July in Reno

I spent the month of July avoiding studying for the CPA exam by volunteering for Artown. For the uninitiated, Artown is a month-long celebration of arts and culture in the Reno area. Near mid June, the "Little Black Book of Artown" appears in newspapers and various locations throughout the city with a day-by-day listing of all Artown events. Every day in July there are dozens of events to choose from, many of which are free. Check out www.renoisartown.com for more info.

Anyway, I volunteered for Wednesday night "Food for the Soul" concert series and Friday night Movies in the Park. Both events are held in Wingfield Park by the Truckee River. I'm not usually a very outgoing person, so when I was asked to take surveys I was a little hesitant. It turned out to be so much fun. Thank you to everyone who graciously took a few moments of their time away from picnic dinners, family and friends. I loved talking residents and visitors and seeing the love there is for this event. I'm already looking forward to next year.

My favorite concert by far was Fiamma Fumana, a group from Northern Italy. I don't even know how to describe their music except that it was beautiful and it rocked at the same time. I'll be picking up all of their CDs on Amazon.com in the very near future.

Artown is truly an amazing event. The organization brings world-class entertainment and culture to a little city that outsiders and viewers of Reno 911! think is nothing but meth addicts and trailer parks. Sure we have that, too. But we've also got the American Ballet Theater, Pink Martini, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. So HAH!