Rtt dec 2015 digital dummy

December 2015

RENO ENGINEERING CORPORATION: Reimagining Downtown

DECEMBER 2015 CONTENT

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46

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A PROBABILITY OF WORDS

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ART Art, Music, Culture & Community

14 ASK THE DOC

BEAUTY 17 Winter Hair Care 18 Interstella 27 BEER 29 BRITS 'N' PIECES BUSINESS 33 Yelp in your words

COVER STORY 34 Reno Engineering Corporation

Reimagining Downtown FEATURE 46 Frey Ranch Estate Distillery 56 Pixels & Ink: Part 2 60 Planning in Pregnancy 62 The Reno Works Initiative 68 The Riverwalk Merchants Association FOOD 76 Southcreek Pizza - Part 2 82 Truckee Tavern and Grill - Part 2 91 HEALTH TIPS 92 RADIUS 95 REAL ESTATE 96 RENO BIGHORNS 98 RENO STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

76 42

REVIEW 101 Stoned

SHOPPING 102 South Lake Tahoe: Gaia-Licious

Global Gifts and Wildwood

DIY Boutique

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107 SKATE NV 108 THE COUTURE COLUMN 111 TRAINING TIPS

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117 YOGA

SNAPSHOT Photographer Tony Contini Moondog Matinee lead singer Pete Barnato November 5, 2015 Location: Cargo inside Whitney Peak Hotel at Off Beat Arts & Music Festival

Editor/Publisher Oliver X Art Director Chris Meredith Contributing Designers Courtney Meredith

Design Associate

Katrina Stewart

Contributing Writers

Britton Griffith-Douglass Thomas Lloyd Qualls Rory Dowd Isha Casagrande Tony Contini Amanda Horn Rachel Douglass Michael Tragash Debe Fennel Isha Casagrande Tessa Miller Lanette Katre Contributing Photographers Shelbi Carr Whitehead Chris Holloman Tony Contini Clayton Beck Anicia Beckwith Digiman Studio Marcello Rostagni Ted Varney Jennifer Sande Kyle Volland Interns Heather McAlpine Sales 775-412-3767 Submissions renotahoetonightrocks@gmail.com Website renotahoetonightmagazine.com

All content, layout and design is the property of Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine. Duplication or reproduction is prohibited without the expressed written consent of Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine. Copyright 2015.

Reno Tahoe Tonight is produced on 10% recycled American paper and is printed with all soy and vegetable inks.

A PROBABILITY OF WORDS Text Thomas Lloyd Qualls Photo Johnstone Studios

Be That.

That thing you want to do. Do that. That way you want to feel.

Feel that. That one you want to be. Be that.

Yes, you. I am most definitely talking to you. The one who thinks these rules don’t apply to you. The one who thinks these tricks only work for other people.

The one who thinks life is for everyone but you. Or maybe not everyone. But definitely not you.

Yes, you. Of course, you.

There will always be reasons why not.

Of course there will. Everything exists. Everything. Including all the things you don’t want. But this also means all the things you do want must exist. It has never been any other way.

There will always be the other side of things. There will always be mistakes. And distractions. And bad decisions. And unintended debt. And obligations to this thing and that person. Appointments and all manner of tasks we believe must come first. Of course there will.

But the secret no one tells you is that all of these things bend.

They are more flexible than you ever imagined. And you are more magician than you ever thought.

And the thing you want more than anything. If you believe in it, then it is the hat, and your dream is the rabbit. And all you have to do is reach down and pull it out.

This is all there is.

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This is it. And it’s real. And the only thing you’ve ever done that is truly irresponsible is to ignore it.

You know I’m right. And you know you've spent your whole life putting obstacles in your way. So believe me when I say your only real job is to get it right. To do that thing. To feel the feeling. To be that. To live the life you can feel but not see or touch. Not yet. But you will.

Forget everything else. Forget all the reasons why not. Forget all your excuses. Forget your broken rhythms. Your missteps.

Your hesitations. Your plans that never came to fruition. Forget anger. Forget resentment. Forget everything that came before.

Forget your criticisms. Your fear.

Your self-doubt. And forgive all these things, too.

Trust me when I tell you that in this new place you are going none of these things matter. I am inviting you to step into a new world. One where none of the old rules apply.

It is more than just some Matrix of your imagination, it is kingdom made of bricks and mortar, water and clay. And it is every bit as real and the one you’ve been wallowing in for years. Everything exists.

Including this.

Make this the time.

Right now. In this season of renewal and rebirth. Give yourself the one present you want more than anything. Do yourself the one favor you’ve been hoping someone else would do. That life you want. That person you want to be. Be that.

Gather up all your other lists.

Scratch off every item but this.

Tear up your letter to Santa and write a new one, with only this one thing on it. And then put on the red coat yourself and place it under your tree.

If you do this, your life will change.

The world will change. And you will change. Into the one that you want. But you must act. You must believe. And you must be willing to take the chance.

You must have the courage.

Find the courage. Be the courage.

Blindfold yourself so you are unable to see the doubts that line your face.

And then reach down into the dark and grapple until you find the stillsmoldering ember of faith. Then grab it with your cold hand. And carry it back to your hearth. To the secret center of your heart. Where no one else has been.

You must sit with it. Feed it.

Nurture it. Watch it grow. Let its warmth seep into every cell of you.

Let its flame reach into the places you guard with your very life. Let it ignite all the tiny carefully wrapped bundles of every dream you’ve ever had. Let it spread.

Until its light catches your soul on fire. Then watch it burn.

Forget the drop and roll. Run out into the night of your blindness.

A blazing torch of fulfillment.

Then set fire to the lifetime of walls you've built between you and it. And watch them burn.

Then dance.

Maybe for the first time in your life.

Really dance. Beneath the big blue and black borderless sky. Beyond all fear, all excuses, all doubts. Let your light reach all the way to the stars.

And then be still and listen. For the whispered gasp of the stars as they gaze upon your brilliance.

This is all there is. Stop pretending it isn’t. Go on. Light it up. That life you want to have. Be that.

Thomas Lloyd Qualls is a writer, a condition that is apparently incurable. He manages his condition, in part, by regular contributions to Reno Tahoe Tonight Magazine and to the borderless tribe known as Rebelle Society.

He's also a novelist, an essayist, a painter, and through his law practice – a sometimes salvager of troubled lives.

Waking Up at Rembrandt’s, his debut novel, has received local and national critical acclaim.

The second edition of the novel is available in print (think of vinyl, only for books) and on multiple ebook platforms. There’s also a book of poetry, love jaywalks, readable on just about any device that plugs into the internet. Still on the horizon: a collection of essays, and some new paintings. His second novel, painted oxen, is currently in final draft. Of course, you can always visit his website whenever you like. There's more stuff there. tlqonline.com. © 2015 thomas lloyd qualls

Thomas Lloyd Qualls Reno Tahoe Tonight 7

ART MUSIC CULTURE & COMMUNITY Compiled by Oliver X

The holidays are teeming with events, concerts, festivals and special programming.

Check our sampling of some of the coolest events this winter season.

Sierra Arts Foundation Announces New Executive Director Sierra Arts Foundation, northern Nevada’s local arts organization for teaching, nurturing and supporting the arts since 1971, has announced the selection of Annie Zucker as its new Executive Director. Zucker comes to the Foundation after nearly a decade as a Development Specialist for Renown Health Foundation. As the executive director of Sierra Arts Foundation, Zucker will steward an organization that offers seven diverse programs that provide educational opportunities for students in Washoe County schools, development and training for artists pursuing a fine art career path, and a contemporary gallery with rotating exhibitions. The Foundation also provides concerts in elder-care facilities and yearly grants to artists. “I feel as though the leaders and volunteers of the past have placed us in a great position to take a major step in our growth as our community arts agency,” Zucker said. “I hope you take great pride in your association. I am excited to be involved in the bright future of SAF.” Zucker attended Oregon State University, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and went on to achieve certification in nonprofit management from the University of Nevada, Reno. She is a member of the Global Alliance for Arts in Healthcare and is a Governor-appointed board member of the Nevada Arts Council.

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The Odd Couple, now playing through December 20 at the Reno Little Theater.

RLT continues its 81st main stage season with The Odd Couple (The Female Version). The show runs from November 27 to December 20 at 147 East Pueblo Street in Midtown Reno. Reno Little Theater presents Neil Simon’s gender-bent adaptation of The Odd Couple, a story many know and love. The story focuses on an unusual pair of friends, neurotic, neat-freak Florence Unger (played by Jasmine Jiang) and messy, lazy Olive Madison (played by Darcy Lenardson) living together. After Florence’s husband announces he wants a divorce, Olive invites her to move into her spare room, an offer she quickly regrets.

The classic roommate clash creates for hilarious situations sure to please audiences of all ages.

Performances are November 27, 28 and December 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 @ 7:30pm with matinees November 29 & December 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 @ 2pm.

Tickets are $18 per person, and $15 for seniors, students, or military. For ticket purchasing and more information about the play, visit RLT’s website at renolittletheater.com.

December 3, 2015, Reno's premier songwriter showcase, Loud As Folk returns for First Thursday at it's Reno home Pignic Pub and Patio.

Hosted by Spike McGuire and featuring: Willy Tea Taylor (Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit), Tom Vanden Avond, Sil Shoda, Dusty Miles, and Jake Houston. Music starts PROMPTLY at 8pm.

Enjoy great drink specials from event sponsor Lagunitas Brewing Co and delicious eats from celebrity chef Slater's Ding-A-Wing.

Day 1 Mary Jane Rocket Reno We Have A Problem George Pickard(The Atomiks) Postwar Stabby Unicorn Corner/Store Small Drawings Roxxy Caulie Moons of Vega Princess Bombs Georgia Maestro (Pushbox)

Mallory Nick Ramirez III Day 2 Sisters Doom Misamore Bionic Gorilla Mechanical Wings Idol Smasher The Hunt Club Lil' Mijho Wheatstone Bridge Todd Ballowe Jeff Done Tom Plunkett

Loud As Folk is partnered with Art Walk Reno to raise funds for different organizations in our community by passing the hat at the event. This month your $5 suggested Donation benefits The Solace Tree. The mission of The Solace Tree is that all children, teens, and adults have the freedom to express their feelings associated with loss in a safe and loving environment. We believe that through our peer support programs and educational opportunities for schools and the community, children and teens will learn to cope and adjust to the changes in their lives. Visit solacetree.org for more information.

You can also donate to The Solace Tree by purchasing a Loud As Folk T-Shirt and we will donate half of the proceeds. This is made possible through a generous donation from event sponsor Big Frog Custom T-Shirts.

Friday December 4 & Sunday December 5 Marianarchy benefiting Eva Yellowleaf.

Hosted by Reverend Rory Dowd and Jenny PezDespencer. One of the region's longest running fundraisers returns to Jub Jubs Thirst Parlor. Art silent auction; raffle; photo booth and food. 21+ $10 suggested donation. Here's the day one and two lineup:

Saturday, December 5, 2015 Pirates and Fairies is coming to the Morris Burner Hotel at 8pm.

Live music from local favorites Plastic Paddy, Weapons of Mass Creation and DJ Sweets. At Midnight Las Vegas DJ Jack Spaidz will take the stage. The event will feature Controlled Burn (Fire Performance), Art Cars, Raffle and No Host Bar. $10 for Members and $15 for Non-Members. Come in costume to make this adventure a night to remember!

21 and over event. No outside alcohol allowed.

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ART MUSIC CULTURE & COMMUNITY December 8 2015 Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Inductee Ellen Hopkins at Sundance Books and Music.

New York Times bestselling author and 2015 Nevada Writers Hall of Fame inductee Ellen Hopkins will read from and sign her new book, Traffick (Simon & Schuster, 2015). Tuesday, December 8, from 6:30 to 8 pm, at Sundance Books and Music, 121 California Avenue, Reno, NV 89509.

About the book: Five teens victimized by sex trafficking try to find their way to a new life in this riveting companion to the New York Times bestseller Tricks. Now in Traffick, these five are faced with the toughest question of all: Is there a way out?

How these five teenagers face the aftermath of their decisions and experiences is the soul of this story that exposes the dark, ferocious underbelly of the child-trafficking trade. Heart wrenching and hopeful, Traffick takes us on five separate but intertwined journeys through the painful challenges of recovery, rehabilitation, and renewal to forgiveness and love.

that this year. We’re expecting over 15,000 holidayclad revelers. So, we’re adding bars and will let folks know the fun things to do pre-Crawl on Friday night fun and even Santa Skiing. It’s an entire weekend of charitable, holiday fun. As always, this is first and foremost a local charity fundraiser. We are giving all the proceeds to help our local schools because educated kids make better elves. So, help “Support the Claus,” buy a cup, book a hotel room and attend.

The Reno Santa Pub Crawl is like no other event.

We make it easy for you to eat, drink and be merry.

Our event is drawing nationwide attention. We are the largest Santa Pub Crawl in the country! We have even spawned yuletide crawls in other states, as far away as Massachusetts. Ya, we’re kind of a big deal and that’s all thanks to you.

About the author: Ellen Hopkins is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eleven young adult novels, as well as the adult novels Triangles, Collateral, and Love Lies Beneath. She lives with her family in Carson City, where she has founded Ventana Sierra, a nonprofit youth housing and resource initiative. Learn more at sundancebookstore.com/hopkinstraffick Saturday, December 12, 2015 Reno Santa Pub Crawl Downtown Reno

Saturday, December 12, 2015 Christmas in Space - 9:30 to 12:30 p.m.

National Automobile Museum 10 S Lake St, Reno, Nevada 89501.

It’s that time of year again when thousands of Santas descend upon downtown Reno to enjoy good spirits and yule-tide cheer.

Over 12,000 festiveclad wassailers will enjoy the jolly 15th year of the Reno Santa Pub Crawl.

But we’re topping

Take a simulated spaceflight aboard the Starship Horizon and visit a comet UP CLOSE. Explore the sky with real, remote and virtual telescopes. Discover the wonders of telescopes with a digital planetarium show. Make an Astrolabe you can keep in a handson workshop. Experience astronaut celebrations of Christmas in space. Travel through time to view the night sky from Bethlehem on Christmas night and get a special space gift from our very own St. Nick! Plus, free refreshments and visit the rest of the Museum at your own pace! From the star on your tree to the galaxy, come explore Christmas in space! Preregister at nevadachallenger.org.

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Reno Santa Pub Crawl

Saturday December 19, 2015 - Riverwalk Merchants Association Wine Walk. The original and still the best!

Join us for our next wine walk from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm when the Riverwalk Merchants Association hosts the popular Wine Walk along the Truckee River and neighboring streets in downtown Reno.

Get a chance to win two FREE Wine Walk passes by entering our annual Ugly Sweater Costume Contest by tagging yourself with the hashtag #uglysweaterselfie #renoriverwalkdistrict A portion of the proceeds this month will support Justin Hope. Visit 5 or more stops and enter to win over $800 in prizes! For more information, go to renoriver.org/wine Here's how the Wine Walk works: Visit any of the participating Riverwalk District merchants (listed on the right) on Wine Walk day to get a map of Wine Walk merchants. Go to the participating merchant of your choice, and, for a $20 wine-tasting fee and valid photo ID, you’ll receive a wine glass and an ID bracelet that allows you to sample wine at any participating merchant.

Strollers and pets are not advised because of the large crowds. Parking is available at one of the public lots indicated on our parking map. Enjoy a responsible taste of the Riverwalk District… do the Wine Walk!

#SG15 Line-Up: Jack Ü Kaskade Dillon Francis Chet Faker Eric Prydz Ghostland Observatory Duke Dumont Claude VonStroke Cashmere Cat What So Not Galantis E-40 Cut Copy Justin Martin Music Page Shiba San Alison Wonderland Lil Dicky + Many More View Full Line-Up: snowglobemusicfestival.com/line-up Buy #SG15 Tickets: bit.ly/SG15TIX Buy #SG15 Payment Plans: bit.ly/SG15_PaymentPlans

Holiday Safety Tips

December 29-31 - Snow Globe 2015 Various Venues - South Lake Tahoe Nestled along the legendary shores of beautiful South Lake Tahoe, California, #SnowGlobe is equal parts music festival, winter expedition, and New Year's Eve celebration – a snow covered love letter hand written with the power of music and the spirit of adventure.

Combining the world's leading artists with one of the world's most unique winter environments, SnowGlobe presents you with a once-in-a-lifetime, total sensory experience firmly rooted in our belief that every New Year should begin extraordinary.

