Summer 2022 Arts and Science Programming for Children and Their Parents
Silver City’s annual schedule of free summer STEAM activities (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) got its start in 2004. The Tuesday morning portion of the summer STEAM program is organized by Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties (HCC) and the program is open to all. Guest teachers are experts in their fields who come from many different organizations such as FIRST Nevada, United Way, Society of Women Engineers, UNCE, the Resident Artist Program in Silver City, etc.
Contact information and location: If you’d like to be on an email list for alerts about public summer STEAM events at the Silver City Schoolhouse (community center), park, and outdoor stage (all at 385 High Street), please contact quest@hcclsc.org. Silver City is located within a historic landmark on the Comstock 3 miles south of Virginia City and 7 miles from Dayton.
SUMMER SCHEDULE BELOW:
*Tuesday June 14 from 10am-noon: June is Pollinator Month! Parents and their children ages 5 to 10 are invited to join Kelly Clark, Co-Chair of Carson City’s BeeCItyUSA #76 and master beekeeper Linda Groves from 10am-noon. They’ll lead fun activities about the important role bees and other pollinators play. Learn what you can do in your own yard and community to preserve and add more pollinator habitat.
*Tuesday June 21 from 10am-noon – United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra brings summer fun for parents with their children ages 0 to six years. Crafts, healthy snacks, free books, and hands-on school readiness activities with UW, plus free toothbrushes and preschool -size bicycle helmets from Healthy Communities and a resource booth with gifts and helpful information from CCI’s Nevada Families First.
*Wednesday June 22, private event – The Resident Artist Program in Silver City is collaborating with HCC to bring a morning of visual art and career exploration to interns from across Lyon County who are in HCC’s Comstock Youth Program. The artist-in-residence program’s summer visiting artist, Brian Schorn, will lead the activities. Brian has MFA degrees in fine art photography, graphic design, creative writing and electronic music. He currently operates the Alpena Community College Fine Arts Center in Michigan where he teaches art and design courses. Over the last few decades, he has taught visual art, photography, comparative art, digital art, sound art, graphic design and creative writing at institutions such as Interlochen Arts Academy, University of Michigan, and Brown University.
*Tuesday June 28 from 10am-noon – Parents with their children ages 8 to 12 are invited for fun activities focusing on Space Exploration Science. The presenter, Donald M. Scott, has a decade of experience with the Aerospace Education Services Program where he worked with NASA astronauts and scientists to develop K-12 activities. Experience activities with model rockets, an orbital mechanics turntable, simple spectroscopy, mission patch design, and more. Mr. Scott integrates related notes about art and poetry into the workshop.
*Tuesday July 5 from 10am-noon – artist Brian Schorn, who is also a certified meditation instructor with training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, will lead a meditation session. No experience necessary. Everyone welcome. Brian also has MFA degrees in photography, creative writing, graphic design, and electronic music and currently teaches art and design at Alpena Community College and is the summer visiting artist in Silver City. He “approaches his art as a contemplative practice which integrates seamlessly with the rest of his life.”
*Tuesday July 12 from 10am-noon – at the Silver Pavilion stage – discover experimental improv with Brian Schorn and Mylo McCormick. Michigan-based multi-disciplinary artist Brian’s discography includes field recording, experimental jazz, musique concrete, etc. His music has been broadcast on radio stations around the world, and his graphic composition Nebula premiered in London, England with a performance by the Aurora Orchestra. Silver City musician Mylo McCormick, recognized for “Best Entertainment in Rural Nevada” by Nevada Magazine in 2019, performs with the bands Mo’z Motley Blues, Moxy Ruckus and the Mylo McCormick Project at venues throughout Northern Nevada. Bring a chair and enjoy the free show, sponsored by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City and HCC.
*Tuesday July 19 from 10am-noon – Robotics engineering mini-camp for boys and girls ages 8-14 and their parents. The popular annual event is led by the Society of Women Engineers Sierra Nevada Section and FIRST Nevada. Kids will compete in an exciting SumoBot competition after they write a program to make their robots go forward and back and drive in a square. Then they’ll build a robot “arm” and form teams to compete with their SumoBots!
*Tuesday August 2 from 10am-noon – Dayton, Nevada author Lisa Selmi will read from her endearing children’s book called “Oscar’s Big Adventure.” This special storytime is sponsored by Healthy Communities in partnership with the Silver City Volunteer Library. The story is about an aging dog who reminds us that we are never too old to seek new friendships and adventures.
*Tuesday August 9 from 10am-noon – Lisa Taylor, County Educator with University Nevada Cooperative Extension, will lead kids in a “Renew, Re-use, Recycle” activity. Children will make and take home their own bird feeder, using recycled materials. We’ll learn about the benefits of re-using or repurposing to reduce waste, and we’ll also learn a bit about birds and the fascinating role they play as pollinators.
*Saturday, August 13 at 6:00pm – Kantu Inka’s Summer Concert in the Park – a free family friendly event on the outdoor stage in Silver City’s park funded by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City. Bring your own chairs and picnic dinner. Traditional Andean Peruvian music on zampoña, quena, charango, guitar and bombo. Funded by the Resident Artist Program in Silver City with additional support from HCC, Silver City Arts, SCPS.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES
Mondays June 20 – July 18 from 5:30 PM until 7 PM (registration required)– Writing Series for Older Adults with Nevada Poet Laureate Gailmarie Pahmeier – The series of four Nevada Arts Council – funded poetry writing sessions for adults 55+ will be held on Mondays beginning on June 20, 2022 and concluding on July 18, 2022 (no class on Monday July 4th). Culminating event on Monday, July 25, 2022. There is limited space for the writing series, which is co-sponsored by Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey. Contact Quest at quest@hcclsc.org to hold your seat in the series.
Other Activities by Other Groups: A number of other groups in Silver City host a monthly Coffee House Music and Game Night, a Ukulele Club, open hours at the town’s volunteer library, and a community garden. The Silver City Preservation Society is hosting a family-friendly event Sunday, July 3 from noon to 6pm at the Silver City Park called the Silver Palooza Music & Art Festival. The event features live music plus food, beverages, lawn games, a cake walk, and visiting artist Brian Schorn’s exhibition titled Comstock Wabi Sabi. Donations go to the Silver City Preservation Society, a nonprofit.
