It's that magical time of year in Austin

It’s that time again! The 15^th Annual Austin Live Nativity will be held tonight at 6:PM at the Austin Clinic parking area. Afterwards, there will be a Turkey Raffle at the Fire House with hot chocolate and cookies—everyone’s favorite! This is the kickoff for the Christmas season in Austin and it should be a white one.

There will also be a Santa's Village in Kingston from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM on December 19th. This event is hosted by the Kingston Volunteer Fire Department. Every child from ages 1 through 17 will get a present and a picture with Santa Claus. Please contact Shannon at 964-2120 with gender and ages of children you will be bringing to visit Santa. Goodies will be served!

For more information about this year's Austin Christmas festivities, contact the Austin Chamber of Commerce from 9:am-Noon, Monday through Friday at 775-964-2200.

State Route 722 offers some excellent scenery

First off, always check road conditions during the winter months in Nevada! If all looks good weather-wise, State Route 722 is a beautiful drive with great views of snow-covered peaks.

722 veers off of US Highway 50 near the roadhouse at Middlegate. It then crosses two summits: Eastgate at 5,110 feet, and Carroll Summit at 7,492 feet. It reunites with US Highway 50 just west of Austin. The highway is the old route of US Highway 50 and previously the Lincoln Highway. The US 50 designation was removed in favor of the new route that traverses the Desatoya Mountains via New Pass Summit, which is 1,100 feet lower with easier inclines on both sides.

For photos and a virtual tour of State Route 722, visit http://austinnevada.com/Highway-722-photography.html.

Holloween spirits walk the streets of Austin!

If you visit the old mining town of Austin during Halloween, you might just conjure up ghosts and memories of years past. Walking our streets, and visiting the many historic buildings, you’re sure to feel a strong presence of the Old West. And at night, you might want to experience some different spirits at one of the oldest hotel in Nevada. The International Hotel was first built in Virginia City in 1859, and parts of it were moved to Austin in 1863. It still serves meals and drinks but does not rent out rooms (there’s a motel across the street.) Halloween night at an authentic Old West Hotel in Austin Nevada—does it get any scarier?! To learn more about Austin Nevada and the International Hotel, visit http://austinnevada.com/index.html or http://austinnevada.com/international_hotel_is_the_o.dwt

A change of season, a change of color

Fall in Austin signals the end of warm days and the first snowfalls of winter. In town, the trees turn color and paint the streets in swatches of bright yellow. This is a great time of year to pack up your camera equipment and visit Austin. The surrounding mountains offer adventurers spectacular fall color, and small groves can be discovered along many canyons and sidehills. For panoramic vistas, travelers can also visit Arc Dome, Alta Toquima, and Table Mountain Wilderness Areas. Hikers can enjoy many great trails along Kingston Canyon or explore the Toiyabe Crest Trail in the Toiyabe Range. Please remember to always check the weather reports, as the weather can turn quickly this time of year. For more information on these areas, visit http://austinnevada.com/wilderness.html or stop by the visitors’ center and ask where you can view the best fall foliage.

Restoration continues at historic St. Augustine’s Catholic Church

The historic photo on the left shows how St. Augustine’s used to look (click to enlarge.) The church is now in the process of restoration, and will eventually house a cultural and arts center for the communities of Austin and Central Nevada. Activities at the cultural center will include artist workshops, historic presentations and dramas, docent tours, local art shows, music presentations, and permanent collections and exhibits of Austin and central Nevada. St. Augustine’s is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Nevada Register of Historic Places, and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are gratefully accepted to help save this wonderful structure and piece of history. To learn more about historical Austin, visit http://austinnevada.com/history.html

The famous old Gridley Store still stands tall

The old Gridley Store is still a famous landmark in Austin. Owner R.C. Gridley, upon losing an 1864 election bet, carried a 50-pound bag of flour up through town to the tune of "John Brown's Body." While post-race libations flowed in the local hotspots, the sack of flour made the rounds at auction. Auctioned many times, it raised $6,000 for the Sanitary Commission, the Civil War precursor of the Red Cross. Other towns challenged Austin and the sack of flour toured the country. Its repeated auctions raised $275,000 for the cause to help battlefield casualties. Traveling around the country ruined Gridley's health, and when he returned to Austin, he found the mine played out and his store close to bankruptcy. Two years later Gridley and his wife and four children were living in poverty in Stockton, CA. Upon learning of Gridley's plight, newspaper editors in California and Nevada raised $1,400 to buy him a house and small farm, but Gridley's health continued to decline. He died in 1870 at the age of 41.

Today, Gridley Store is marked by Nevada Historical Marker 119. For more information about the old Gridley Store, visit austinnevada.com. For photos of the store, go to visit the Gridley photo album on the Austin Flickr page.