Ring In 2016 With The #SGFAM! snowglobemusicfestival.com

When going out on the pub crawls and on NYE, remember to always have a designated driver if you decide to drink. Never leave your drink unattended. Keep your phone charged in case of emergencies. Do not hesitate to call 911 if you or someone in your group is in a compromising social situation that you feel you cannot handle. You do not have to accept rides from strangers. Catch a cab or use the Uber app and empower yourself to get home or to your hotel room on your own.

Remember to dress for snow in case you find yourself on foot going to an event. Never walk alone in snowy weather conditions.

Wait out storms in warm, safe environments.

Make sure friends and loved ones know your plans; know where you're going and when you're expected to return. These tips can help you party safely this holiday season.

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AURA 775.826.3117 AuraSalonNV.com

2323 Kietzke Lane • Reno in Franktown Corners

teaching, nurturing, supporting... locally 17 South Virginia Street Reno, NV 89501

775.329.2787 www.sierra-arts.org

December 2015

Give Local

A one day pop-up Art Extravaganza Sat. Dec. 5, 10-5 p.m.

Practice Makes Perfect An exhibition of teaching artists in collaboration with Arts For All Nevada Nov. 23 - Dec. 24 Closing Reception Thursday Dec.17 5 - 6 p.m. Members 6 - 7 p.m. Public

Become a member and support...

gbgg

Sierra Arts Foundation is the local arts agency where our mission is to educate, nurture, Gallery Hours: and support the arts in Northern Nevada.

Monday-Saturday 10-5 p.m.

Visit www.sierra-arts.org to learn more.

ASK THE DOC Text Dr. Sean Devlin

Q

: Talk about the "entourage effect" required for certain cannabis oil cocktails to be effective. When will a more precise means of arriving at effective CBD and THC percentages be reached for treatment, or are the levels dependent on each client's needs and unique physiology or illness being addressed? - Nick Olsen Pasadena, California

WASHOE WELLNESS

A

: Wonderful question Nick, the ‘entourage effect’ is a real phenomenon. A complex chemical orchestra exists in the body in general, and when it comes to cannabinoids the situation is the same. Much notoriety has been garnered by both THC and CBD, so I will address these two cannabinoids even though a variety of others exists and have their own set of effects. We, as scientists and clinicians have just breached the surface of cannabinoid biochemistry and their physiologic effects. What we do know comes from years of research in the field from places like Spain, England and Israel. To begin with several cell membrane receptors exist in our bodies which interact with CBD and THC, the relationship is like a lock and key mechanism.

The receptors are called CB1, CB2 and TRPV1.

It appears that when CBD is present in higher doses that it can block the effects of THC at the CB1 receptor site, therefore decreasing some of the cognitive effects or the mental aspects of the THC, like sedation, anxiety and hunger. On the other hand CBD can act synergistically with THC as well as some terpenoids (aromatic compounds found in the cannabis plant) to magnify certain cellular responses that increase analgesic effects, anti-nausea effects, anti-inflammatory effects and cancer cell killing effects.

Overall, when using cannabinoids as medicine, it is important to realize that every individual will be different, so adjusting recommendations to their needs is very important. As the political tides change here in the United States, it is the hope of many clinicians and patients that a more regimented model would be adopted in the creation of Cannabinoid medicines, making dosing and indications more targeted and precise.

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Q

: I have heard that medical marijuana can be used for pain relief and pain management. I have read about chemo patients that use medical marijuana to relieve extreme forms of pain. From a medical perspective, how does medical marijuana relieve extreme forms of pain? What are the benefits of medical marijuana as opposed to traditional painkiller meds? T. Larsen – Las Vegas, Nevada

A

: Pain unfortunately is one of the most common complaints we see in clinical medicine and it’s treatment has been a matter of controversy over the past decade. For years pain was called the 5th vital sign even though it is not measured objectively, like the other vital signs, but reported subjectively. Physicians have been pushed by agencies and pharmaceutical companies to focus on aggressively treating pain. What we have learned is that many of the pharmaceutical tools we were given to use had significant side effects (i.e. constipation, nausea and vomiting, poor motor control and respiratory depression) and patients eventually developed tolerance to these medications. The majority of these medications were short and long acting opiates and some NSAIDS. On occasion they would be mixed with benzodiazepines to reduce the anxiety brought on by pain.

Together, these medications were a recipe for disaster, as many patients would overdose on these prescriptions or have significant side effects, like gastrointestinal bleeding. In response, patients would be put on more medications to control the side effects or have their pain medications stopped leaving them to deal with physical and psychological withdrawal. Over the past 5-10 years medical practitioners were urged to reduce the use of these medications. Unfortunately, this left many patients in a rough spot, they still had pain and were now being weaned off these meds or actually having them stopped completely. Now to make a long answer a bit longer, comes the role for marijuana. On a historical note, prior to the 1930’s cannabis was regularly used as a ‘prescribed’ pain reliever by clinicians across the United States and

Questions and Answers About medical Marijuana with Dr. Sean Devlin

around the world. Cannabis, prior to legalization for medicinal use, was commonly employed by ‘recreational’ users for it’s pain relieving properties and it’s euphoric side effects. As more users shared their experiences with this plant, people with severe neuropathies, chronic pain and anxiety started to explore it’s use. Even though the exact mechanisms are still being uncovered, it appears that cannabinoids have anti-inflammatory effects, muscle relaxing effects along with the ability to blunt the brains response to pain, making painful experiences more tolerable. THC has been shown

to have a synergy with opiates which would allow opiate doses to be decreased while maintaining effectiveness. Some research has shown that cannabinoids may work through serotonin receptors as well as nociceptive receptors, both of which may be pathways by which cannabis can help control the perception of pain.

Sincerely, Sean Devlin DO To make an appointment with Dr. Devlin, please call 775-772-9933, or email info@washoewellness.com Reno Tahoe Tonight 15

BEAUTY Text and photo courtesy of Jennifer Utu

Winter Hair Care Winter weather is finally arriving, and with it brings the holiday spirit. During this time our lives become filled with joyful festivities and the inspiration to change our style with rich, darker hair colors. Not only is color fun to experiment with, but with holiday parties and cheer, fun updos and creative styling can make any event memorable.

As always, I recommend seeing a color specialist before doing anything drastic; changing your hair from light to dark isn’t as easy as one would think. There is a specific process to make it stay rich and last longer when going dark. Aura Salon uses AVEDA color which is fade resistant, 96% naturally derived, and is made with a plant base for damage-free results. We at Aura are able to customize any hair color to create a perfect hue for whatever our guest’s wishes may be.

In winter months people tend to forget that the colder air can change the condition of their hair. We highly recommend taking precautions to maintain healthy hair through all the seasons. Have a conversation with your stylist about suggesting a moisturizing shampoo/conditioner that can eliminate static and prevent your hair from drying.

Aura recommends our AVEDA Dry Remedy Line which restores your hair’s moisture by 71%. We especially love the Dry Remedy Oil for adding extra moisture to the ends of blow dried hair.

This product leaves hair soft and shiny without silicone, and only requires a few drops to moisturize without leaving hair feeling weighed down.

Don’t forget, making sure your hair is styled properly for any holiday event is a must. Classic, relaxed updos are the “thing” right now and Blow outs never go out of fashion. It’s always nice to stand out with confidence during holiday events, so come see us at Aura or book with your favorite salon and have fun this winter stepping out in style.

Aura Salon is located at 2323 Kietzke Lane Reno, NV in Franktown Corners – 775-826-3117 – aurasalonnv.com Reno Tahoe Tonight 17

BEAUTY Photographer-Creative Director Celeste Talbott-Rivera Hair-Makeup Artist Celeste Talbott-Rivera Models Celeste Talbott-Rivera and LaDawn Talbott Jewelry provided by Ray Oliveira with LOORR Home Furniture store

Interstella “Inspirationally derived from the particular cultural aesthetic known as Afrofuturism – combining the nature of art, beauty, and taste with the creation and appreciation of beauty. I really wanted to encompass the personal style that included appreciation for black beauty as embodied by the "Black is Beautiful" movement. Defying what is socially acceptable as beautiful ... as well as questioning my own perception of beauty. Seeking to empower self expression and embrace natural beauty, I felt compelled to create these Sci-fi futuristic characters, using hair as a reflection of the soul. Symbolizing a sense of pride, freedom of expression, and breaching majority standards.”

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- Celeste Talbott-Rivera

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C LO S E S S U N D A Y, J A N U A R Y 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

Experience one of America’s most beloved landscapes through the eyes of 175 painters, photographers, architects, weavers and sculptors.

Premier S PonSor: Wayne L. Prim and Miriam Prim and the Wayne L. Prim Foundation Lead SPonSorS: Nancy Siebens Binz; EMPLOYERS®; Deborah Day in memory of Theodore J. Day; Albert Bierstadt, Twilight, Lake Tahoe, circa 1870s. Oil on canvas, 37 x 52 inches. Private Collection

I. Heidi Loeb Hegerich; IGT; Nancy and Brian Kennedy; The Satre Family Fund at the Community Foundation of Western Nevada; The Ranson and Norma Webster Fund at the Community Foundation of Western Nevada; and Wells Fargo § major SPonSorS: The Bretzlaff Foundation; Carol Franc Buck Foundation; Irene and George Drews; The Thelma B. and Thomas P. Hart Foundation; and the National Endowment for the Arts § SuPPorting SPonSorS: Carole Kilgore Anderson and Family in memory of J. Robert Anderson; Kathie Bartlett and Family in memory of Matthew, Phil, and Syd Bartlett; Denise and Tim Cashman; Chase International Real Estate; Judy and David Collins; Andrea and John Deane; Dolby Family; Susan and Stuart Engs; Leonard and Sara Lafrance; Anne Brockinton Lee and Robert M. Lee; Maureen Mullarkey and Steve Miller; Enid A. Oliver, ChFC, Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.; and Sandy Raffealli, Bill Pearce Motors

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MIND WE DON’T BEEN IF YOU’VE ....DO Y NAUGHT NICE G IN SOMETH L R. SPECIA THIS YEA S E G A K C PA HOLIDAY .

E L B A AVAIL

FAS

TEST

T LASER IN THE WES

425 Marsh Ave Reno, Nv 89509 775-200-0623 www.renotattooremoval.com

BEER BEER Text Bret Schaeffer with Rich Taylor

Almanac Brew Company Emperor Norton Dry-Hopped BelgianStyle Ale brewed with Apricots

Almanac Beer Company is a San Francisco “gypsy brewing” company that creates farm-to-table beer in small batches using fruit, grains and herbs purchased from northern California small farms. The company has brewed year round table beers and special release beer; their main focus is sour brewing, brewing a new sour every month.

Emperor Norton Ale is named after” Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico,” who was best known for issuing his own currency, calling for the overthrow of the Federal Government, and for prophesying a future bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland. Emperor Norton Ale is brewed in his honor, blending a classic Belgian-style tripel with California-grown summer apricots and dry-hopped generously with Citra and Hallertau Blanc hops.

So far this is my favorite Almanac beer I’ve had at SixFour Growlers. Dry-hopping with Citra and Hallertau Blanc hops really breaks up the sweetness from the apricots at the end. This beer is part Tripel, part IPA and part fruit beer.

Tasting Notes: Style: Dry-Hopped Belgian-Style Ale brewed with Apricots ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 9.0% Aroma: Fruity and spiciness of pepper and cloves Appearance: Cloudy orange, think head and white lacing Taste: Spice from the cloves, middle hops and boozy finish Palate: Crisp and tropical like a white wine

StoneyHead Brewing Co. 7 Troughs Oak Attack StoneyHead Brewing Company opened up at 5301 97C Longley Lane, Reno, NV 89511 on March 13th, 2013, one block south of McCarran. You’ll find the brewery by following the “A” frame sandwich boards on the west side of Longley Lane at Barron.

StoneyHead has a great selection of brews ranging from Honey Pale Ale on the light end to their dark Porter. Paul Michelini, the head brewer, started out as a home brewer and decided to take the leap into what he felt he was meant to do: brew commercially.

Paul came up with a great idea to put his British style IPA into a local distillery’s rum barrel. He started with the smooth StoneyHead Sneak Attack British-style IPA, barrel aged it for over four months to add in notes of French Oak, chardonnay, and 7 Troughs Distilling’s Black Rock Rum, producing a wonderfully complex experience that often changes from sip to sip. Beware though; this one gets even sneakier at 8.6% ABV, while keeping 26 IBU. Stoneyhead brewer Paul Michelini will be at SixFour Growlers on December 5th from 3pm to 6pm to unveil the 7 Troughs Oak Attack.

Tasting Notes: Style: British Style IPA ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 8.6% Aroma: medium rum, slightly light caramel and oaky, Appearance: deep gold, medium head Taste: heavy rum at first with subsequent light notes of chardonnay, hint of lightly toasted French oak, slightly sweeter than most barrel aged beers Palate: heavy but smooth, lightly hopped, low bitterness

SixFour Growlers is located at 555 South Virginia Street #105, Reno, NV 89501, near Great Full Gardens. Stop in, say hi to Rich and Bret and enjoy an impressive variety of great tasting beers—and take home a growler! 775-337-9578.

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A PORTION OF THE proceeds benefit Justin Hope Foundation

BRITTS 'N' PIECES Text Britton Griffith-Douglass Photo Jeramie Lu

Britton Griffith-Douglass

FIRST BRIT OF EXCITEMENT

I like a White Christmas more than Lamar Odom likes Las Vegas ... Too soon? OK, moving on. In all sincerity, there is simply nothing better than snowflakes falling over Mt. Rose, listening to 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' by a fireplace and of course, presents.

BITS:

Oh by golly, have a holly jolly Holland Christmas.

In case you didn't hear, you can help Reno's amazing art, music and culture supporter – The Holland Project – at their endof-year fundraiser on December 13th. Enjoy over 30 local vendors, bites from Electric Blue Elephant and steaming hot drinks from Old World Coffee. Give the gift of giving here at hollandreno.org/ event/rogue-art-craft-village-2.

Cut me, I dare you.

If you did, then I could prove that "I bleed blue" as a true-tothe-bone Wolf Pack fan. The Riverwalk District is also this dedicated to the University of Nevada, and announced it is the first district to 'Back the Pack".

With programs like "Sips for Students," where patrons can pay-it-forward and buy a cup of

coffee or a snack for students at locations downtown like The Jungle. They also have special discounts for those of you with a student ID and have great hosting locations to cheer on our favorite sports team. Now that's team spirit!

Follow the pack leader at facebook.com/Reno-RiverwalkDistrict-543913045643215.

‘Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer and of course, all you VIXENS!’

Reno's 'Santa Bar Crawl' celebrates its 14th year of red, white and naughty Christmas inspired costumes visiting downtown for food, drinks and a jolly good time. With an estimated 15,000 guests this year, it will be the biggest event to date and the most fun way to make sure you get coal in your stocking. Tickets can purchased here: renosantacrawl.com.

Sugar Plum Fairies love Chocolate.

Now you can too. Sugar Love Chocolates has opened their doors just in time to give a bit of Christmas cheer and the perfect place for stocking stuffers. Located in 'The Basement' of the Post Office, the trendiest marketplace

in Reno. Check out their delicious website here: sugarlovechocolates.com.

LAST PIECE OF ADVICE.

All I want for Christmas, is a turkey, ham and dry beans.

Well, that's what The Evelyn Mount Foundation wants.

Nevada Chapter AGC is teaming up with this local charity and will even come by your office and collect donations for the cause on Tuesday, December 15th.

Don't be a Grinch and help families, that cannot, to fill tables with roast beast and some love. Trust me, your eggnog will taste sweeter and your heart may grow three times its size. Email for details: melissad@nevadaagc.org.

Happy (Holidays) to all and to all a good (snowy) night!

Downtown's darling, Britton Griffith-Douglass, spends her days placing tenants in StartUp Row. As the sun sets, she plans the finest events in the Riverwalk District.

At moonlight, under the stars, she's reminded that the biggest of dreams come to life in the Biggest Little City. Britton.rec@gmail.com Reno Tahoe Tonight 29

BUSINESS Yelp Text and photo courtesy of Michael Tragash

YELP IN YOUR OWN WORDS: LORI M, YELP ELITE Reno has a thriving community of Yelpers passionate about connecting others to great local businesses through their reviews, photos, tips and check-in. Whether you’re looking for sensational shopping, the best burgers or the widest selection of whiskey around, Reno Yelpers will get you connected to those local businesses doing it right.

We want you to get to know Reno Yelpers a little more personally, so this month we’re shining the spotlight on Lori M, our “Southern Belle” who met the west and fell in love! Lori is a dedicated mother, wife, and active community volunteer.

