nevada City and it’s roots in the back to the land movement of the 60s and 70s. But that doesn’t begin to touch the depth of character of those of us who live here in Nevada City or Grass Valley or Alta Sierra or Penn Valley or Southern Nevada County. People from all walks of life, socio-economic levels, backgrounds, and interests mingle happily and consider all those areas as parts of the greater good. Nevada City and Grass Valley host the Wild and Scenic Film Festival as Well as the Nevada City Film Festival, both recognized nationally and internationally. Some quote us as the Sundance of the West. The Center Of The Arts is a cultural jewel we have written about several times, bringing a wide range of music and dance shows to town, attended by patrons who often come to town from Truckee/Tahoe, Sacramento and as far as the SF Bay. We were hugely entertained last evening by Robert Earl Keen and his phenominal band in the 250 seat venue in town and will look forward to cast members from Jersey Boys entertaining us with song and dance from the Do Wop days next week.
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.
The Robert Cray Band blows away blues music lovers in Grass Valley.
There are many things we love about living in Nevada County, the unique character of small towns like Nevada City and Grass Valley, easy access to outdoor activities, great schools, and cultural events that THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS brings to our area on a weekly basis, often more than one great event every week.
Five-time Grammy Award winning blues guitarist and vocalist Robert Cray rocked the house at the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in Grass Valley on April 3. The Robert Cray Band played to a packed house, drawing music lovers from Grass Valley, Nevada City, Penn Valley and as far way as Reno and the San Francisco Bay Area. Mr. Cray plays the blues with distinct roots in American music. Rolling Stone magazine credits him with introducing “a new generation of mainstream rock fans to the language and form of the blues.”
Inducted into the Blues Hall Of Fame in 2011, The Robert Cray Band has released 20 studio albums, 15 of which hit the Billboard charts. In a two hour nonstop concert, the band regaled Cray fans with blues from is extensive catalog, never missing a beat. Music lovers will not find more, or better, music experiences at venues that deliver world class entertainers in settings as intimate as the Center For The Arts, or Vets Hall in Grass Valley.
The Center For The Arts is a dynamic, vital presence in Nevada County.
In 2015, 118 performances were attended by 33,902 patrons and included sellout performances by Jeff Bridges, Hot Tuna, the Wailin’ Jenny’s, Taj Mahal, Paula Poundstone, Jefferson Starship, Jackie Greene, Janis Ian and Tom Paxton, Todd Rundgren, Leon Russell, EmmyLou Harris & Rodney Crowell, Wyndham Hill, and Roy Rodgers & The Delta Rhythm Kings. The Center For The Arts now brings you California Worldfest. The 19th Annual Worldfest in 2015 showcased 46 musical acts over 8 stages & 50 workshops over 3 days at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. Over 70% of attendees to Worldfest come from outside Nevada County.
In 2015 the Center For The Arts raised $5,000. for scholarships given to area youth in Grass Valley, Nevada City, Penn Valley and unincorporated areas to attend summer camps and for youth programs at the Center, and donated $2500. in tickets to area non-profits for fundraising purposes.
This is why we love living in Nevada County! You can too.
