Nevada County Life

One October 29th 2010 downtown Grass Valley will be hosting the safe trick or treat for pre school age children. Mill Street is closed to traffic between 10am and 1pm allowing children and adults to enjoy this annual tradition in safety.

Merchants on Mill St and Main St dress up and hand out candy to the children.

Come and take part in this Halloween event in downtown Grass Valley, and see the Halloween window displays in the shops. Remember, only Mill St is closed to traffic, so take care when visiting the merchants on Main st.

It’s slow going, but moving along…the mural on the rear and side of the Del Oro Theater in Grass Valley, California. And while it looks good close up, what will it look like from the freeway? Will the detail be lost? Will it work from a distance?  Here’s a photograph of the new mural in progress taken from the Safeway parking lot.

New Del Oro Mural, November 2009

And here’s the old mural that was there previously…

Friday night we had dinner for two at the New Moon Cafe in Nevada City. We have enjoyed the New Moon for years – they never disappoint! They have a seasonally changing menu with lots of Nevada County local organic food. The wine list is excellent, with one of the best selections in Nevada County. There are a variety of wines from many regions, locally and throughout the world. You can always find a food and wine pairing to satisfy your palette.  The desserts are decadent.

I ordered the Meyer Lemon Chicken dish for my entre and found the chicken to be cooked perfectly and the veggies were tasty. My husband sampled the ravioli of the day, which was filled with cheeses, olives, sundried tomatoes, and lots of other good stuff. We shared a crab cake for starters which we both enjoyed.

Next time you’re looking for a great night out in Nevada City, make reservations at the New Moon Cafe.

The Foothills Celebration in Downtown Grass Valley on March 7th is an excellent opportunity to come and visit the gold mining town of Grass Valley, California, and sample local wines and local chef specialities prepared by Grass Valley restaurants.  

Walk the streets of downtown and drop in on local stores selling local goods and crafts, with each of the participating stores also featuring locally prepared snacks and local wines.  We’ve attended this event for a number of years now and it has never disappointed.

Plan to look at some of the streets away from the downtown area and see examples of the historic homes that are frequently found in Grass Valley (consult the Heritage Homes booklet, available from the Bookseller on Mill St, for a list of local houses worth viewing.).  Also make some time to take in the gold mining history of the area, including the Empire Mine State Historic Park, and the Northstar Mine Powerhouse and Pelton Wheel Museum. 

The event itself runs from 1pm to 4pm on March 7th, 2009.  For ticket prices and information on how to get tickets, please contact the Grass Valley Downtown Association at 530-272-8315.

Why does this rural area of California have so many Victorian homes? Gold and gold mining. To give you an idea of how rich the area was, the Empire Mine in Grass Valley produced 5.8 million ounces of gold between 1850 and 1956, when it closed. It’s currently on record as the oldest, largest and richest gold mine in the state of California.

Nevada City and Grass Valley were boom towns during this period, and many fine houses were built. Although there were a number of fires in both towns, many Victorian houses survived them, and more importantly survived the redevelopment of the towns in the 20th century. Then the end of mining operations in the 1950s ushered in an economic downturn for the area, with some of the Victorian properties falling into disrepair at this time, but the economic revival that has taken place in Nevada County based on tourism and an influx of high technology companies has been accompanied with a new appreciation for these wonderful properties. Many have been renovated and restored, and in turn they provide visitors with one more thing to appreciate in our local area.

The best way to see the Victorians in Grass Valley and Nevada City is to walk through the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown areas.