When she’s not out Yelping, you’re likely to find her courtside cheering on her son and volunteering with the Bishop Manogue athletics program, or out exploring with her best friend and husband, Nathan.

Yelp: How did you discover Yelp?

Lori M: I was on a business trip in Dallas with my husband and wanted to find a romantic place to eat. I googled restaurants and Yelp came up.

I’ve never looked back.

Yelp: What are the top 3 businesses you're loving in Reno right now?

Lori M: Moving to a new city I look on Yelp to make my decisions, and Yelpers have not steered me wrong. With a teenage son, pizza is always popular and we love Eclipse Pizza. For a romantic night, we really like to hang out on the patio at Napa-Sonoma and share the fondue. And as coffee addicts we love Homage for a laid back Sunday morning breakfast and coffee. But we’ve also discovered our carpet cleaner (Details Carpet Cleaner), my hairdresser (Lauren at Posh Salon), and my son’s stylist (Amy at BJ’s Pro Shop) too.

Yelp: What motivates you to be such an active part of it all?

Lori M: Two years ago we moved from the east coast and my husband and son took to Reno right away, but I became a little lost. I stopped working when we moved, so I found getting to know people in Reno very difficult. Michael, the Community Manager and Ly S. reached out to me, inviting me to various events and, after attending my first UYE Breakfast, I found myself falling in love with Reno and the people from Yelp. Some of our best friends have been made from the Yelp community, and I hate to sound cliché, but Yelp really did save me from a sad place. I see my Yelp friends a couple times a month and it has made a huge impact on my life.

Yelp: What does it mean to you to be part of the Yelp Elite Squad?

Lori M: I love being part of the Yelp Elite Squad. First, I love the people! If that isn’t enough, I get to experience events and places that I would never have the opportunity to otherwise. I have been able to shoot guns (MiScenario), eat at a world renowned steakhouse (Atlantis Steakation), and witness a murder mystery performed by Reno’s top rated improv troupe, The Utility Players (Yelp’s Pack Rats), which ranks as my most memorable Yelp moment, and maybe even in my lifetime! I loved getting to dress for the mobster era, and seeing all of my fellow Yelpers creativity when it came to their outfits. I cannot remember when I have laughed so hard...truly a great memory!

Yelp: What's your favorite part about being part of the Yelp Community?

Lori M: My favorite part of being part of the Yelp community is the ability to meet and talk with so many different kinds of people. No matter how different we all are, we share a common love of sharing our experiences with others.

Michael Tragash Reno Tahoe Tonight 33

COVER STORY Reno Engineering Corporation Text Oliver X Photos Ron Kots & Propelled Media

R E I M AG I N I N G D OW N TOW N The story of Reno's revival is more than the by product of the economic uptick.

Labeled the “Detroit of the West� some analysts projected that our region wouldn't recover from the recession until around 2021! It started with the vision and the imagination of risk-takers like Lance Gilman and his partners at Tahoe Reno Industrial Center; Bernie Carter in Midtown; the Egans downtown; the Raydon brothers of Marmot Properties in the Wells Addition, and Fernando Leal with his non-gaming hotel development concepts in the casino corridor and others.

Block by block change-makers started making impact, and as the housing market stabilized and the economy began to come back, consumer confidence rose, along with trickles of investor interest and company relocation. The mission was finally meeting the messaging, as companies like The Abbi Agency landed the narrative of Reno's relevance and resurgence on the front page of The Wall Street Journal and in other influential publications. And our exceptional arts and culinary scenes began earning the national attention they deserved.

Photo: Britton Griffith Douglass

34 Reno Tahoe Tonight

Samuel Douglass

Sami Griffith

Seth Brown

Photo: Seth Brown Sami Griffith Britton Griffith Douglass Cami Griffith Vince Griffith Britton Griffith Douglass Samuel Douglass Reno Tahoe Tonight 35

COVER STORY

Photo: Sami Griffith Cami Griffith Vince Griffith Britton Griffith Douglass

T

he slow and steady evolution of Reno's most important district, downtown, has been a study in merchant driven advocacy, citizen pride, civic vision and collective responsibility.

In concert with the City's development and antiblight initiatives, and buoyed by the Riverwalk Merchant Association's beautification efforts – funding both hanging and edible gardens and fueled by RAD – the Reno Alliance for Downtown's Safe & Clean Committee, whose member mission, as their name implies, is to address and improve downtown's safety and cleanliness, noticeable strides have been made in both perception, safety and livability.

Concerned residents noted that the Dehne model

36 Reno Tahoe Tonight

of angry accusatory agitation and disruption for its own sake (however well-intended), bears bitter fruit and sews seeds of resentment and division.

So other voices emerged and action followed.

Watchdog blogs like Downtown Makeover constantly stirred the pot, holding politician's hands to the fire about blight, parking, safety, issues involving the homeless and common sense strategies and ideas for development, repurposing and information about what other cities are doing to address their pressing concerns.

Led by groups like RWMA and RAD, merchants and business owners are taking responsibility for their own doorsteps, preventing loitering and public urination; encouraging each other to

improve their frontages and facades and making their businesses presentable. That spirit has made the challenge of renewal possible; taking action on the problems that had grown almost unmanageable has made all the difference. That ethos is spreading and a sea change is literally in the wind.

Another one of downtown's change-agents is Reno Engineering Corporation, a development services corporation whose offices are on the 14th floor of the Reno City Hall building. The small, family-owned company, led by Professional Engineer and patriarch Vince Griffith, President; his wife Cameron Welsh-Griffith, Graphic Design; daughter Samantha Griffith, Social Media Director and daughter Britton Griffth-

Douglass, REC's VP of Operations, who also sits on the Board of Directors of RAD and is the Vice President of the RWMA, has been buying up specific downtown locations for the purposes of bringing in the right tenant mix to help Reno attract, nurture and retain local, regional and global entrepreneurial talent and investment.

Along with its numerous holdings and civil engineering projects under management, REC owns and leases the first two floors of the Arlington Towers building and has created an important point of entry for new businesses: a tech incubator called StartUp Row, which houses vibrant young ventures like The Reno Collective, Filament and Laxalt & McIver among others.

Reno Tahoe Tonight 37

In the one block alleyway just east of Arlington Towers is a project REC helped champion: the Roff Way Parklet. The temporary structure is a public space funded by local businesses where the public can come to chill, read, eat lunch and work outdoors. Two parking spaces were repurposed for the project, and the revenue that would be generated from them, is repaid to the city by the creators.

The brainchild of small business owner and RWMA Board member Nellie Davis, whose popular Outsiders Hair Studio fronts the parklet on the first floor of Arlington Towers, the Roff Way Parklet, part of an overall campaign by Davis and Laxalt + McIver's Matthew McIver known as Our Alley – whose next undertaking will be a commissioned mural on the east exterior wall of Imperial – is handsomely designed. Made from recycled and reclaimed wood, the space features elevated planter boxes, seating, bike racks built into it and standup work platforms with woodcut depictions of our waterways, native fish and wildlife. The success of the Parklet, whose ribbon cutting was presided over by Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve, is one of the many collaborative projects REC has its hands in downtown.

“Anybody can have a great idea, but you need a company that is going to execute it and that's really what Reno Engineering has been doing.

They're the ones that look past what would be considered 'normal' and break out of convention and comfort zones,” says imagineer Courtney Meredith of Design on the Edge, who, in her consulting capacity with the Riverwalk Merchants Association, has been working closely with Reno Engineering Corporation for the past several years to help reimagine Reno's downtown corridor. Meredith cites the recently completed parklet as one example of the commitment REC has made to getting things done in and around their immediate downtown footprint. “Not many businesses would be agreeable to someone saying, 'I want you to knock out a few of your parking spaces by your property and turn them into a public sitting area'--let alone help to fund it,” Meredith emphasizes.

I spoke with Britton Griffith-Douglass about Reno Engineering's vision for downtown Reno.

Oliver X: What's REC's company mission and purpose?

38 Reno Tahoe Tonight

Britton Griffith-Douglass: We're a small family business, born and raised in Reno. Our purpose is to keep those values and that culture, while providing an international resource. We want people to be coming here. We know how to speak the language. I studied International Business at UNR, so that's a perspective that we can provide.

Everybody at the time made fun of me for pursuing that course of study. People would say, 'Nobody's ever gonna come to Reno … Nobody's ever gonna come to this Podunk, redneck town.'

And now they can't come over here fast enough from over the hill. They're literally coming in droves. We have to show them that we have the education. So I think our mission is for us to show we can be international. Not just our city, but our company. And that we can lay the groundwork for you to come in.

Oliver X: What lessons have you learned from working with local neighborhood and business associations?

Britton Griffith-Douglass: [Laughter] That we have a very specific sandbox. You kinda learn what you're good at and stand on that. I think we almost doubled our square footage in the past six months. We just picked up over 11,000 square feet. In StartUp Row we started with about 2,000 square feet and then jumped up to another five and then ten. So you find kinda what works and can just stay with the moment. We weren't like, 'Oh yeah, we're seeing all this great stuff and growth in downtown; let's go pick up another building in South Meadows.' No, go and stick with what you're good at and start developing in consistent and concentrated levels. Get that alleyway fixed up. Make sure that the Palladio has a better entryway. Make sure that these parking issues are solved in these three blocks. People ask, 'Oh, don't you want to expand?' No, I don't. I want to make this a perfect block. I want to make this the ideal location for the tenants. And we know who we want as tenants and we know how we want them to expand and incubate. And we can do that. So, we sit on the Riverwalk District Board; we got with the Regional Alliance for Downtown; we're in the City of Reno building.

So you keep everything localized and dense.

A few years back, Vince and Cami wanted to move to downtown Reno and were looking at condos in the Palladio. When that didn't pan out, they ended up buying an office building instead,

COVER STORY

Photo: Vince Griffith Britton Griffith Douglass Reno Tahoe Tonight 39

they moved into a bigger house. Their business came to downtown because of that and then a fortuitous thing happened that was years in the making: Tesla came to the TRI Center.

“It then became a very quick tie-in that this international company, that's looking to come into the northern Nevada region had to move spouses here; move their kids here; choose to move their company and their employees here; had to believe that they could succeed here; they have to believe that they could hire people here and by going out to all the big dirt out at the TRI Center, which is what they need, right; they had to have a city to come home to,” says Griffith-Douglass in one long breath. “Sometimes people have a lot of bad perceptions when they first some to Reno,” she 40 Reno Tahoe Tonight

notes. “You can't walk them through unnamed casino and have them leave at 5am for a business meeting and there's a lady smoking and drinking at the slots who's 85 years old. It's not a good show.

[Laughter] So instead, when they come down and they see the StartUp Row flags and this big entrepreneurial community and the incubation the City wants to provide. And we're all excited and there's Campo here and Reno Provisions there and you can go to Granite Street for a drink. And they go, 'Oh, this I can understand and sign up for; this I can believe in. I can sell this to my spouse. I can get my employees to stay here. I have some talent here to pull from.

“We have a great university here and it's getting better,” Griffith-Douglass says. “We have to keep

COVER STORY Photo: Shu Nomura Kate Redick Andrea Hlatky Vince Griffith Britton Griffith Douglass

our graduates here, and if we keep them, then the companies can draw from that talent pool for their work force and we can all come up together.

But if we keep losing students, then there's nobody to hire.

“Retaining students and recruiting businesses allows us to then attract better students and better businesses. That excellence and opportunity helps us to promote Reno as a college town with opportunities. That makes it easier to sell Reno.

Then the university gets more money and can offer better programs and that system starts to feed itself.”

Stopping the “brain drain” has been a key component of Reno's resurgence. Attracting

students to downtown as a livable option (Roberta Ross' Ross Manor on West Street now houses many students) by showing them that it's safe and affordable is a major plank in the Riverwalk Merchants Association's outreach platform. Their “Back the Pack” initiative has become a rallying point and there are now over 65 downtown businesses in the Riverwalk that offer discounts to students. The Reno Collective, who occupies corner space in Griffith Douglass' StartUp Row, offers scholarships to students each year. Bike friendly amenities and event programming has also targeting students who are now more actively engaged in Reno's downtown. Free bus transportation on the Sierra Spirit that runs through the Riverwalk District out to the Liberty Arts neighborhood, allows for affordable Reno Tahoe Tonight 41

mobility and students often find convenient, off-campus parking in the downtown parking structures.

Oliver X: Clearly organizations like EDAWN, RAD and the RWMA are creating dialogue where agendas can coincide.

Oliver X: Where do you get your proactive, do-it-now mentality, and how is that expressed in your business?

Britton Griffith-Douglass: Collaborations are happening and progress is being made because of it. You see that with the master plan with UNR and the City working together.

Britton Griffith-Douglass: We're big on the entrepreneurial idea of 'fail fast and move on.'

My dad is an entrepreneur at heart. If one thing slows down, find another. But if you don't do it now, you'll never do it. Just go do it and if it doesn't work, start over. Because otherwise you sit around. I mean look at some of these buildings.

They've been sitting here for twenty years. They're vacant and they're sad and they're bringing down the economic development of downtown. They're bringing down the redevelopment. They're making it unsafe; they're making it dark. Because they don't know what to do with it. Just do something.

Paint it. A couple of the building's over here they painted them all white and they look great. They did something. It looks fresh. You can tell that they care. One day they got up and said we gotta make some kind of change. Just do something.

Oliver X: How long will we be satisfied with boarded up motels, liquor stores, and antiquated t-shirt and mug shops being our visitor's first impression of downtown? For me, that's the goiter-sized wart in our dog and pony show when selling Reno. Our dog is lame and our pony is decrepit.

Britton Griffith-Douglass: You're right. I honestly don't think we can uproot them. I've spoken with enough of them. They're not moving. But what we can do is find clusters where we can make change and fix those. We can find areas of opportunity that can be improved. Make the grass greener over here; loop them around the blight with a bike path over there, and so on. See what happens in Reno is everybody gets so excited about 'the new new' and one person wants to do one thing and the other person wants to do the same thing. But they don't know that the other person's doing it because they're not communicating. People being proactive and transparent about stated goals and objectives and then just doing it, is how things move forward.

Otherwise these ideas never get done. I feel a bit of that futility is dying down, because the culture is more impatient than it was before and the culture wants change, not excuses.

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Oliver X: When I first came here, I saw a kid wearing a shirt that said, 'Reno Where Dreams Come to Die.' Do you feel Reno's self-talk is improving?

Britton Griffith-Douglass: My sister lives in Manhattan, and rarely sets foot in the 775. She came back to visit recently and we took her to Midtown and out to eat a few times. And she goes, 'Oh, I kinda see it.' [Laughter] Yes, our self-talk is improving. People are less ashamed to say they are from Reno. Which sounds so terrible, but it's one of the things I observed growing up here. The other thing that's ending is the self-deprecation. Slogans like Draino or No-Town are kind of dying out.

And if we do make fun of ourselves, it's tonguein-cheek, rather than an expression of depression.

People are definitely more prideful. They're heard that we were featured in the Wall Street Journal, or that their favorite bar was featured in the New York Times. It's like, if outsiders are saying something nice about us then it's safe for us to feel good about ourselves now.

Oliver X: Circling back, how do you measure the impact that REC's projects are making on Reno's economy and future development?

Britton Griffith-Douglass: I would say first and foremost, that we are extremely fortunate, lucky and grateful to have met companies like Switch and Tesla and a couple of other international companies. We had a group from Connecticut come over to speak to us about positive places to be investing downtown. They have dollars they want to spend here and they called us. That attribution is measurable in that they know we've done certain projects and that our toolbox has the requisite tools in it to get things done for them. People now know enough about us to call us. And that is what we wanted when we started calling ourselves an international company. We can help you get local things done on an international level. We met a group recently from Ireland who is interested in this market. So people are saying, 'Hey, we have a company we want to move here from

COVER STORY

abroad. What do you think about water issues, or regionalization? Should we move south or north?

I would say our number one drive right now is working on projects that are big. We started with Double Diamond and moved on to the TRI Center and now people are starting to look at industrial developments. We now know we can take on big projects. We know we have the human and intellectual capital to handle these projects.

We want to get on an airplane and fly to your city in Ireland and bring you back here, and help you find a building and renovate it. We want to find the environmentally friendly groups to do a green business park. Let's bring high speed fiber to all of downtown. Let's continue to aim high.

Oliver X: What's the vision you have for your downtown projects?

Britton Griffith-Douglass: StartUp Row is a dedicated and concentrated effort for these couple of blocks. Our best vision is to make it that you know what you're coming down here for. You

understand the culture; you understand your tenant space, so let's thrive on what's happening.

