Twenty Students Learn About
Churchill County History at Elderhostel
Excerpt from Spring 1998 MuseNews
A publication of the Churchill County Museum Association
| On March 15, twenty eager students arrived in Fallon anticipating the
events that were to unfold in the week ahead. Even though every student in this group was
over the age of fifty-five, each was ready to learn about Churchill County history.
Sponsored by the Churchill County Museum, this was the second Elderhostel that the museum
board and staff has hosted, and all were confident that everyone would enjoy themselves
during their stay. Classes for the week consisted of guest speakers and field trips
coupled with first-class accommodations, excellent food and a special musical concert. |
Elderhostelers troop cautiously across
the suspension bridge leading to the
control tower at Lahontan Dam.
Leading the group was the afternoon’s speaker, Russ Armstrong, from TCID. |
By the time the visitors were ready to leave on March 20, the museum staff had
accomplished their mission -- people from Oregon, Washington, California, South Carolina
and Pennsylvania were going home with smiles on their faces, ready to tell their friends
and family about the wonderful town of Fallon, Nevada!
Janet Schmidt (second from
right), employee
of the Fish & Wildlife Service (Stillwater
Wildlife Management Area), took eleven
Elderhostel guests on a bird watching
field trip during their stay.
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Was the museum staff exhausted after this busy week? You
bet, but the rewards of the Elderhostel visit outweighed this temporary condition. We could not have accomplished this Elderhostel without the help of many people.
A huge "thank-you" to our speakers: Eugene Hattori, State Historic Preservation
Office Archaeologist; Frances Hooper who spoke to us at the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone
Reservation; the Sage Spirit Dancers; museum docent
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| Dottie Parr; John Huckaby of Huck
Salt; Bill Christoph at the Liberty Jersey Dairy; Bill Bartlett and Harmony 5 for
their help with the musical concert; Janet Schmidt, Fish & Wildlife Service
(Stillwater Wildlife Management Area), for taking our visitors bird watching and to NAS
Fallon for a tour; Ron James, Director, State Historic Preservation Office and Fred
Horlacher for doing a chautauqua presentation as Brigham Young.Our guests were
accommodated at the Holiday Inn Express which was within walking distance of the Western
Nevada Community College where they attended their classes. Churchill County Parks and
Recreation helped out by letting us use their school bus for field trips while bus driver
Bonnie Maughan was our willing chauffeur. Delicious meals were provided by the Fallon
Paiute-Shoshone tribe, the Apple Tree, Middlegate Station, the Fallon Livestock Auction
Cafe, the Fairways Steak House, the Silver State Club and Angelica’s Steak House in
the Stockman’s Casino. |
Another "thank you" goes to the museum staff, board members
and other volunteers for their contributions toward making the week run smoothly. We could
not have accomplished this without their help.
| By now you may be wondering just exactly what Elderhostel is. Anyone over
the age of fifty-five can take advantage of their programs. This non-profit organization
believes that turning fifty-five is just another beginning and is the time to discover new
avenues for self-enrichment. What started on a shoestring budget at the University of New
Hampshire in 1975 has blossomed into a worldwide network of dynamic programs for adult
learners. |
Bill Christoph (left), owner of
Liberty Jersey Dairy, speaks to Elderhostel guests. Don Brooks (right), from King City,
Oregon, listens with interest.
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Nearly a quarter-million people study and travel with Elderhostel at national parks,
2,000 colleges, universities, museums, conference centers and other educational and
cultural institutions throughout the U.S. and Canada, and in forty-nine other countries.
Are you interested in participating in an Elderhostel vacation? Call Jane at the
museum, or write to ccmuseum@phonewave.net
for more information.
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