We know what's working. And our biggest vision? There's a company that's downstairs on the first floor-- we incubated them. Now they have triple the employees. Great, we have space for you! We want to build a relationship with these tenants that they don't go anywhere. You need a new space? We will go buy a building for you and we will renovate and work together. I want to build relationships that are long term and lasting. I think that's what downtown's about. Because people are going to grow. I mean these companies that are in the Reno Collective, and Filament—they're tripling. Or they win a bid and suddenly become huge! I don't want them to then leave Reno ‌ to say, 'Oh I have to leave downtown because there's no space for us. We will make space for you.

Don't leave downtown. Don't leave your block.

We want you here and will work for you to help you stay. recnv.com/development Reno Tahoe Tonight 43

COVER STORY

44 Reno Tahoe Tonight

FEATURE Text Oliver X Photos by Jeff Dow jeffdow.com

Frey Ranch Estate Distillery

46 Reno Tahoe Tonight

Distilling 101: Talking to company out at the still house “The original Frey Ranch buildings, located in the heart of the Great Basin Desert dates back to 1870, and have been listed on the National Registry of Historic Places since 1999. The present day Frey Ranch now encompasses 1,200 acres, and is currently owned and operated by Ashley and Colby Frey, the fifth generation to maintain the family tradition of sustainable ranching and farming.”

Quality over quantity from “Ground to Glass” has earned Frey Ranch Estate Distillery, located in the farmlands of Fallon, Nevada, its stellar reputation for excellence in their product line of craft spirits.

Their vodka debuted to critical raves last year, and their recently released gin is just as good – smooth, with bright aromatics of juniper, wild sage grown on the ranch, and accents of coriander, angelica root, cardamom, lemon peel and orange peel—it's unlike any gin you've tasted domestically. Wine Warehouse is Frey's California distributor and the gin is now being served at several of the top venues in Las Vegas.

“I think Colby planted between 800-900 acres of wheat and rye this season,” says the very pregnant Ashley Frey. The couple is expecting their second child in February of next year, and are eager to be blessed with both a bouncing baby and a fertile season ahead in the midst of drought conditions that have gripped the west hard the past four years. “Colby is going to rely on mother nature to germinate the seed,” Ashley notes. “We're praying for El Niño to come and sprout the seed and get us a nice crop.”

Blue-eyed and baby faced, 31 year-old Colby Frey might just be the new face of modern farming. A graduate of the University of Nevada Reno where he studied business, Colby has put his wisdom to work in the fields that his family has farmed for over a century. Old-timers come to him for tips and help.

He often consults men nearly twice his age, trouble shooting problems and offering his insights and solutions. Colby is a doer, who hand-built most of the non-historic structures on the estate. Colby and Ashley open their doors to visitors each week at their tasting room and he is refreshingly generous with the details of his family operation.

In Part 1 of our series on Frey Ranch, we catch up with Colby, as he offers a quick crash course in distilling to a tour group of visitors during their recent celebration of the release of their new gin and the one year anniversary of the Frey Ranch Estate Distillery.

Reno Tahoe Tonight 47

FEATURE

48 Reno Tahoe Tonight

Colby: So this is the still house. First of all, the whole idea behind this distillery is that we grow 100% of the ingredients that we make into alcohol. We make all of our alcohol out of wheat, rye, barley and corn. And there are different variations of that. We grow them all out in the fields right out here. We grow them all summer.

This distillery is sized so that we can produce 10,000 cases a month. So that we can distill all winter and farm all summer and we're not distracted by one or the other. The other nice part is that most farms have to let their employees go over the winter because there's nothing to do.

We can concentrate on growing all of the crops during the summer, then we bring all of our employees into the distillery and distill all winter.

Someone asks, “Well how much time is involved in distilling? Isn't it just sitting there distilling?”

Colby: There's bottling vodka and gin. There's a lot of barreling we have to do. We band the barrels. It's almost a full time job during the summer just branding barrels could be a full-time job. It takes forever. You're sittin' there burnin' 'em. [Laughter] There's hydrating barrels. We rack the wines in the winery. We keep all of our employees busy year-round, which is kinda neat.

So, in the distillery we have the pot still, the vodka column and the continuous still. And the way distillation works is that alcohol has a lower boiling point than most liquids. The boiling point of alcohol is 172 degrees. So what we do is put anything with alcohol in it in the pot still. We heat it up to 172 degrees. The alcohol starts to boil. And that boiling alcohol turns into a vapor. It goes up the head of the still over to the condenser and the vapor gets condensed back into a liquid. So basically you're boiling out the alcohol.

There's several different theories on this. My thought is that this is why they call them spirits.

If I fill this pot up with wine for example and I boil out the alcohol, the spirit of that wine becomes brandy. The spirit of wine is brandy.

You're boiling out the good stuff. The spirit. The spirit of grain is whiskey. The spirit of vodka could be anything as long as you distill it to 95% [Laughter] … and then you water it down to 40% like you find in the store. That's the truth. So what we do when we make vodka is we fill up the pot still, and we heat it up. It goes up the head of the still, down this pipe and up; we redirect all of the steam up there, and it goes through the vodka column, so that we can make high proof alcohol.

This vodka column it comes out at 98%. Whereas if we were making brandy or whiskey or other stuff, we'd only want it at maybe 60% alcohol, so that we'd get 40% of the grain flavor or the grape flavor coming with it. With vodka, you want it to be neutral.

The thing about our vodka is that it's made with wheat, rye, barley and corn. Most vodkas are made out of one grain. The other neat thing is that we use a certain yeast and we distill it before it's done fermenting and it kinda gives it a creamy texture and flavor.

Someone calls out, “That was the yeast you could do.” [Groans and laughter] “Colby, will you ever do potatoes?” I ask.

“I thought all vodka was made from potatoes,” someone shouts.

Colby: Here's the story on potato vodka. In Russia they can grow potatoes, because you can grow potatoes just about anywhere. And they started trying to make whiskey, but they started trying to make it at 60% alcohol. But it tasted terrible, because, ya know, potatoes taste terrible fermented. [Laughter] So, what happened was, they kept distilling them to a higher and higher proof to try to get all the flavor out of it because the potatoes tasted terrible. So that's how vodka became a drink. Potato vodka originated in Russia because they couldn't grow the grains.

Potato vodka is vodka because it tastes terrible on its own. So, our thought was that if whiskey tastes good on its own, why not make it out of grain. Our vodka is made out of grain and most of the good ones like Grey Goose, Belvedere are all made out of grain.

“So what's the definition of vodka then?” a visitor asks.

Colby: As long as it's distilled at 95% or more, that's the definition of vodka. There's actually grape based vodkas; there's grain based vodkas and there's potato based vodkas.

“Who makes grape vodka?” a woman asks.

Colby: Ciroc. The brand that P-Diddy endorses. [Chuckles] “What makes a good or bad vodka?” a man inquires.

Reno Tahoe Tonight 49

Colby: To be honest, there's very little difference between brands. What's neat about our vodka is that we distilled it to 98% and it still has the creamy texture, which was what we were going for, because of the grain and yeast we use. Now we distill it before it's done fermenting, which actually lowers the yield. We get a lower yield, but a better quality product, which we are OK with.

It's more about the texture than it is about the flavor. If you did a blind taste test with vodkas, it would be really hard for the average person to pick out the high quality vodka from the lower quality vodka. I'll talk more about that later.

This is the continuous still. So what we have is the mash at the top and steam at the bottom.

As the mash falls through the trays in this column, the steam heats up the alcohol and the mash; the alcohol travels up and when the mash hits the bottom there's no alcohol in it. The mash continues to travel up. There's a condenser that condenses the vapor back into a liquid.

When the mash gets to the bottom and gets pumped out into a feed truck and we feed it to dairy cows. But it's a continuous operation.

As long as we're pumpin' in mash at the top, and steam at the bottom we get out the alcohol.

The nice part about this is that it's really efficient; we can do a lot of volume and a lot of big quantities, but it's not as good in quality.

Most of the big vodka and whiskey companies use this kind of still only. Jim Beam has a 96” diameter still—it's huge. Ours is a tiny 12”, we're capable of doing one percent of what they can do. But the neat part is that we then pump it to the pot still and we can then make a high quality product because there are things in alcohol that are bad for you. One of them is acetone. And there's several other things that I can't pronounce. [Laughter] But they almost all have lower boiling points than alcohol. So what we do is we heat it up slowly and we collect the distillate, all this stuff that comes off first and we actually throw it away. That's called the “heads.”

We throw away about 25 gallons every time we distill anything in the pot still. That contains all of the bad stuff. So the difference is most of the big distilleries have this kind of still and they run continuously 24 hours a day. They don't redistill it in a pot still. So they can't get out the bad stuff.

What's neat about this setup is that most stills are a pot still or they're a continuous still. But most distilleries don't have both. This is actually the first one that Vendome Copper and Brass, the same company that built Jim Beam and Jack 50 Reno Tahoe Tonight

Daniels and Maker's Mark—all the big guys' stills—it's the first time they ever built one that has all of this equipment. They're really proud of it. Normally they won't even return people's calls, because they're that busy. So me and Ashley showed up on their doorstep one day out in Louisville, Kentucky and said, 'Hey, you guys are gonna build us a still.'

Mike Draper: This is the only one of its kind that they've built. Vendome sends people out here to look at it. But it's not like they send somebody out here to put it together and they also don't send out instructions! So Colby and Russell figured it out. [People gasp] Colby: They built this in the factory and they basically took a couple pictures and then they sent us the pictures and disassembled it and sent it to us, and we had to figure out how to put it back together again. Which was actually a blessing because now we know exactly how it works. We know what the internal parts are—we know all about this whole thing.

Which is kinda neat.

Mike Draper: He's also got a room full of parts he can't figure out where they go.

Colby: They've built a lot of pot stills and they've built a lot of continuous stills, they've built a lot of j-baskets and vodka columns, but they've never built one that has everything. This thing can produce every product the way it was intended to be produced.

“Colby is this a smaller footprint than is normal for most stills?” I ask.

Colby: Well, for a small distillery it's bigger. But like I said, Jim Beam is 100 times bigger. We're 1% of the capacity of those guys. But, as far as a craft distillery is concerned, we can produce 10,000 cases a month. 120,000 bottles a month.

Someone asks: "So Jim Beam just has that column and that's all they do? Then they put it in the barrels and age it. But they don't take the other stuff out?"

Colby: They don't take the heads out. Now they say that that's one of the things that gives you a hangover, but the other things are called conjugers. The more of those you can get out, the better. And all of those conjugers are in the heads. Now the big companies produce enough distillates that they sell

FEATURE

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them off to the pharmaceutical companies and paint companies.

Someone asks: "So the stuff you throw away, that 25 gallons, you could actually sell to someone?"

Colby: Yes, but it's not enough to have someone come in here and hall it off. It's a really low pH, and it's really good for the soil. So we blend it

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with the mash liquids and we spread it back onto the fields and it's really good for the ground.

In Part 2 of the series, we'll look closer at the workings of the Frey Ranch Estate Distillery and find out what critics are saying about their new gin. freyranch.com

FEATURE

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MORE THAN A BRAND IT'S A LIFESTYLE

1 3 5 N S I E R R A S T, S U I T E C , R E N O R I V E R WA L K D I S T R I C T 7 7 5 . 6 8 2 . 3 8 0 0 — R E N O E N V Y. C O M

FEATURE Text Oliver X Photos by Kyle Volland Photo of Hunter Howatt (this page)

by Pixels & Ink

Hunter Howatt, at the Pixels & Ink Print Studio 56 Reno Tahoe Tonight

Pixels & Ink: Part 2

"In Part 2 of our feature piece on Hunter Howatt's Pixels & Ink, we talk about his new Midtown location, which boasts a 1,000 square foot subterranean gallery and production space and Howatt's partnership with Ian Carpenter of The Framery."

RTT: Tell us about Pixels & Ink’s New Location!

Hunter: Pixels & Ink has always stayed close to the heart of the art community, and we’re excited to announce that our New Location is now right in the heart of it all in Midtown!

I am happy to be walking distance from our office as well.

RTT: As a veteran in this industry, what’s the most rewarding aspect of the business and what are some of your favorite projects to date?

Hunter: That’s a tough one… so many of our clients projects reflect different styles, different avenues, and there are always new challenges and new opportunities. We work with a large array of clients, from artists to engineers, photographers to families, Novices to Pros, small format and oversize pieces that require extra care ~ and maybe that’s the reward, there’s always something new and fun.

Helping install finished pieces for art shows and galleries, and oversized prints in home and office redecoration on location are rewarding because the entire projects are ones that allow me to give back to the community. More and more I’m working with local Non-Profits to help with Donor Programs, Fundraisers, and charity Gala Events that raise awareness and funds for those in need. Any time I can play a part in helping others is a great reward, both personally and professionally.

RTT: If a client is out of market but needs your services, how are you able to address their need?

Hunter: When a customer requests a print shipped to their home or office, or alternately as a gift to a loved one, we package with care and ship out daily. It’s a great option for customers who live around Lake Tahoe, an hour or so from Reno, and well beyond because their prints show up a day or two after they’re ordered, and it saves them lots of time and money.

Our Pro Clients really enjoy the drop shipping we offer, we print and ship our client’s work direct to their buyer, nationally and internationally, straight from our location. The client’s branding and packing slip are used, so their customers enjoy a professional experience.

RTT: What technical advancements, tools and innovations do you see on the horizon in your industry that you’re excited about?

Hunter: There are some really exciting new products out there that we’ve incorporated into our product line. Metal Prints, Acrylic and Glass Mounts, and Archival Canvas Wraps are all products we offer. And the quality and our consistency of color with these products is something you’ll find sets us apart from the competition…

With the new location and expansion of space in Midtown we’re adding brand new, in-house product lines that are really exciting. Modern print mounts and framed prints with high-grade UV protection that won’t break the budget, ready to hang or ship when they’re picked up in store has been part of the grander vision of Pixels & Ink since the beginning.

New Location: Pixels & Ink / The Framery 120 Thoma St. #1 MIDTOWN Reno, NV 89501 Hours of operation: Mon-Sat, 10am - 6pm Reno Tahoe Tonight 57

Feature Ian Carpenter, who has been a professional framer for 15 years: “My vision for The Framery is best summed up by a set of core values I believe strongly in: Honor our Customers, Deliver Quality, Work as a Team, Do our Best and Next Time do it Better, Celebrate and Encourage the Culture of Art. “Everything I frame is important to someone, no matter how much or how little the cost.

Framing means different things to different people. To an artist, is it a chance to show and sell their work. To the person who buys that art, it’s when the art they love fits neatly into their home and life, providing enjoyment. To a professional it can be either a credential or an award that defines them. The framing should reflect that importance… I want a frame shop where high quality object framing as

Ian Carpenter The Framery 58 Reno Tahoe Tonight

well as fine art framing is performed on a daily basis, while supporting the local arts and encouraging its growth.”

Hunter Howatt, Pixels & Ink owner and entrepreneur, on the new space: “I’m very excited to announce I’ve partnered up this year with The Framery, a hip new frame shop in Midtown.Expanding on our already robust product line

and offering all under one roof has been part of the grander vision of Pixels & Ink since the beginning. While talking with Ian about our vision for our own business paths, we realized we had a similar vision — and recent events brought us and those visions together”…

The Pixels & Ink tagline: Your Partner In

Art™ is coming to fruition with the new location and all of the new developments.

We’re responding to our client’s call for new products and services, and adding inhouse framing and finishing services that we simply could not offer in our previous location. Photo and Art Supplies are on the horizon for our medium and Pro-Level customers, and for the photographer clients I’m looking to add some pretty killer ordering software into the upcoming year. Very exciting times.”

Hunter Howatt Pixels & Ink Print Studio Reno Tahoe Tonight 59

FEATURE Text and photo courtesy of Sarah Walton

Planning in Pregnancy Birth is a monumental moment. It is a milestone.

It is something that you will remember for the rest of your life. It is honorable. It is a right of passage. It is a moment where we are most connected. It is something we share with all of the past, present and future. Just like you plan other milestones in life: birthday parties, graduations, marriages, you can also plan for the birth of your family.

It is essential that you trust and feel supported by your care providers. Find a doctor or midwife who encourages you to make your own preferences known. If you cannot communicate comfortably with your provider, or feel that they mock, discourage, belittle or otherwise dismiss how you plan to give birth, please consider switching providers.

If you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant, it is not too early to begin looking into prenatal care, where and how you will give birth and if you will hire a doula. It is best to educate yourself about all of your options so that you can make the best decisions for you and your family.

Take a childbirth education class. It really helps to understand your anatomy and the process of birth. Most classes will also go over comfort measures and coping techniques. These classes prepare you and your partner, help you to know what to expect and are also a great way to meet people who are expecting around the same time.

Most people do not know much about pregnancy and birth prior to being pregnant. Yet the amount of information out there can be extremely overwhelming. How do you know if it is reliable?

What should you do? Where do you start?

Interview more than one doula. Find out what their skill set is like and if they have experience with anything you may be concerned about.

Meet them in person. It is important that you click with your doula. They will be there with

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you during a very vulnerable and powerful time.

They will be working for you and with your care providers. You should feel very comfortable with the doula you choose.

It is commonly thought that doulas are only for a certain type of birth, but they are a beneficial addition to every type of birth. From unmedicated home birth, natural hospital birth, epidurals and planned cesarean births – their job is to support you and your partner's choices.

Doulas offer companionship, physical, emotional and informational support to both the pregnant person and any other support partners, before, during and following birth.

They work for you and with your providers.

Studies show people supported by a birth doula are 26% less likely to birth via cesarean; 41% less likely to birth with forceps or vacuum; 28% less medicated pain management; 25% shorter labors and are 67% more likely to report positive, satisfying birth experiences.

Most doulas have professional training and a range of experiences and unique skill sets. They know pregnancy, birth and postpartum and know there are varying degrees of normal. They understand the importance of birth being part of your story; one that you help write. Doulas can't make decisions for you, but they can help navigate the process.

Births vary. They happen in a lot of different ways. We are not shuttled in and have the same experience that the woman in the next curtain had. What we experience is completely unique.

While it is true that we cannot control birth, we can prepare ourselves with reliable resources, childbirth education, birth plans and a team who cares, supports and encourages our wishes.

If you don't think a doula is something you can afford, please contact The Reno Doula Project.

They operate on a sliding scale, so the option of having a doula is accessible to everyone and anyone, regardless of your financial situation.

About Sarah Geo Walton Sarah grew up around birth and do-it-yourself empowerment. She has always been drawn to

Sarah Walton helping others and it would often manifest in taking care of friends during times of challenge. After becoming pregnant, she spent all of her free time researching and exploring pregnancy and birth. She is trained as both a Birth and Postpartum Doula and has training in Placenta Encapsulation. She has recently attended birth related conferences; Healing from Trauma workshops, completed Cultural Competency Training; is familiar with Nonviolent Communication and is continually studying birth.

Her hope is to find ways to help you release any fears or anxieties and replace them with confidence. You deserve to be treated with honor and respect and be surrounded by love and support.

Birth and Postpartum Doula and Placenta Encapsulation Specialist brightheartbirth.com facebook.com/brightheartbirth Community Outreach and Events Coordinater renodoulaproject.com

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FEATURE Text and photos Matthew Bieker

THE RENO WORKS INITIATIVE “That’s a sharp,” said Darren Hinds, supervisor of the Reno Works crew, pointing to a syringe on the ground of a vacated homeless encampment on the banks of the Truckee River.

“Who has the sharps container?” he calls aloud.

One of the crew members brings him a plastic orange container with a bio-hazard symbol printed on the side. He carefully picks up the 62 Reno Tahoe Tonight

needle with a mechanical trash picker and places it in the container. As the crew bags up the last of the belongings for pick-up and storage at the Volunteers of America (VOA) shelter on Record Street, the riverbank is as clean as the last time they visited this area over a week ago.

They are proud of their efforts, adding today’s total to over 400 yards of blighted riverbank they

Fr l-r - Melanie Young, Jeffrey Stephens, Darren Hinds, Angel Garcia

have cleaned up over the past eight weeks. They hope the residents of the camp will come to the shelter, though—if not to stay, at least to collect their belongings. They empathize this because the Reno Works crew is homeless as well.

The Reno Works Initiative is a homeless work and education program conceived by Councilwoman Neoma Jardon and Pat Cashell,

son of former mayor Bob Cashell and Regional Director of the Volunteers of America’s Northern Nevada branch, and funded by some of the City’s ten million dollar budget surplus.

“We decided on two, nine-week sessions, ten clients in each session; they’d work three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday—six-hour days,” said Cashell. “And then on those Tuesdays Reno Tahoe Tonight 63

FEATURE and Thursdays they would be in class, taking classes such as resume building, Getting Ahead classes, OSHA certification.”

Cashell is uniquely qualified for his position as Regional Director. A former homeless person, he also struggled with a meth addiction for ten years before becoming sober in 2006. His designs for the program are rooted in his own experiences with homelessness.

“What I thought helped me when I first got out of homelessness and drugs and all that stuff, I thought would benefit them as well,” he said.

“Like the financial classes, that’s part of the reason they’re here, because they didn’t look after their finances. They all have incredible resumes, some of them have been cooks, chefs, welders— they have all kinds of assets and abilities that they obviously were at one time putting to good use.”

The first of these sessions convened in September after the initial application process. To join the program, applicants must be residents of the shelter and must comply with the VOA’s housing rules, including nightly curfew and bed checks.

In the first session, Cashell had to ask three of the initial ten members to leave for violating these rules.

Those who complete the program are entitled to two years of supportive housing in the form of vouchers and subsidies from the city, as well as a biweekly paycheck as VOA employees for their community cleanup work. However, Cashell and the staff of the VOA consider the ten-dollar-anhour paycheck a mere bonus compared to the long-term goals of the program.

At the crew’s second cleanup site of the day, Darren Hinds approaches a lean-to tent made from a blanket, hidden amongst the brush. He speaks with the sole occupant, a man named Carlos, asks him if he’s doing OK, and eventually encourages him to come by the shelter. Peer outreach is an important secondary job for the Reno Works crew, who never break down camps with people living in them—a practice Cashell calls “cannibalistic.”

Darren Armas, 50, the only one of the four crew members working that day to have spent time sleeping on the streets, is especially sympathetic.

“There but by the grace of God go I,” he said.

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Darren remembers watching his mother struggle to support he and his brother, and was introduced to drugs and alcohol early by his father’s biker club. After six years on the streets of Bakersfield, California battling an addiction to meth and synthetic marijuana (called “spice”), he moved to Reno in May to pursue sobriety and be close to his eldest son.

“I hadn’t seen him for nine years, and I remember the day that he said this to me, I went to tears like a little kid. He stood there and looked at me and said, ‘Dad, I’m proud of you.’ And I just lost it, because I hadn’t heard anything like that from someone in a very long time,” said Armas.

Now, nine months sober, Darren attributes his recovery to God—he can always be seen wearing the cross he bought from a friend with a fivedollar bill he found on the street. He and his girlfriend, whom he met at the shelter, intend to become volunteers at the VOA after graduating from the program.

As they continue to collect trash along the Riverwalk, Melanie Young, 39, makes jokes at 29 year old Jeff Stephens’ expense—asking how much money he’s going to be paid at his new job, as a chef at the Heritage restaurant in Whitney Peak Hotel. Jeff and Melanie both grew up in single parent households, Jeff with four siblings and Melanie with one. Melanie came to Reno three years ago, and had lived in her mother’s house her whole life until her mother moved out in July, leaving Melanie and her three-year old daughter with no place to stay.

“Honestly, I’m not angry at my mom—we’re talking again – we didn’t speak for the three months. But I couldn’t even be mad at her because she finally gave me a gift: to stand on my own,” said Melanie. “The stigma with being homeless is ridiculous, everyone thinks you’re on drugs or you’re mental—hard times happen to good people.”

Melanie recently acquired her own apartment after staying with her daughter at the VOA family shelter for the past three months, and says the program provided motivation and a way of engaging problems she had never dealt with before. “I hadn’t had a job in years and my confidence was down. I just had to get in motion and they helped so much,” she said.

Darren Armas reads his bible, specifically the book of Psalms, every morning before work.

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FEATURE Jeff, however, considers his time at the VOA to be an unfortunate fluke. After growing up in a stable home in Richmond, California, he and his longtime girlfriend decided to leave the city after learning she was pregnant, and after losing three of his friends to street violence. When their plans to stay with a relative in Reno fell through, they came to the shelter.

“I ain’t really out here to make no friends,” said Jeff. “I said that in the beginning of the program, some of them was like “Oh, I’m your friend.”

Like, I’m not saying I’m not going to talk to you guys and everything, or interact with you guys, but in the long run, I’m really about just me and my family.”

Jeff has a self-proclaimed talent in many areas, including: music, design, cutting hair, and cooking, which he studied for three years at college in Las Vegas. His new job at Heritage and the housing provided by the city means that he can save money for his eventual goal of owning a food truck in Atlanta. “There’s more to me than what you think; I’m well-educated, my momma didn’t play no games when it came to schooling and working,” he said.

At the end of the workday, Angel Garcia, 61, begins to talk about the group’s upcoming graduation ceremony at City Hall. Angel is one of the more reserved members of the group, but is obviously excited at the prospect of completing the program. “This is the first time and the last time I’m going to be coming here because I'm going forward, not backwards,” he said.

Angel is reluctant to talk about how he came to live at the shelter, but after recounting his childhood memories of life in the barrio (and mother and father who worked hard to move the family out), he begins to talk about his future goal: retiring to Cancun and spending the rest of his days surfing. Angel has struggled to find work in the months that he’s stayed at the shelter, and occasionally wonders if his age has become a barrier for employment. “Some times I get depressed when I’m sleeping at night. I’ll say, 'How come these cats ain’t called me? Because of my age maybe? Because maybe they think I’m going to retire in the next five years?' My health is good; I feel good; I’m ready to do whatever it takes to move on,” he said.

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The Reno Works graduation is a small but intimate ceremony on the ground floor of Reno City Hall. The six graduates sit in the front row with their families behind them, and various VOA staff and City employees in the surrounding wings. There is a slide show and speech from Pat Cashell; Jeff even gets up to the mic to say an emotional thank you to Darren Hinds for his work as supervisor.

Melanie is absent, unfortunately. According to Darren Hinds, her missing classes in the final week of the program made her ineligible for graduation, but she still keeps in contact with the VOA from her new apartment. Hinds also says that Carlos, the man camping by the river, had checked into the shelter a few days ago.

As the congratulations and hugs and requests for photos are exchanged, it’s apparent that some of the members of the group haven’t had cause for celebration in some time. “The turning point of everything was when the City of Reno said they were going to provide money for the Volunteers of America for the Reno Works Program,” said Chloe Allen, who missed the river cleanup day the week prior for her new job—assistant Chef at Macaroni’s Bar and Grill.

Chloe started living on the streets in LA in 2008, and since coming to the VOA shelter in July, has found employment, housing, and a licensed payee to help her with her excess spending issues. Chloe would like to eventually become a facilitator for the Getting Ahead courses offered by the VOA, which she credits for helping establish her new life. Her facilitator, Jamie Peek, was the one to introduce her to the hiring staff at Macaroni’s.

Chloe reflects, “I think the world can turn around, but it’s not going to be in my lifetime I think. Unless, somebody like me stands up and speaks out … with this Getting Ahead class, we can do more than just sit by and let the world revolve. This program gives hope to those who don’t have it.”

A proud Reno native and 2014 graduate of the Reynolds School of Journalism, Matt Bieker works as a freelancer covering community development and the arts in northern Nevada. mbieker13@gmail.com.

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FEATURE Text Oliver X

Photo Jamie Kingham

The Riverwalk Merchants Association Now over 65 members strong and growing every bit as fast as their counterparts in Midtown, the Riverwalk Merchants Association is having a lasting impact on downtown's livability and quality of life. With over $78,000 raised for local charities and non-profits to date, the Riverwalk District and its steering body (the RWMA) is much more than the “Pub Crawl� headquarters for the nation's most popular street parties. The Riverwalk District is the soul and pulse of downtown, both refining and redefining the feel and perception of what downtown Reno is to both locals and visitors alike.

Here, in our fifth annual Riverwalk holiday feature, we look at the popular businesses that have been amongst the city's favorite destinations for years, as well as some of the new arrivals who now call the Riverwalk District home.

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fresh romaine lettuce, tomato, and sour cream $7.95. Stop by Antonio’s Mexican Grill in the heart of Downtown Reno and experience the same great tasting flavors you would find at Antonio’s cookouts.

Arts For All Nevada –

142 Bell Street Reno, NV 89503 775-846-8367 – artsforallnevada.org Arts For All Nevada's name says it all: art for all ages and all abilities. The arts are important for everyone, but with limited resources we focus on children and adults who have a disability, are disadvantaged, at-risk or underserved by the arts. When the Lake Mansion was donated to us, our mission expanded to include the preservation and year-round use of the Mansion as a cultural and historic site.

The mansion is now an integral part of Arts for All Nevada with a historic main floor and furnishings, a two room Art Access Gallery and two art studio spaces for our classes and special event/meeting room rental space.

Our offices are on the top floor.

Antonio's Mexican Grill –

95 North Sierra Street, Reno, NV 89501 775-870-9353 – antoniosgrill.com Every family has that one person who is the host to every event. Antonio’s Mexican Grill was founded on that same principle. Antonio Valle is the host in his family and his loved ones always look forward to joining him near the grill for mouth-watering, juicy tacos, beer, and lots of laughter! From running around as a young boy in a small town in Mexico, to the busy streets of Chicago, Antonio finally made his home your home in Reno, Nevada. For the past 17 years, Antonio has made his restaurants his home to share his great food with you.

Antonios' delicious taco and combo plates offer meal deals at food truck prices. I am hooked on the Pollo Asado Burrito combo plate, served up hot and fresh, with marinated chicken, rice, onions, homemade refried beans, cilantro, salsa,

Arts For All Nevada is a member of the VSA Affiliate Network, a program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts based in Washington DC. VSA was founded more than 40 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to provide arts and education opportunities for people with disabilities and increase access to the arts for all. There are 52 international affiliates and a network of nationwide affiliates. Each year, 7 million people of all ages and abilities participate in VSA programs, in every aspect of the arts – from visual arts, performing arts, to the literary arts. - Mary Ellen Horan

FEATURE

Art Indeed! Sierra Memorial Abstract Art Gallery – 142 Bell Street Reno, NV 89503.

775-846-8367 – artindeed.com Art Indeed! specializes in eclectic abstract art; local artists and local art collectors. Activities include monthly open houses, workshops, abstract art discussions and meditative journaling. Current contributing artists include: Tricia Poulos Leonard (watercolor and collage), Sandra Burke (watercolor and collage), Janet Pirozzi (acrylic and fiber art), Tamara Charland (watercolor and mixed media), Ginny Ritchie (acrylic mixed media), Leslie Kuhn (pastel), Chad Rice (acrylic on canvas) and Karen Barrenechea (oil on canvas).

Sierra Memorial offers unique celebration of life packages in collaboration with other locallyowned businesses. Lawton properties provides the beautiful wall space in their Bell Street Professional Building. Together, we have created a beautiful art space for everyone to enjoy. Janet L Pirozzi 70 Reno Tahoe Tonight

Art Walk – 148 West Street, Reno, NV 89501 – artspotreno.com/art-walk-reno With their slogan "more art everywhere," Geralda Miller and Eric Brooks have taken their passion for arts advocacy to the streets – literally – enlisting over 20 bars, clubs and venues to, in essence, become pop-up galleries for one night per month. “I’m thrilled we can be a conduit to convey all that’s happening in Reno’s arts community,” says Miller, “these are exciting times.” Brooks concurs, “I am so happy to be here in Reno right now. There are so many people in the arts community who have done so much over the past few years to get us where we are.

Now is the fun part...”

Art Walk happens the first Thursday of every month and embarks from the Riverwalk's West Street Market, where participants can register, get their maps and glasses and set off on their art adventure.

Crafted Palette – m.mainstreethub.com/ craftedpalette – 130 West Street, Reno, NV 89501.

775-409-4781. One of the city's newest entries in the paint and sip category, Crafted Palette has been greeted with enthusiasm by both wine

aficionados and art lovers alike. But Crafted Palette is more than just a great date night for art and wine, visitors can enjoy delicious gourmet coffee offerings in the mornings, grab and go breakfasts or a tasty sit down lunch.

Testimonials

“My go to coffee and breakfast place when I am in Reno. I travel alone on business, but I can go in and feel welcomed and extremely comfortable. Coffee and food choices always spot on. The atmosphere and music choices can make you want to hang out, drink your coffee and chill all morning. Owner is delightful.”

- Beth Pandrock Macfate

“What a wonderful evening! David was the most patient, energetic, fun "teacher". The evening flew by while everyone was enjoying the experience! Beverages, food, paint, laughter, pictures and a take home painting!

Definitely a have to do again with more friends!! Thanks for the wide variety of beverage selections and such a well kept shop!!” - Penny Reynolds

Filament – Arlington Towers in

StartUp Row, Downtown Reno – 775-434-0095 – filament.com “Filament creates wireless networking for industrial uses, says Filament's Nate Ashley head of Business Development for the company.

“Mainly when companies, like a factory, want to put sensors on various machines and understand how those machines are running – and possibly get those machines to communicate – we build all the software and hardware to make that happen. Applications include power, gas and utility companies, agriculture, manufacturing and logistics. “Any type of industrial use case that typically need to understand where its efficiencies are, or if they're simply trying to automate processes, we will build the things to make that happen,” Ashley states.

“There's a lot of competitors out there that are very focused on the internet of things; putting sensors on stuff, getting various physical items talking to each other,” notes Ashley. “Most of our competitors are focused in the consumer or say the automated home space. There are very few focused in on the industrial side. We are in industrial IOT. Competitors in this space are few and far between. Instead there are a lot of companies focused at providing that top layer application – the wisdom, right … If I can pull data off of machines, it will be a different company that can tell you what to do with that data. Many in this space don't understand the

fundamental aspects of building out a sensor network. We do it in a very novel approach, in a way that allows for much greater security and also for greater device independence.

That's an important and unique way at looking at building out these kinds of networks. To that, we see a lot of other players in this space as potential customers and not competitors.

We feel think they could adopt our technology in their offering.”

Still in an early stage of development, Filament recently completed a Series A round of funding, which gives them a good runway for a couple of years to get their product off the ground. Headquartered in Reno's StartUp Row, Filament currently has 12 full-time employees, with the majority of them working in Reno. According to Ashley, Filament also has developers and a product team based out of Denver, Brooklyn, Minnesota and a marketing presence in San Francisco.

Laxalt & McIver - Arlington Towers in StartUp Row, Downtown Reno – laxaltandmciver.co Laxalt & McIver is an indie firm that's growing fast. Recently celebrating their first year in business, the company specializes in Logo Design, Lettering and Type, Conceptual Advertising, Signage, Trademarks, Vision and Strategy – they're the Swiss army knives of brand development. “We are a branding, web and graphic studio, focusing on brand awareness,” says partner Matt McIver. “Our clients are anyone from local mom and pop shop and a local coffee company, to a coffee brand in Australia. In web design, we have a client in Palo Alto and one in New York City.

We also have a few apps we're developing.”

The award-winning company's skill sets are broad, from fine art photography and landscapes, to custom illustrations for ski and skateboard companies, beer and soft drink brands and more.

The company was instrumental in bringing the newly installed Roff Way Parklet to fruition and are leading the campaign to rebrand Roff Way as “Our Alley” in downtown Reno.

Reno eNVy – 135 North Sierra Street Reno, NV 89501 – 775-682-3800 – renoenvy.com Reno's signature lifestyle brand sells t-shirts, hoodies, tanks, onesies, caps, jackets and sweats, Reno Tahoe Tonight 71

FEATURE

The Jungle

along with a wide variety of gift items and accessories that display their trademark wit and irreverence. Recently celebrating their 10th year in business, Reno eNVy launched its Battle Born line of branded clothing. “The Battle Born brand has been very well received,” says company founder Scott Dunseath. We've expanded our retail distribution to Scheels and to the University Bookstore.” The Battle Born line retains the essence that Reno eNVy is known for, while creating designs that trumpet state pride and the Battle Born spirit.

Reno Fly Shop – 238 South Arlington

Avenue, Reno, NV 89501 – renoflyshop.com Reno Fly Shop is the premier fishing outfitters in northern Nevada, and is your one-stop shop for fishing information, activities and events in northern Nevada. From guided tours, to group and individual instruction, to the best advice on where to fish, Reno Fly Shop has the experience and expertise to make your outing an unforgettable experience, you'll tell your friends about.

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The Jungle – 246 West First Street Reno, NV 89501. 775-329-4484 – thejunglereno.com With a swanky remodel that added another 500 square feet of bar space, the former Java Jungle, has had a major facelift. With a sexy new bar staff, guest bartenders and an eclectic wine list, The Jungle has regained its swagger and has once again become a preferred downtown destination.

The Jungle's Sunday Night Showcases have restored the stellar live music The Jungle is known for. Their Open Mic Mondays might be the best place in town to discover the next breakout talent.

Popular Open Mic alums include Kate Cotter, Tony Walker, Kung Fu Sophie among many others. Wine Wednesdays have curated wine flights, charcuterie and small plate offerings. And The Jungle's Happy Hour, weekdays from 3-6pm, is the best deal in town, with $3 cocktails, $2 beer, and half-off tasty appetizers.

The Shelter – 111 North Virginia Street, Reno, NV 89501. - 775-329-2909 – shelterofreno.com Born out of love for Reno, Shelter provides fun for all ages. Boutique style bowling, great beer on tap and locally sourced food. Providing a great

venue for parties, receptions and more. Company groups can enjoy team-building and friendly competition, while having a blast on the lanes!

Six Brunswick bowling lanes, unique colored and styled bowling balls and huge projection screens for sports and entertainment make for a unique subterranean experience--in the heart of downtown.

Featuring one of Reno’s largest fiber optic bars, twelve big screen TVs and a huge dance area.

Open 7 days a week at noon daily until the wee hours of the morning. Bowling and food plus drink specials nightly. Be sure to try their delicious tacos. You will come for the food and stay for the fun!

The Waterfall – 134 West Second Street – Reno, NV 89501 – 775-322-7373. – thewaterfallreno.com Still one of the staple stops for downtown bar

hops, The waterfall has expanded over the past year to enlarge its physical footprint, adding some comfy sofas and pool tables. From hookah, to beer pong, to darts, 24 beers on draft, and local art updated monthly on display, The Waterfall prides itself on providing diverse amenities for locals and visitors alike. Happy Hour features 50% OFF and $15 Hookah. Monday is all you can smoke Hookah $10. Tuesday is Free Pool Tuesday, with Wednesday offering a $5 Beer & Shot deal. Thursday has 20 pints for under $3!

Yelp 5-star review

“Great place to chill have a drink and smoke good hookah. Everything from the art on the walls to the decor to the pool tables beer pong darts shuffle board games to the staff service and drinks and music is hella cool. Our hookah girl was a real sweetheart, the bartender was cool and made some damn good AMF's, the door man was nice and not like other bouncers some other places. My new favorite spot to kick back while in Reno.”

- Vince N Elk Grove, CA

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SouthCreek

Pizza Co. Part 2

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FOOD Text Oliver X Photos Michael Sproehnle In this segment of our piece on south Reno's popular pizza joint SouthCreek Pizza Co. The Madans, Ian and his father Mike and mother Linda, talk cheese, toppings, location and how to book a reservation for small groups or larger parties for the holidays and all year round.

Cheese

Ian: We're huge cheese nerds. [Laughter] We make our own mozzarella in-house everyday.

There's multiple reasons why we do this. Number one, it's cost effective. The process is fairly simple.

So once you have those skills to make your own cheese it becomes a lot more economical. But the main reason is that it takes good. The flavor is just fantastic. There's really nothing that can compare to fresh mozzarella. We focus on freshness; by making your own mozzarella you can control that quality and freshness.

Top Sellers

Ian: Hands down our number one most popular menu item is our Margherita Pizza. It's simply the dough, tomato sauce, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, a little bit of olive oil and Parmesan cheese, which adds flavor and a bit of salt to it.

Location

Ian: I feel like South Creek Center is definitely part of our success. I couldn't be happier to be here. Our landlord has done an amazing job for us. We could not be happier.

Mike: Our landlord was also our builder. They understood our concept. We met with them as a team (Linda, me and Ian) and really sat with them, and a fellow named Michael Fairholm out of Walnut Creek. He was very instrumental in helping us design the layout. We sat in our home and mapped out the design of the restaurant based on the footprint that we were given by the landlord. Our landlord and builders, the Mackenzies, one of them is named Brian and he's a foodie, they understood right away what we wanted to do. We wanted our wood fired oven, imported from Naples, to be center stage.

We wanted an open kitchen where people could sit at the chef 's counter and see the pizzas being made; where they could talk to the pizzaiolos; talk to the people preparing the food. Having a full experience, that we often had ourselves,

sitting at the counters of restaurants and pizzerias, asking questions, learning and finding out about ingredients when we started out.

Linda: And sharing their passion too, because these guys on the line are passionate about what they're doing.

Mike: And one of the things we wanted to do in creating SouthCreek Pizza, was to tip our hat to the people who helped us along the way. And we did that with our menu. And on our menu we have guest pizzas. So we have a “Pauly G” which is a friend of ours out of Brooklyn, who has a wonderful restaurant in Brooklyn named – Pauly G's! [Laughter] Then there's “The Nomad” which was based on a pizza called a Tartufi from a company called Nomad Pizza out of Oakwell, New Jersey. They took me behind the counter and showed me exactly how they make that pizza.

We've changed it a little bit and made it our own, but that's our nod to them. And the “Campo.”

Ian worked with Mark Estee for over 18 months and he was very helpful and so generous. On our menu and on our website we have their websites.

So we thank those guys for all they've done for us.

Toppings

Ian: We source local ingredients as much as possible. I mean, if it means we sacrifice quality, I won't go local, because sometimes you can't get good quality in the off-season. My biggest concern always is quality. If the local product's not gonna give me the quality I'm looking for, then I don't go local. If I can get quality ingredients through local vendors, then that's my number one priority. For example, we use US Foods occasionally for product. They carry stuff from UNR that their greenhouses grow. Which is awesome and their quality is always great.

Mike: We use local breweries as well. We use local honey; local eggs.

Linda: We get our gelato from Bibo Coffee who make fresh gelato.

Ian: We use local as often as possible. We love to give back to the local community as much as we can.

Mike: Going back to Bibo, one of the things I really wanted to do was to be able to offer affogato. Affogato is gelato drowned with espresso for dessert. And now we can do that.

It's on our specials menu.

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Reservations & Private Parties Ian: Our policy here is that we will only do reservations for parties of six or more. If you are interested in booking large parties, we suggest you get a hold of us as soon as possible— well ahead of your event date.

It's tough to accommodate parties of 25 the day of. We've done it before, but please don't do that to us! [Laughter] Mike: We have a beautiful patio.

It's the winter season now, but our patio is awesome. We can reserve it for 25-40 people.

Ian: We'll do full restaurant buyouts if you're into it. We'll be very accommodating.

Just talk to us. We only have 100 seats with the patio open and 70 without it. So if you are looking for a 60 person party, we can discuss what we can do.

Although they're known for their pizza, visitors can come in and enjoy a nice salad, charcuterie, small plates, a beer and some things that you might not find at any other pizzeria. Try Ian's ribs, cooked for four hours “low and slow.” And his fire-roasted green beans are to die for!

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SouthCreek Pizza Co. is located at 45 Foothill Rd, Reno, NV 89511. 775-622-1620. southcreekpizza.com

FOOD Text Oliver X Photos Eric Russell

Truckee Tavern and Grill – Part 2 Upscale Simplicity In this installment of our series on my favorite restaurant in Truckee—Truckee Tavern and Grill—we fill you in on how owners Ryan Dierks and Chris St. Martin got started and what makes Chef Donovan's cuisine a cut above.

Chris St. Martin: We both got into the food and beverage industry pretty young. I think we were both about fifteen when we got our first job working in the kitchen. Both of us started off washing dishes. I realized I did not want to be washing dishes or in the kitchen very long.

So I moved into busser position pretty fast.

Ryan moved into a line cook and prep cook role. He worked at Ruth's Cris Steakhouse as a line cook in Vale. So that's where he cut his teeth and then moved throughout the business and got into the front of the house.

And then for me, once I got a job as a busser, I stayed in the front. I moved to server at several restaurants and once I was old enough to become a bartender I went and got my certification and went to bartending school.

Oliver X: Front of house suits you.

You're a people person.

Chris St. Martin: Yes. You're on stage when you're behind the bar, and for a short period of time you're performing. When you leave you're off stage. I like the hustle and the busyness of making cocktails in a fast-paced environment. So I moved into a nightclub during college ... There's only two bars on the campus of the University of Connecticut and there's 35,000 students!

Oliver X: Were you like Tom Cruise in Cocktail?

Chris St. Martin: [Laughter] We didn't do much flair. We didn't have time. The line was always four deep at the bar. But it was cool because then I learned a whole new aspect of the business. I learned how to do it quickly and efficiently. After I graduated college in Connecticut I moved out here and got a job as a bartender.

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Oliver X: What brought you out West?

Chris St. Martin: Snow. Snowboarding. I had a degree and didn't want to get a corporate job.

I said to myself, I'm gonna move out west and see what happens. So, I packed up my jeep and followed the snow.

Oliver X: Why not Mammoth then?

Chris St. Martin: Never went to Mammoth.

I do have sort of a family tie to this area. I have some cousins in the area that I came out and stayed with for a period of time in my senior year in college. And just kinda fell in love with Squaw and what Tahoe has to offer. And the kind of people here were different. I spent some time in Colorado and spent some time all over and I thought that if I was gonna move, I would go to California.

Oliver X: Not to disparage Colorado, but was it just too hippy for you?

Chris St. Martin: [Laughter] No! [Emphatically] You know what it was? It was that the people I met from California were just more open. They were friendlier and little more talkative to a new person. People seemed happier here. And the people I met in Colorado were awesome. But I didn't get to know as many of them as fast. It seemed like everybody here in this town was more transient or had just arrived also.

They were all accepting. People were like, 'Oh you're from the East Coast, so am I!' It was a quicker adaptation for me here.

Oliver X: What kept you here?

Chris St. Martin: I think the snowboarding and the lifestyle kept me here. I could go ride my bike here during the day and I could go work at night. I could enjoy life on a different level … Which totally changes as soon as you open a restaurant. [Laughter] Oliver X: When your parents heard that you were going to invest your life savings—and quite possibly theirs as well—into a restaurant, how did they react? Was there any pressure from them? Did you have to sell them on the Big Dream?

Chris St. Martin: I did not have to sell them the big dream. I'm lucky because my parents are super understanding. That word accepting comes to Reno Tahoe Tonight 83

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FOOD mind. My father was like, 'Hey, if the corporate life is not your thing, you're good at this. You've been doing this since you were like 15; you're good at it.

Why don't you stick with it.' There really wasn't much pressure from them to rapidly expand and build a corporation around Truckee Tavern. Their thing was as long as you're happy, we're happy. The tone they set was actually very welcoming.

And trust me, this whole process of restaurant ownership is scary. You'll have super exciting days and then there'll be days when you're saying to yourself, You're never gonna open! It's a roller coaster ride.

But the whole time my parents were there urging me to keep going.

Oliver X: Did you get your work ethic from your parents?

Chris St. Martin: My mother was in retail. She managed several furniture stores in Connecticut and in the greater New England area. And my father is a computer programmer with a life insurance company. They definitely encouraged me to work as hard as I could in anything that I chose to do. As my maturity grew, I understood the lessons of hard work.

Oliver X: How did you and Ryan meet?

Chris St. Martin: I started working at a restaurant here in town called

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FOOD The Cottonwood as a bartender and I had like two shifts. And one of the first people I worked with was Ryan. Me and Ryan kinda hit it off and started snowboarding together and spending time outside of work and riding bikes and all kinds of stuff. We became really good friends.

of connections and were able to open our own spot. And to be honest, I think it worked out for the best.

We always toyed with the idea of opening something or doing something. It wasn't always a restaurant. We tried opening up a clothing company at one point. We tried starting up an internet company that had to do with the social aspects of snowboarding. And it was all bad timing for us and it just never worked out. We were both at a point in our lives not very long ago where we said, Are we going to keep doing what we're doing? Are we going to keep bartending.

Ryan was also a tile contractor at the time and he was like, 'I'm kinda over it with working in this field.' So we thought, why don't we try opening up a restaurant?

Chris St. Martin: So this was a restaurant called Dragonfly. And it was a great Asian fusion place.

I'd been hearing rumors in town that the chefowner was kinda looking for someone to take over the space. And he was ready to get out of the brick and mortar stuff and move on to the next phase of his career. And we just approached him and said, 'Hey, what do you got going on?

We've heard rumors that you're thinking about getting out of brick and mortar?' And he said, 'Yea, let's talk.' So we sat down and talked about, ya know, purchasing what he had existing. And I think it worked out great for everybody. It was one of those mutual things where, he's still cooking; he's consulting. He worked on one of those projects down in the Bay Area. He's doing a great job and we're happy to be doing what we're doing here.

We actually tried to buy one of the restaurants here in town that we were very familiar with.

It didn't work out and we got kind of discouraged.

But Then at the same point, we made a couple

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Oliver X: How did this space become available and what was it previously?

Oliver X: I had never been to Dragonfly when it was open. How much did you have to modify the look here to fulfill your vision?

Chris St Martin: We put in a lot of time. Having a partner with a construction background is huge!

[Laughter] I'm somewhat handy, but I am really not that handy. Basically the main bar was a sushi bar and it had a big footprint. So we tore that out and pushed it back. We got a flooring professional to do the floors and we painted. We did a lot of work over about six weeks working 18 hour days to get it up and running.

Oliver X: [Laughter] A month and a half is nothing! People are doing six month built-outs and remodels.

Chris St. Martin: [Laughter] Nothing, but for us it was a ton of work. We put the brick up behind the other bar. We refinished all of these bars and built the shelves. The was plumbing and electrical work that needed upgrading. The only change to

the kitchen, since we cook with wood, was to bring in a new hood. Which was a big project.

We had an HVAC guy in here. We upgraded the hood and motors and all that stuff.

Oliver X: What made you choose to go wood-fired?

Chris St Martin: Conceptually, we wanted to keep it simple. We thought that the best way to enhance the flavors in food, was to go back to a primal level.

Burning real fire was the way to go. So we took it back to that. We wanted to get those flavors you really can't replicate on a gas grill. It totally adds a different flavor. It's about 120-130 degrees in there for the cooks and the oven can get up to 500 degrees. We have fans blowing on them and we keep the cooks very hydrated.

RTT: How did you come up with the name?

Chris St Martin: It all goes back to the main root of our concept which is simplicity. We wanted to

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do upscale simplicity. So, we wanted to go back to what we are. We're a tavern. A tavern is a meeting place and an eating place and a bar. We threw out a lot of ideas and the name came down to this: we have a bar, we have a grill and we are in Truckee.

[Laughter] We wanted something timeless. I mean, this place could have been here 30 years ago and it could still be here 30 years from now.

Truckee Tavern's spectacular seasonal cocktail house specials include: Happiness Preferred – gin, lemon honey, fennel pollen, almond Goodbye Summer – (hot) bourbon, chamomile, ginger, lemon, apple, butter Payment Differed – bourbon, vermouth, ginger infused chartreuse, bitters Greta and the Tramp – genevere, cranberry, sherry, cinnamon, sparkling wine Question of Honor – gin, rum, sherry, walnut, gran bitters Age of Indiscretion – gin, aperitivo wine, gran classico The Gold Rush – bourbon, rum, egg, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg Bartender Nicole Barker Before she left to tend to her own restaurant project, award-winning United States Bartenders Guild member Nicole Barker tended bar at Truckee Tavern. Her point of view on the establishment holds a lot of weight. Here is her assessment on the restaurant.

“They have an amazing selection of spirits and they're so humble here. They want people to experience craft spirits when they come here— and often it's a guest's first experience with craft cocktails. But Ryan has done a great job making the cocktails fun and approachable. All of the cocktail names are reflective in some light on the movies that have been shot up in Tahoe. 120 movies were shot here. A customer interrupts us, asking where the tavern obtained their wine racks. She has the answer in a flash: www.vinotemp.com; then buses their table and is gone in a blur.

“Chris does an amazing job taking the time to select wines that are esoteric, but that don't break the bank, so to speak. Introducing people in Truckee to a whole different world of wines. Not just Napa; not just Oregon. And on his by the glass list, you're not seeing Kendall Jackson, we're seeing some cool stuff and the clientele is so receptive to it. It's very interesting to see the Truckee clientele in general ask questions about the wine, learn stuff about it, love it and be on board with it. When I

was looking at the list, I was interested to see how the customers would respond to such an outside force. We do get a little flak on the chardonnay.

But it's so nice and refreshing to see a menu that's crafted thoughtfully, but without pretentiousness.

It's a hard mark to hit. The service staff here is so fun to work with. I have never seen a team support each other as well as this place does. Nobody stands around; everybody helps everybody else.

Every runs everybody else's food. It's amazing.

Yet it's so relaxed. When I work here I have such a good time. Even when it's crazy busy. The other day the credit card system was down and normal when something happens like that you're crying by the end of the night—it's awful. But you know what, they just pulled together, Ryan rode his skateboard up to Cottonwood and got the old school manual credit card machine, so that we would have two of them for the night. We just hunkered down and we got through it.

“Quality food, great service, so much care goes into the quality of things. Truckee Tavern uses local purveyors, without needing to get a pat on the back about it. Obviously everybody loves the food here. Everything with Chef Donovan is about quality; it's about the freshness; it's about the season. The menu is so seasonal it's almost ridiculous. They're printing new menus all the time. That is awesome—especially for Truckee— because locals are kinda stuck up here in your own corner of the world. So it's so cool to go to a place that is always changing it up. That's not always serving the same thing and that is focusing on what is fresh—right now! That seasonal aspect is not easy to pull off. It can be a little expensive for a place to take that level of care. But with Chef Donovan, the food is not only seasonal, it is food with classic appeal. Not just what's new and trendy right this second. He executes those special touches that go that one level further than you would see at other fine dining establishments.

And I gotta tell you the guy is a sauce genius! All of his sauces are phenomenal. He has this wine Au jus for the venison that is just that is lick the plate guilty pleasure. Seafood always has to start with freshness. If you haven't had the halibut here you are missing out on one of the seven wonders.

The way the kitchen is set-up back there, they are working with a great starting point for seafood.

It's not your normal throw it in the pan prep.

They put the fish on the grill, and you can taste it.

That halibut is buttery and flaky, but it's got that nice crispness on the outside. It's delicious.”

Truckee Tavern and Grill is located above Uncorked at 10118 Donner Pass Rd, Truckee, CA 96161. 530-587-3766.

FOOD

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HEALTH TIPS Text Lanette Katre Make up by Lizette Solano Photography Shelbi Whitehead

I

am giving you a gift in the form of permission to place yourself at the top of your own priority list. You are officially on the Nice List. I want you to take care of you so you are healthy and focused to meet the demands of the month.

It is so easy to neglect ourselves during the hustle and bustle of the holidays, when really this is the most important time to maintain our wellness routines.

Get re-energized with your weekly B12 shot, relax with a facial or massage, go to the gym, find time to take a Diva Dip (Epsom salt soak), go to your yoga class, enjoy date night with your significant other and be respectful of your bedtime, these are all important outlets that keep us healthy, well and grounded. Making time for yourself should be honored all year, without guilt. You are the most important person in your life, so treat yourself accordingly. Take time out each day to take a mental inventory, feed your soul and reconnect with yourself. When we stay on track with our personal wellness life is easier to navigate.

I promise you this season will be merry and so much brighter if you accept my gift. Let’s finish 2015 strong and healthy‌2016 is going to be big!

Lanette Katre Owner The Shot Spot-A B12 BAR 615 Sierra Rose Drive Suite 4 Reno, NV 89511 775.826.1008 Office 775.846.1887 Cell

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RADIUS Text Amanda Horn Photo Amanda and her mother by Brad Horn

[radius] = a holiday reflection I have rather fond memories of Christmas. The most vivid pleasurable recollections stem from Granny's house. Granny and I had a special relationship. She was my rock. Amidst the chaos of a childhood in perpetual motion, Granny always remained the same. Her 1960s red shag carpeted house populated with black furniture. Her long red fingernails, and styled, golden blonde bouffant hair. Her Kent III 100's wrapped snugly in a gold beaded cigarette case with matching lighter sleeve.

Her raspy laugh wafting over the quiet rumble of her white Lincoln Town Car on long road trips.

More than my mom's mother, Granny was my childhood best friend. Granny embodied coolness.

She traveled to Las Vegas, drank Crown Royal, sported flashy diamond rings. And she adored me. 92 Reno Tahoe Tonight

Christmas at Granny's smelled like a sweet sickly blend of cinnamon apple and cigarette smoke. I would drink hot apple cider; the adults would add cinnamon schnapps to the concoction. I recall partaking in the adult version of the holiday hot toddy by age 11 or so, questionably young when put into this context but perfectly normal in West Texas. I recall neither the food nor the presents.

Rather, I remember sitting around the dark walnut kitchen table playing Uno and Dominoes with Granny. We spent hours passing time this way.

The games weren't limited to Christmas. We knocked out a game or two every time I visited.

Most often it would be the two of us, but my cousin Rick visited frequently and joined in the fun. Mom sat in sometimes. At the holidays, the

four of us would play, joined by Aunt Penny or another passerby. When my little brother Blayne and cousin James came of age they could sit in on the games, too. A jovial spirit pervaded the cozy home.

One particularly memorable Christmas began with a rare icy snow storm. Rarely did Odessa, Texas see a white Christmas. So this was a big deal. Granny let us fire up the quad and four-wheel down the street – pulling a sled. No helmets. No pads save for the cushion of a winter coat. Simple fun flanked by reckless abandon.

Christmas meant laughter and togetherness.

Unencumbered by tradition, we designed our memories one holiday at a time. A little insight into my family unit would be appropriate here.

My parents were married to each other three times, legally separated four additional times.

Between the splits and transfers initiated by oil and gas field work, we moved every year of my youth until eighth grade. I adapted well to this system, by the grace of an adventurous disposition.

Still, the familial dynamic produced an enormous amount of stress for all involved parties. The holidays provided respite from this uncomfortable reality. Granny had tumultuous love relations, too, but that didn't affect the system then. At least not my engagement within it.

like to get the last word, that Dorthy. I didn’t spend that Christmas with her or anyone else in my family. Fortunately, I did have the blessing of seeing her briefly that Halloween. She and my mother had come to watch me perform in a sideshow outside of Dallas, Texas, the first and last time she witnessed my circus tricks. I didn’t cherish the time with her the way I should have, the way I would now. At that time I was tailspinning in a selfish spiral that left little room for others. My rock had floated away and I struggled to bid her farewell.

I conclude with sage words by Deepak Chopra: “When love and spirit are brought together, their power can accomplish anything.

Then love, power, and spirit are one.”

May the spirit of the season fill you with love and peace. Namaste.

Amanda Horn is a Reno-based writer, yogini, and creative community enthusiast. A former circus performer, she has been pushing boundaries most of her life, constantly redefining her own and testing the radius of the world she inhabits. She currently serves as Director of Communications for the Nevada Museum of Art. Follow her on Twitter @TeboHorn or email her at amanda.horn@nevadaart.org.

As I write this, Thanksgiving looms over the horizon. My mom and dad – currently not together nor with anyone else – are coming to visit. They are both staying with me and Brad, in our new home. People imagine such an arrangement would be unbearable. For me, it's welcome. A return to something we haven't experienced together in over a decade, maybe two.

My parents are in their 60s now. I'm nearing 40.

My little brother is 32, my elder half-brother, 44. The older we all grow the more important it becomes to strip away the junk that doesn't serve us, to lay bare the hurt and the heartache and move forward into forgiveness and peace. That's the essence of relationship. The time we spend together is too short, so should not be squandered in bickering or blame. I’m grateful my family is unafraid to be candid, too cheerful to revel in misery rehashing the past.

Granny passed away in January 2004. I remember returning home from the funeral to find her holiday greeting in my mailbox. She always did Reno Tahoe Tonight 93

REAL ESTATE Text and photo courtesy of Debra Menchel

Showing Your Property Showing your property can sometimes require a 'second eye' to help ensure that you are emphasizing the right features. Recently there has been a lot of talk about 'staging'. Staging your home means to 'dress it up' for show, much like you would get yourself ready for a special event. Staging your home includes everything from simply cleaning up a bit, to decorating with the right colors, fixtures, and accessories, and even home improvement additions.

But how much is too much?

Staging can be a bit tricky for many reasons.

You don't want to spend money on staging, additions or repair work if these efforts do not add value to your property. The money you spend to 'fix up' the home may not be recoverable.

Expensive additions can also be a matter of personal taste, and may not have a wide appeal to buyers who may be planning their own additions, fixes, and changes to the property.

Likewise, staging can sometimes be seen as overwhelming or even deceiving. Current research indicates that too much staging can turn potential buyers away because the personality of the property is too strong and that becomes a significant deciding factor.

Can you imagine missing an opportunity to sell your home because the style of the decor was too strong?

Buyers will be wary if staging appears to be implemented to hide defects or draw attention away from otherwise negative features. But done correctly, staging can be an effective tool in selling your home.

If you are looking to sell your property, and would like professional help getting the most out of your sale, contact The Menchel Group for referrals for the right staging designer at findyournevadahome.com or call Debra at 775-339-1393.

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RENO BIGHORNS Text and photo Oliver X

The 2015-2016 Reno Bighorns season is underway and it's already been packed with action. And for those of you (like this writer) who have not been to a Bighorns game in a while, this year's squad exhibits the kind of above the rim, blistering up and down pace and athleticism that will keep fans on the edge of their seats and coming back for more.

The Bighorns' season-opener, a tough 123-121 home loss to the LA Defenders that came down to a last minute buzzer beater that would have sent the game into overtime, saw forward Ricky Ledo lead the team with 33 points and 8 rebounds. The Bighorns got solid back court play from guard Sundiata Gaines (27 points), with ten big assists from guard Cliff Hammonds. Forward Vincent Hunter poured in 21 points and had a game high 17 boards, while center Duje Dukan had 14 points.

The Bighorns recently acquired former NBA player Eric Green and added point guard David Stockton who averaged 20-4 and 9 in 43 outings with the 96 Reno Tahoe Tonight

squad in the 2014-2015 season to go with an already deep roster of talent. The Bighorns now post a 3-4 record on the season with wins over Idaho and Bakersfield at the time of this writing.

This is the Bighorns' third straight season as a single hybrid affiliate with the Sacramento Kings. How that works is that the Kings control all of the basketball operations side of the spectrum, including player personnel, coaching and roster decisions. Here in their Reno offices, the Bighorns staff controls all the business operations aspects and community outreach.

The D-League is rapidly expanding, with the recent announcement that the Charlotte Hornets purchased a team, which will debut in the 2016-2017 season.

The league has gone international as well, with the addition of their 19th team, the Toronto Raptors affiliate in Mississauga Ontario, the sixth largest city in Canada. The Hornets' team will bring the team total to 20 next year, with talks of three to four other teams coming into the league.

RENO BIGHORNS The growing importance of the D-League cannot be overstated, as one and done kids come out of college inexperienced and often ill-equipped to fully compete at the next level. The D-League, even when compared to the higher paying euro leagues (a max level D-League contract for a player earning an “A” grade on the A to C scale is paid $25,000; “C” level players are paid $13,500), is considered the number two basketball league in the world. The players are hungry and every game is a potential audition to get called up when player personnel issues and injuries require new bodies to play in the NBA. The Reno Bighorns live game experience is truly an adrenaline rush for fans of quality basketball. Ken Allen of Amplified Entertainment plays the high energy jams to get the fans pumped up and the Bighorns cheerleaders rock the floor with sexy dance moves. There's always giveaways for fan participation and spirit, and emcee Dreu Murin keeps the crowd pumped. Every seat in the house at the Reno Events Center is a good seat, with great unobstructed sight

lines and court visibility. And the games are a fun night for family entertainment. There's a huge kid's zone for the children, with large bounce houses and rock walls—there's even corn hole! Parents can come and enjoy the game and let the kids run around and play and have a great time. By the time the game's over, the kids are tired and ready to pass out!

And you can't beat the value. Tickets start as low as $8! Plus, in conjunction with KTVN, the Bighorns are offering a 2 for $22 deal featuring two tickets, a soda, chips and hotdog. That comes to just $44 for a family of four for all weekday games. With over 20 home games left as of this writing, fans can still get in on the action and enjoy the Reno Bighorns. For compete game schedules and ticket information, go to www.reno.dleague.nba.com Special thanks to the Bighorns' Justin Sawri and Kyle Jones who were interviewed for this piece.

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RENO STREET PHOTOGRAPHY Photographer Eric Marks facebook.com/RenoStreetPhotography

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REVIEW

By Dr. James Forsythe, M.D., H.M.D Text Oliver X

STONED: The Truth About

Medical Marijuana and Hemp Oil

Dr. James Forsythe M.D., H.M.D. and his Century Wellness Center have a remarkable fiveyear remission rate of 65 out 100 for patients with Stage IV cancer! Compare that with the national average five-year survival rate of just 2 out of 100 for patients treated by conventional physicians. In his new book STONED: The Truth About Medical Marijuana and Hemp Oil, the renowned integrative medical oncologist shares fascinating information about the controversy, the hurdles and the hope surrounding medicinal cannabis and hemp oil as a treatment for cancer and other conditions.

In this survey, written in layman's terms and covering the history of the medicinal uses of the plant, the research done internationally in Israel, Spain and Canada (he cites a 2013 study in Health Canada indicating the anti-tumor and anti-carcinogenic attributes of psychoactive cannabis), Forsythe skewers western medical myopia and the propaganda machine that drives the debate on criminalization, enumerating the many formal and informal obstacles that have kept vital research and treatments, until very recently, beyond the reach of North Americans.

Forsythe rips the roadblocks erected by what he calls, “Big Pharma,” as a cartel with a vested interest in keeping medicinal marijuana research suppressed, in favor of synthetic and addictive drug treatments that bring with their use, a laundry list of harmful side effects.

Forsythe details the public reversal of opinion on cannabis for medicinal use, by Dr. Sanjay Gupta (once tabbed by President Obama to be the next

Surgeon General), and details the many success stories attributed to medicinal marijuana use for a variety of ailments—most famously, the case of Charlotte Figi who suffered from Davet's Syndrome, a severe myoclonic epilepsy.

The doctor praises the pioneering trailblazers and “heroes” like Constance Finley, who is the world's leading expert on the use of THC laden cannabis oil for treating cancer effectively using a unique technique that tests the patient's cellular sensitivity at oncology labs. “Lab technicians use petri dishes when checking tumors to determine the most effective ratio of THC and CBD for the patient … The herbal neutraceutical revolution is informed by cannabis, which is possibly the most broadly helpful plant for all mammals,” Finley writes in Integrated Health Magazine.

Forsythe spends a considerable amount of ink on educating the reader on America's criminalization of pot and the history (and lunacy) of marijuana's classification as a Schedule 1 drug in chapter 22 titled, “America's Harsh Anti-Marijuana Laws.” In subsequent chapters 23 (“Warped Federal Perspective”), 24 (Marijuana Possession Laws”) and 25 (“Marijuana Legalization Issues Reaches Boiling Point”), he goes deeper into detail on restrictions, current regulations and the “demonization” of marijuana.

Forsythe praises state-level ballot initiatives that have been used by the electorate to legalize medicinal use in over twenty two states and the District of Columbia, while cautioning that studies on the long term health risks of recreational use are inconclusive and cannot be seen to rule out risks from potential abuse. The doctor notes that disputes exist around marijuana's negative effects, which some studies claim to include, lowering of blood sugar and blood pressure, bleeding, sleepiness and adverse liver function as a result of negative interactions with herbs like garlic and ginko biloba.

The jury is out on whether cannabis is a pristine miracle substance, and the sobering look at all potential side effects is a refreshing change from the cure-all rhetoric that's ubiquitous around the subject. But Forsythe's advocacy is unequivocal, and he sees a bright light on the horizon for breakthrough treatment modalities using medicinal marijuana and hemp oil in our clinical fight against cancer and other diseases and ailments.

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SHOPPING SOUTH LAKE TAHOE Text Oliver X Photos Kyle Volland

Gaia-Licious Global Gifts and Wildwood DIY Boutique This year we want to direct you toward two of our favorite off-the-beaten-path, independently owned boutiques next door to each other in South Lake Tahoe, Gaia-Licious Global Gifts and Wildwood DIY Boutique, where you can find glorious and delightful handmade items, clothing, art and accessories, just in time for holiday gift giving.

Gaia-Licious Global Gifts 987 Tallac Ave, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 - (530) 542-4244 Gaialicious was opened nine years ago in South Lake Tahoe by Kelly and Felix Brosch. They've been voted South Lake Tahoe's “Best Funky Little Store” for four years running. 80% of what they sell is Fair Trade imports, locally made or made in the USA. The well-stocked and beautifully decorated store carries everything from candles, henna kits, high grade essential oils, exotic incense sticks and cones, palo santo holy wood, refreshers aromatherapy products and aromatics of all kinds, to bohemian clothing, sarongs and Burner wear, sweaters, knits, tapestries, yoga mats, yoga books and meditation records, salt lamps, and a stunning array of finely crafted rings, pendants and necklaces from local artists.

Kelly and Felix have assembled a wide variety of locally written books about Lake Tahoe that you're likely to find nowhere else. “Our best seller is 500 Miles of South Lake Tahoe Hikes, by local Aaron Hussmann,” Kelly says.

“He's an outdoor enthusiast that works for the League to Save Lake Tahoe.”

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Popular local jewelers like Mark Garbarini have maintained display cases with collections of ornate, illuminated gemstones in sterling silver settings inside Gaialicious for years. “Amelia Blake is an amazing artist,” beams Kelly.

“In the past she has also made clothing for the store. She studied Fashion Design and has now moved on to jewelry. She

recently relocated to New York City to go to jewelry design school on a scholarship.

She makes all of her jewelry by hand using new and found objects.”

Rise Designs makes locally designed and printed shirts and hats, using their own original Tahoe artwork. Kelly notes, “Rise sells amazingly fast! They have a huge local following.” risegraphics.com Sierra Essentials is out of Truckee, California.

Kelly states, “These are the best candles, made in her Truckee home studio, scented with essential oils and plants. She makes our bestselling soaps, candles and sprays.” Sierra Essentials' product information states that their Soy Wax candles are “petroleum free and chemical free and last 50-75% longer and emit 95% less soot than petroleum-based candles. This soot contains 11 documented toxins, two of which are known carcinogens.”

Kelly states, “We've got a variety of clothing like Mata Trader's, Fair Trade made in India; Teeki Pants, leggings made from recycled bpa free water bottles, with really awesome designs like dream catchers, purple cheetah print, and Indian elephants with lotus flowers.” Buddhaful Designs makes festival themed clothing designed in the USA, and made in Indonesia. Their company is dedicated to spreading positivity, consciousness and UNITY through fashion, art, music and life. Superlove Tees, make awesome t's printed with inspirational sayings made in USA. See video at this link: buddhaful.com/pages/press I particularly appreciate the ecological care that goes into Kelly and Felix's purchasing choices. They carry ethical labels like Mugwump, makers of accessories designed and created using reclaimed and recycled materials found in thrift shops and yard sales. Gaia-Licious also sells African market baskets, strong, durable and handmade baskets made by the Ojoba Widow's Weaving Cooperative of Ghana West Africa.

According to their product literature “... All of the women live in remote subsistence farming villages in the impoverished Sahel region of Ghana … For most of the women, weaving these baskets is the only means of income they have to support themselves and their children during the long dry season.” gaialicious.com

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SHOPPING SOUTH LAKE TAHOE Wildwood DIY Boutique – 989 Tallac Avenue South Lake Tahoe, CA – 530-541-0700 Owner Lisa Utzig Schafer's Wildwood DIY Boutique is dedicated to showcasing local and regional independent artists and their fine craft work— while and giving the general public the chance to make art themselves! Schafer grew up in South Lake Tahoe and put herself through school at Humboldt State University, earning a degree in Art Education. Inspired by hip shops she's seen in Portland, Emeryville and others like Bespoke in Truckee, Schafer's goal with Wildwood is to support local artists and bring in new and exciting things made by other independent artists outside of the area, and providing classes that make art accessible to the masses who never thought they could create art.

“Anybody can make art and I want people to feel like they can,” Schafer states. “The classes and pop-up workshops we offer here give you easy, step-by-step instructions and all the supplies you need to succeed. We want to create an authentic, unique and inspiring atmosphere.”

Visitors and locals alike say great things about Wildwood and often say they “feel inspired to go home and make something,” which is exactly what Schafer wants to hear.

Many of the artists featured in Wildwood use found objects and reclaimed or repurposed materials for their creations. “When customers come in looking for a piece made in Lake Tahoe, they are often taking home an actual piece of Tahoe,” says Schafer. “Artist Gilberto Ramos does these wire bird perches made from branches he finds out in the forest.”

With only one art supply store in South Lake Tahoe, Wildwood is often a destination for artists looking to get materials for their work. “We sell a variety of DIY craft kits. You get everything you need in one package so you don't have to drive around to gather up all of the things you need to make that project you saw on Pinterest. We hold DIY craft classes, projects anyone can do with no special skills required, although you may learn a special skill.”

The gorgeously appointed boutique sells jewelry, paintings, furniture items, home décor—there's 104 Reno Tahoe Tonight

even a fully stocked mini yard shop called Knits & Knots owned by Aubrey Pierce. Along with neighbor Kelly and Felix Brosch of Gaia-Licious, Schafer holds regular First Friday events from 4-7p that have become very popular. Visitors can enjoy live acoustic music, snacks and refreshments and a family friendly craft class. Gaia-Licious will feature British artist Cat Makes Things. This First Friday on December 4, doubles as Wildwood's holiday party and there will be a photo booth to add to the family fun.

Two of the artists that really caught my eye on my last visit to the boutique were native bead worker Orie II Trezz of the Siksika Nation and woodworker Dan Parks. The sacred traditions Orie II Trezz upholds, honor his ancestors in beautifully intricate brick stitch collector bead work earrings, authentic dream catchers, pouches and pendants. His work bold, colorful and meticulous, exhibiting the dedication and love of craft of a true master artisan.

Much of the wood furniture tucked away or holding up the displays in Wildwood and Knits & Knots were made by craftsman Dan Parks.

Parks learned carpentry, woodworking and joinery from his father and in wood shop class in school.

The rest he learned on his own. Parks uses found and reclaimed wood materials he then will either stain, distress, paint or grind his furniture to give it an antiqued quality. I particularly like Parks' large decorative concrete bowls, made by pouring concrete into stainless steel molds. He then colors, stains and seals them to be food safe.

Some of Schafer's top-selling artists that you must check out at Wildwood DIY include: Veronica Mossberg, Spunky Punker-Trendy, Boho jewelry Gladys Garcia, Bella Drops-Leather feather earrings and Jewelry Gilberto Ramos-Wire sculptures Other artists: Mollie Mason, ceramics Allie Broadhurst, Revive Tahoe-Glassware Cat Makes Things-Jewelry Taxil Hoax-Jewelry Sherry Cullison- Painter Hillary Huff, Intrepid Jewelry wildwooddiy.com

Lisa Utzig Wildwood DIY Boutique

SKATE NV Photo Kyle Volland skatenv.com

Skater Glynn Osburn

Kickflip

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THE COUTURE CLOSET Text Isha Casagrande Photos Kari Spallinger of Gagewood Facebook.com/GagewoodLights Hair and Make up Sage Hair Studio sagehairstudioreno.com Styling Isha Casagrande Are you ready for a very haute holiday?

Get party season ready in a festive frock that is age appropriate and glamorous.

20’s –

Flaunt your figure in a form fitted dress that shows off your assets. Dress by Gentle Fawn available at The Couture Closet. Necklaces from Labels Consignment Boutique. Model Jessie Gaudard.

30’s –

Forget the LBD and be a bombshell in a blush colored ensemble.

Playful faux fur gives your look a youthful but mature edge. Adelyn Rae dress and Ya faux fur jacket and necklace all from The Couture Closet. Model Trisha Reed.

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The Couture Column

Dress C ode 40’s – Decadent texture climbs to a whole

new sexy by mixing sequins, velvet, embroidery and fur in a sultry mix of blue. Adelyn Rae dress and necklace from The Couture Closet. Velvet jacket from Chez Vous. Fur stole from Labels Consignment Boutique. Model Renay Rickman.

50’s –

Nothing is more desired than confidence.

Let the sexiness of your experience shine through the season in decadent burgundy. Adelyn Rae dress, Sanctuary velvet blazer and necklace from The Couture Closet. Model Karyn Whitemaine.

The Couture Closet is a style house in which you can shop the boutique or work with experienced stylists who can help you stretch your budget and turn your wardrobe into a fashionistas dream. We know style is not about what label you are wearing, but about how self confident you feel in what you are wearing.

The Couture Closet 538 W. Plumb Ln. Ste. E Reno, NV 89519 TheCoutureClosetReno.com

30’s

40’s

50’s

20’s Isha Casagrande

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Batch open 7 days a week

2 Great Locations!

Midtown • 555 s. virginia street • reno nv 89501 • (775) 336-1622 b at c h i v • 9 0 1 Ta h o e B l v d • I n c l i n e V i l l a g e • ( 7 7 5 ) 8 3 3 - 2 2 5 3

TRAINING TIPS Text and photo courtesy of Camie Cragg Lyman

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White Fitness Christmas

Just as White Christmas was voted one of the top Christmas songs in history, I believe that one's fitness, physique, mind and body should be voted one of the top priorities to take care – even when the Christmas season is approaching. Dreaming of a White Christmas is a desire, a want and a need for the season for many, but that all depends on Mother Nature. We have no control over getting a White Christmas, but when we do have one, I believe most receive that blessing with a feeling of gratitude, appreciation.

When I'm dreaming of being the best version of myself, it's way more possible due to the fact that we as humans have control of one thing: us!

We have control of the action, the choices and the mind frame that we are in, which is a result achieving or not achieving goals. It is a fact that there are some things we can control and there are some things that we cannot control in life, which helps us better understand priorities. My suggestions are to not worry or stress about the things that are out of your control like if its going to be a White Christmas or not; the lights in the college gymnasium; the product that your salon does not have, the choices off of the menu from a restaurant, or the machines at the gym. We may be able to give suggestions to the owners, facilitators and employees to help run things better, but being able to make the change that you desire is most likely out of your control when it comes to stuff like this. I suggest you focus on the high priorities in your life that you have full control over, which is you, what you eat, how you go about your day, whether you get a workout in or not, how you treat

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❄ your family, etc. Those are things that are directly controllable by you.

This Christmas season I encourage you to bring joy to your life by choosing your battles wisely.

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Be optimistic Make a choice daily to do something that is good for you Help others by being a good example of what good habits look like Adopt a motto in your life that can control and choice to stand by Allow time for yourself to work on your priorities some time in your day Set goals daily this month to keep you determined and focused Acknowledge what you do have control of and what you do not have control of in your life Seek out what you do have control of daily with positive action Share your success in humble and respectful ways Work on the balance of life and wencourage more JOY to be shared

Merry Christmas to all and may you get the White Fitness Christmas that you are dreaming about. - Camie Cragg Lyman My e-book is for sale online at ccfreno.com 30 days of H.I.I.T Workouts to do at home, in the gym, or at the hotel.

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Tabata Yoga For those of you that have never heard of Tabata, it's not a bread that goes great with hummus, but it just might be your new favorite exercise.

In Japan, Dr. Izumi Tabata started a study showing that short bursts of high intensity training had superior aerobic and anaerobic training affects compared to longer moderate intensity training. These benefits were shown in already well conditioned elite athletes. This study was published in 1996 and has become known as “Tabata Training.”

Tabata is a great method of exercising because it allows you to achieve better results in a shorter amount of time. Research has also shown that the metabolic effect of exercising at high intensity can continue long after training, which results in more calories being burned. Who wouldn't love a work-out that keeps killing calories even after you've physically stopped? It's a very simple formula, where your work out only takes four minutes to complete: You go hard for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds in a total of eight cycles. This might sound fairly easy when you are looking at it on the page, however, if you actually do it for the full four minutes you will be pleasantly surprised how challenging it is to finish.

Tabata lends itself well to Yoga, but remember it is still Yoga. It's important to use proper form, follow your breath and as you start to get fatigued avoid the temptation to muscle through. Honor and listen to your body and use modifications.

In this case, feel free to drop to the knees if your arms are getting to the

YOGA Text Rachel Douglass Photo Shelbi Whitehead

point of failure. I have put together an easy workout you can do just about anywhere. If you come through each flow twice that should take you roughly 20 seconds and then you can hold in Down Dog or Child Pose for 3 breaths and that's about 10 seconds of rest. If you prefer to keep time, you can use a timer on your cell phone or other device.

The flow is easy to follow, but don't let that fool you.

Remember one breath one movement. Starting from Down Dog – Inhale- High Plank – Exhale – Chaturanga – Inhale – Up Dog – Exhale – Low Plank - Inhale – High Plank – Exhale – Down Dog. For 20 Seconds.

Then hold and rest in either Down Dog or Child Pose for 10 seconds. Do this for eight rounds and it will take you a total of four minutes. Maintain your mind-body connection and if you feel the need to drop to your knees to finish the Tabata, always honor where you are at.

As the holidays are approaching I hope you utilize this fun and effective work-out to keep you fit in this busy season and burning lots of calories as we come together to celebrate.

Rachel Douglass

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